The death of mangrove trees may be responsible for the extinction of rainbow parrotfish off Belize and Mexico.

Scientists at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) are digging for more information in Bermuda with a mangrove planting experiment begun last October. The experiment was started with the hope of sparking an interest in the restoration of Bermuda?s mangrove forests after the destruction caused by Hurricane Fabian.

However, a recent study conducted on the Belize and Mexico coasts found that fish were far more abundant on coral reefs with adjoining mangrove forests than on those without. The extensive loss of mangroves in that region may even have resulted in the extinction of local parrotfish, said the report.

?Everyone sees the point in preserving coral reefs and the creatures that live on them because they are beautiful,? said Dr. Peter Mumby, who led the study. ?Until now, the conservation of mangroves has received much less support.

Dr. Joanna Pitt, a Bermudian scientist and project leader of the mangrove planting experiment at BBSR, added: ?This study demonstrates that mangroves are even more important to coral reef ecosystems than we had previously thought. This is the most comprehensive documentation of the role that mangrove habitats have in maintaining populations of certain species of coral reef fish on nearby reefs.?

Mangrove roots, often referred to as nurseries, provide a protective and rich environment where juvenile coral reef fish can search for food and escape predators. They live in these areas and other inshore environments for much of their early life, only departing for the reefs as they approach maturity.

Without these habitats, young fish lose an important area for their development and become more vulnerable to predators.

Dr. Pitt said in Bermuda the most extensive mangrove loss occurred in the Castle Harbour area when the United States Naval Air Station and the airport were built in the 1940s.

Now Dr. Pitt and her team are trying different methods of getting mangroves to grow along the shoreline of Ferry Reach, including planting seeds directly in the sand or inside protective PVC pipes.

?About 40 percent of the propagules we planted in the pipes have germinated, while we have seen little or no germination of the propagules we planted directly in the sand,? she said. ?The soil we used to fill the pipes had more nutrients than the rocky sand along the edge of Ferry Reach, and this may have helped kick-start their growth.?

Dr. Pitt is hopeful the project will be deemed a success in two or three years, once the seedlings have matured. ?If this experiment is successful, we hope to inspire future mangrove recovery efforts.

?This is a way we can contribute to the health of our marine environment in general, and of fish populations in particular.?