Environmental Studies Commons^™

Managing Natural Resources Through Vulnerability Analysis: An Applied Case Study Into Recreational Activities At Coral Reefs In Puerto Rico, Karin Jakubowski

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this dissertation is to add knowledge to coral reef management by designing and testing a methodology to assess the vulnerability of select coral reefs to diving and snorkeling recreational activities within La Cordillera Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico. Vulnerability research consists of three main components. This includes measuring exposure to the stressor, characterizing the sensitivity of the exposure, and characterizing the capacity to act. In the context of this research, exposure refers to the number of potentially harmful actions that recreational snorkelers inflict on coral reef ecosystems when they contact the reef and includes the number of individuals …