<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT SIZE=2>Re: Mark Spalding's comments and others...
<BR><<Just a few quick thoughts on this, because tommorrow and Tuesday I'm going to be facing quite a bit of national and international press regarding the launch of the World Atlas of Coral Reefs. I'm quite expecting a question such as "We heard last week that coral reefs will all be dead within 50 years and there's nothing we can do about it, so why should be bother trying?">>
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<BR>I'd like to throw in my two cents worth about why bothering to study/protect coral reefs IF(??) they are actually on there way to widespread decline as is being discussed here. This probably seems obvious to biologists and managers, but not necessarily to politicians/reporters controlling/influencing the purse strings.
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<BR>There are other reasons to protect these areas and to maintain water quality in reef areas other than maintaining hard corals.
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<BR>What would be the effect of hard coral die-offs from many of the worlds coral reefs? No doubt there would be a change in structure, both physical and ecological. Coralline algae, sponges, and possibly soft corals, would likely become the dominant structure-forming organisms. This change in structural characteristics would lead to community changes in composition, diversity and abundance, but not necessarily complete elimination of important marine resources in these areas.
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<BR>In the worst case scenario, there may eventually be complete erosion of wave-dissipating functions of the resulting reefs, but this may take much longer. But it seems to me that these altered reef areas would still be valuable marine resources worthy of protection for the future, if nothing else then to help put off the possibly inevitable breakdown of the entire reef structure. Good water quality and management practices should hopefully enhance whatever takes place over the long-term.
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<BR>Bill
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<BR>Dr. Bill Tyler
<BR>Indian River Community College
<BR>Ft. Pierce, FL
<BR>561-462-4885</FONT></HTML>