Chavez,-E.A.; Hidalgo,-E.  The coral reefs from Northwestern 
	Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in the social-economic 
	context. AN.-INST.-CIENC.-MAR-LIMNOL.-UNIV.-NAC.-AUTON.-
	MEX. 1988. vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 167-176.

Among the main four types of existing coral reefs (atolls, 
barrier, platform and fringing reefs), those of the Gulf of 
Mexico are mostly of platform type. On the coasts of southern 
Florida fringing reefs prevail; the great Atlantic reef belt 
on NW Caribbean is a combination of fringing reefs partly 
forming an incipient barrier as well as some considerable 
large platform reefs. These ecosystems are easily degradable 
and their recovery is very slow (in order of centuries), 
however, they have been subjected to human settlements on 
their surroundings, industrial activities, fisheries 
exploitation and tourism; among them, the last ones are the 
less harmful. A check list of cases of human impact on the 
Gulf of Mexico coral reefs is presented.