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Guatemala Alert over Mexico Bird Flu

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Caribbean states to meet on tsunami warning system

Cathy Wright's second honeymoon wasn't exactly the lush romantic getaway most newlyweds imagine. For one thing, she and her new husband, George, spent a night camped out in a cave. For another, they had company: her two teenage sons. Together, the four hiked, caved, rappelled and sailed their way around Belize for eight days last April. Since it was a second marriage for both of them, the couple was less concerned with finding time alone than with building ties together. "We wanted to make it more of a family-bonding experience," says Wright, 42. More

Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Rafael Daussa described the recent visit to Cuba by the General Secretary of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Ruben Silie, as very positive, noting it will help strengthen regional cooperation. More

Marine biologists may have found a simple way of preserving tropical coral reefs that are threatened by pollution and climate change - ban fishing. A study of a coral reef in the Caribbean has found the coral improves significantly when fishing is outlawed. Bans allow big predators such as sharks and groupers to prey on smaller parrotfish which graze on seaweed living on the coral. The findings are surprising because grazing parrotfish help prevent seaweed from smothering the coral and more of their natural predators should in theory make it more difficult for coral to grow. However, research by a team led by the marine biologist Peter Mumby, of Exeter University, found that although the presence of big predators caused parrotfish to decline, it results in some parrotfish growing bigger, allowing the coral to be grazed more efficiently. "Marine reserves are used as a tool to manage fish populations. The key finding from our results is reserves can also protect corals from the effects of climate change," Dr Mumby said. More

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