Advances in the Exploration and Management of Coastal Karst in the Caribbean

Abstract

Coastal karst is a dominant landform within the Caribbean that has played a signifi cant role in shaping human migration and settlement patterns, modern economic development in the region and its evolving biodiversity. Recent exploration of coastal karst, associated models of littoral cave development and comparative coastal resource management strategies are examined in three distinct island settings in the Caribbean: The Republic of Haiti, Grenada and Isla de Mona (Puerto Rico). These regional island examples display distinct and complex coastal karst morphologies ranging from intensely karstic carbonate platforms to complex non-carbonate island cores overlain by extensive and thickly-bedded coastal and interior carbonate cover or predominantly volcanic landscapes with limited fringing carbonates. Previously unreported fi eld research in these selected island settings support an emerging view of the complex karst development in the region and indicate that signifi cant karst areas remain to be explored while illustrating the associated landform vulnerabilities, anthropogenic effects and range of coastal resource management and preservation initiatives applied to date.

Past and Present Drivers of Karst Formation of Ciénega de El Mangle, Panama

“…Littoral shott represents a surface and/or ephemeral lake of varied sizes that reveal and show a saline film or substrate on the surface, generally associated with arid climates and intense evaporation [25]. Due to the fact that these landscapes also often occur in seasonal humid tropical climates, reflecting the high rate of evaporation during the dry period [52].…”

“…Studying karstic depressions is vital for understanding groundwater dynamics and land stability, offering valuable insights into water resource management and geohazard mitigation [20][21][22]. Therefore, detailed knowledge of karstic areas is crucial for the sustainable management and evasion of environmental problems in the future, as well as for the improvement of landscape and land use planning [23][24][25][26].…”

Haitian Archaeological Heritage: Understanding Its Loss and Paths to Future Preservation

“…Some were based on documenting Amerindian settlement dynamics on national and regional scales [26][27][28][29]. It is also important to note that many archaeological caves including some with rock art as well as riverbed petroglyph sites have been documented in Haiti [91][92][93][94][95][96][97].…”