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are captured in the Sediment Delivery Rates indicator

(D5).

Better management practices should produce a

desired effect at a local level but, in conjunction with

other efforts, contribute to the overall reduction of

pollutants reaching the marine ecosystem.

The usefulness of this indicator will be enhanced if

complementary testing is conducted to measure

marine-based concentrations of agrochemicals or

their by-products. When combined with oceanographic

Jose Vasquez/WWF

models of water flow from river mouths to reefs and

other coastal areas, these datasets can help identify

correlations between agricultural practices and

be obtained from groups working on agricultural

observed or postulated ecosystem impacts.

practices (e.g., WWF and Rainforest Alliance), or by

using standard United Nations Food and Agriculture

Status

Organization (FAO) estimates by crop type.

The figure below shows a summary of fertilizer

GIS-based  spatial  information  is  needed  for

input rates for each MAR Country. These rates vary

agriculturally productive areas that drain into the

significantly largely due to the kind of agriculture being

marine environment. Crop-specific land-use data are

practiced but also due to the scale at which these

needed to develop a regionally consistent classification

inputs are being applied.

scheme for agricultural systems.

Data

Data Needs

The physio-chemical processes affecting contaminant

mobilization and deposition vary with different

Data on fertilizer and pesticide use are available at a

agrochemicals, so the strategies needed to reduce

national scale for all four countries. WWF is compiling

them also differ. Thus, the identification of which

such data at the watershed scale in Honduras and

chemicals have the greatest negative impact on

Belize. Some watersheds have been completed11.

marine organisms and ecosystems is of paramount

Estimates of agricultural inputs per crop cycle can

importance.

Data Source10

D4

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