International experts will test new protocols in Barbados in May to investigate damage to coral reefs, an ecosystem that is home to a quarter of all marine life, and to bring to justice those responsible for the harm. The hope is that the protocols will be recognized by national and international courts, Patricia Ramírez told Tierramérica. The Mexican expert is involved in the project Coral Crime Scene Investigation, created in 2005 and involving scientists from 12 countries.

The experience in Barbados will be part of a program for training officials, students and scientists in rapid-response efforts for any type of harm done to coral reefs.

The greatest threats to the reefs are grounding of boats, illegal fishing and the introduction of species foreign to the ecosystem, home to more than 4,000 kinds of fish and hundreds of plants, said Ramírez, an expert in aquatic toxicology.

“Our group, which defined the investigation protocols, is the only initiative of its kind in the world,” she said.