Reconnaissance surveys and benthic community mapping in Parque Nacional del
Este, southeastern Dominican Republic, revealed that discontinuous and poo
rly developed fringing reefs are interspersed with vast areas of low-relief
hard-bottom in coastal shelf areas of the mainland peninsula and Isla Saon
a. Predominant reef and hard-bottom (non-reefal) community types are patch
reefs, shallow and deeper low-relief hard-bottom, reef crests, and deep for
e reef slope communities represented by rocky outcrops and low-relief spur-
and-groove, Coral cover is very low (< 10%) in most sites and consists pred
ominately of relatively sediment-tolerant species such as Montastraea caver
nosa and Siderastrea siderea. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis do not fo
rm extensive and well-developed shallow (reef crest or reef flat) or mid-de
pth (fore reef terrace) reefs. Spatial patterns of hard-bottom community st
ructure suggest that wave energy and natural, episodic sedimentation events
are important environmental factors to consider when evaluating the condit
ion of reefs in this area. Qualitative observations and quantitative data c
ollected from the eastern area of the Park near the Mona Passage to the mor
e sheltered leeward peninsula indicate a gradient in the development of ree
f crests and fore reef slope communities. Biological patterns were corrobor
ated by information on monthly sedimentation rates collected during 1996-97
in mid-depth (15-20 m), fore reef slope communities. Coral coverage is low
er (<5%) and the abundance of octocorals is greater in more exposed. lower
relief hard-bottom communities. These relationships suggest that reef and h
ard-bottom communities in the southeastern Dominican Republic are naturally
stressed by sedimentation, and the paucity of reef frameworks likely refle
cts a long-term pattern of sedimentation and strong wave energy, Potential
threats from increasing tourism development in the area could have dire con
sequences for the resilience and recovery of coral reefs, directly related
to the protection of economically important beach resources.