Abstract:
Coral reefs at Casurina beach in the Karainagar Island of Jaffna peninsula, Sri
Lanka are among the most heavily explored destinations for coastal tourism. We investigated
the impact of algal overrunning and tourism on coral reefs over the last eight years. Coral
reefs in Casurina beach are largely used by native fishermen for artisanal fishing, sea
cucumber collection and for tourism. Baseline survey results indicated a vast competition and
phase shift of corals to algal state. At present 52% of the coral reef area is covered with fleshy
macroalgae and dead coral, which are more than one year old, and covered by turf or
encrusting coralline algae. Increased number of tourist visits and boating act as chronic
anthropogenic disturbances causing loss of coral cover, increased algal growth and
degradation of ecosystem services in coral reefs.
