Suitably christened by scientists and experts as The Jewel of the Caribbean, Cordelia Banks, has been officially declared as the first Site of Wildlife Importance by the Honduran government. The following are some of its most significant qualities:
1. It has the highest live coral cover in the Caribbean dominated by Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis), a species of coral that is critically endangered!
2. It has an amazing shark presence!
3. It holds a spawning aggregation site for groupers and snappers!
Cordelia Banks is a group of three coralline banks found in the south side of Roatan, located between two large urban centers (Coxen Hole and French Harbour) and in the vicinity of two busy cruise ship docks. Not the typical conditions you would usually associate with a thriving and abundant ecosystem, yet, amazing biodiversity has somehow managed to flourish in Cordelia which proudly displays a modest 70% live coral cover, very impressive if you compare it with the 18% average found in the entire Mesoamerican Reef (MAR).
Cordelia is host to a healthy population of coral species commonly called staghorn coral, or Acropora Cervicornis if you want to be more scientific. This once dominant coral species suffered from a high mortality rate due to disease which killed almost 98% of its population in the Caribbean during the 1980s earning it a spot on the endangered species list.
For reasons unknown to the scientific community, this species is currently thriving in Cordelia and due to the prevailing marine currents it may prove to be key in repopulating this type of coral in the entire region.