“Coral reefs are formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called polyps (close relatives of jellyfish).” (G. Tyler Miller, ‎Scott Spoolman, Living in the Environment – 2008) Also important to the growth of coral reefs are coralline algae, annelid worms, some species of sponge and molluscs. These calcareous shell secreting species live together, and their death leaves behind the exoskeleton which creates the shapes and pores of the reefs. They are able to grow at or just below sea level, and can only survive in warm climates above twenty degrees Celsius and below thirty degrees Celsius. Living Coral hosts zooxanthellae which provide them nutrients. These micro-organisms need sunlight in order to photosynthesize. Therefore they are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Fringing, Atoll or Barrier reefs may be formed through this process.

" Fringing reefs surrounding Pacific islands "Taken from http://www.coral-reef-info.com/types-of-coral-reefs.html to show an example of a fringing reef.

As the names suggest, fringing reefs are found near the coastline, and barrier reefs stand between the coastline and deeper waters.  Atolls enclose Lagoons, forming a ring shaped reef. 

According to Mark Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund Peter Green in World Atlas of Coral Reefs, Coral reefs can be affected in the region by several factors. These include: 

·         Coral disease

·         Overfishing

·         Agricultural Runoff

·         Hurricanes

·         Indirect Effect of Tourism

·         Coastal Building Practices

·         Sedimentation and Pollution
·         Rising sea levels due to melting Polar Ice Caps

There are several socio-economic implications which can result from the destruction of coral reefs. The most blatant would be a loss of biodiversity. The loss of coral reefs would cause a ripple effect. There would be an obvious effect on the fishing industry. The loss of bio-diversity would cause a loss of jobs for those who fish. There may also be a loss of a food source for these people, and generally for our nations’ populations. These effects would have their own socio-economic results on the health, quality of life and economic status of the people affected. There would be a negative effect on tourism, which following such a disturbance in the systems of the sea life. Tourists may not only cease to come to enjoy the beauty of the reefs and our Caribbean waters, but also to study and understand the creatures that coral forms a habitat for and the role that these species play. 

Black coral Photo: NOAA Hawaiian Undersea Research Lab
The image above shows Black Coral being harvested.


Therefore there is a loss of whatever possible discoveries and positive socio-economic impact that could result, including new food and medicine resources as well as jobs created through tourism, depended on so heavily in our region. Coral reefs also play the important role of protection of coastlines. Without reefs to play this evidently important role, there would be eroding damage to the coastline, to boats, and possible loss of life due to newly roughened waters.  These are a few of the possible negative effects of destruction of coral reefs. 

Because of these possible harmful effects, the preservation of our reefs is an important issue in our Caribbean Society. The reefs are an important part of our geographical environment.

Sources:
 Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections and Solutions. South Melbourne Etc.: Thomson Learning, 2004. Print.

Bharatdwaj, K. Physical Geography: Oceanography. Discovery Publishing House, 2006. Print.

Green, E. World Atlas of Coral Reefs. University of California Press, 2001. Print.

Ray, C. et. al. Coastal-Marine Conservation: Science and Policy. 1 Apr 2009

Picture below:
screenshot of an article speaking about the viral magazine which contained an 'obituary' for the Great Barrier Reef.
Lewis, Sophie. "The Great Barrier Reef Is Not Actually Dead." CNN.com. CNN, 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. 

Above is a Hindu symbol 'Aum' taken from 
http://hinduismfacts.org/hindu-symbols/. 
It is included to show an aspect of Hindu culture.

 

 

The pluralistic nature of West-Indian society is as a result of our unique History. Our varying, complex and intriguing combination of cultures is part of what forms our identity as Caribbean people. Its rich history and the migration of various groups over centuries created the state of cultural pluralism that exists in present day society. The process of did not only affect the population’s ethnic, ethic and social state, but also the art forms that developed in the region. According to Jacqueline Knorr - 2014, Creolization is a process that links indigenization with ethnicization against the background of ethnic diversity in a specific social context. In simpler terms, Creolization is a blending of cultures which is a result of exposure, coexistence, and interaction of two or more social groups. (Mark and Vaughan - 2004)

 

Above is a Catholic symbol 'the Crucifix' taken from 

 https://owlcation.com/humanities/catholic-symbols 

 It is included to show an aspect of Catholic religious beliefs.

Creolization would have been a part of the process of adaptation of the enslaved Africans that were mentioned in the fourth lecture. Despite attempts at degradation and violence, the African enslaved were able to assimilate. Similarly the indentured laborers prior to and following the emancipation of the enslaved Africans, brought with them their religious and cultural beliefs. These groups formed the topic of Unit 5: The Caribbean in Demographic Motion: Emancipation, migration and Indentureship. Evidence can be seen today throughout the region, perhaps most blatantly in Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica.

Above is an Islamic symbol " The Star and Crescent  " taken from
http://religious-symbols.net/islam-symbols.html
It was included to show an aspect of Islamic religious beliefs.

The process of creolization generally has three main effects on the development of religions. Firstly, certain religious practices may have been prevented or restricted from growth through the use of various forms of social control. An example is the practice of drumming for religious ceremonies, which was banned. Secondly, new religious ideologies may be created as a result of creolization. These would include parts of both the dominant culture and the culture from which those who arrived came.

Above is a Rastafarian Symbol "The Rasta Flag" Taken from
http://jamaicans.com/ganja/
It was included to show an aspect of Rastafarian religious beliefs. 



Finally, creolization may have encouraged the retention of certain religions that the indentured labourers and the enslaved Africans may have brought with them.

A video discussing a few religious groups in the region was created.  The video was created in order to include literature discussing a few religious groups' introduction to the region. Please follow this link to view the video that we created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wisNEPTGt-I

Overall it basically taught us about our ancestors, when they existed and what they did to make the islands/Caribbean what it is today.  

 

In this course we also learnt about the diversification of the Caribbean’s ethnic background, what was done in the past and what is being now in the present to make the Caribbean what it is.

e.g the planting of sugar cane which was the main feature of the Caribbean.

 

Although everything was not discussed in the lectures, I made time to read some of the materials posted on e-learning, where I read about the various religions in the Caribbean and how these religions impacted the people, also about education and the Caribbean family structure and how the affected and impacted Caribbean people.

 

Overall, this course have had its challenges, such as the abrupt cancellation of the lectures which then forced us to having to watch one and a half hour long pre-recorded videoed lectures. Although , the lectures lasted and extra thirty minutes, to me it basically more interesting and interactive from my prospective and the students were able to be more interactive in the lectures in terms of asking questions and so forth and the lecturer would sometimes make a joke which kept the students going.

 

I think the course however, is very informative as we should be well educated about our roots and history and know what our ancestors and the people before our existence did to make way for us.  

All that this course needs is a careful reviewing of it and some feedback from the students on what they prefer or what would interest them more and hopefully the course should be a success next semester with little or no hiccups.

Caribbean Civilisation

Portfolio

 

Student name: A’Shante O’Keife, Jalesa cox

 

Student ID number: A.O- 415000582 J.c -416001009

 

Faculty: Law

 

Campus: Cavehill campus

 

Degree Program: Law Undergraduate

 

Date: 11/28/16

 

Title of Portfolio: Caribbean Civlizations- Our Culture, Religious Practices and Environment