West Bay

West Bay is located on the western tip of the Roatan. Because of its brilliant white sand and extensive coral reefs situated just meters from shore, West Bay is recognized as the premier beach on the island. With the recent boom in tourism, these qualities have made West Bay highly prized by developers. As is shown in the 1989 aerial photograph, no road existed and therefore the area was minimally impacted by humans. Since 1989, however, Julio Galindo cleared a small access road which opened up the area to adventurous drivers. Subsequently, developers have continued to widen and regrade the road so that it now supports two way traffic. The highly erodable soils in the area result in substantial amounts of erosion, especially on the segment of road which has a 16 percent grad. During our most recent research trip in March 1997, most locals felt that this road would be paved by the end of 1997.

While an earlier proposal to build one single large-scale resort on the beach fell through, development has occurred nonetheless but on a much smaller basis. The beach front property has been divided into many smaller parcels suitable for either single homes or small condos and villas. The area behind this beachfront property was once a large swamp, and in the past few years, this area has been drained and filled in order to create more buildable acreage. The road has been extended around the tip of the island, and lots for a new gated development, called Lighthouse Estates, have been surveyed and over half had been sold by March of 1997. In addition, negotiations were under way to bring in twice per week passengers from cruise lines, resulting in another 800 people per week utilizing the beach and the corals.

While this type of development is certainly not new to most readers, it must be understood how rapidly this change has occurred and the scope of the potential consequences. Eldon Bolton, the Director of the Institute for Marine Sciences, told me in the summer of 1996 that only three years prior, he had gone duck hunting on the swamp. At that time, only one house was built on the entire beach. Such rapid and unplanned development can have far reaching consequences. West Bay is located in the center of the Marine Reserve, and the reefs just offshore and around the point are some of the best dive spots within the reserve. The development and the filling of the swamp will dramatically change the hydrology of the area, and will likely result in greater sediment entering into the near-shore waters. This sediment will not only darken the near white sand, but more importantly could smother the coral reef. In addition, the increased number of people using the beach and waters will take a toll. The reef is very shallow (less than one meter) and very close to shore (within ten meters), and that many people will inevitably kill the reef top through contact with fins and touching of the coral with their hands.