[Coral-List] Current state of research in corals?

[Christopher Hawkins]

Hi John/Wade and all:
   
  I wanted to let everyone know as well, since this string is focused more on the biohphysical, that there are some discussions ongoing about what research priorities exist regarding human dimensions of coral reefs.  As managers become more aware that there are research tools and concepts out there that can help them better undertand conflict, crowding, satisfaction, user norms, attitudes, acceptable management alternatives and in general what resource conditions society wants with what costs and tradeoffs, they are increasingly looking to include research projects in their local action strategies and other management planning activities. This is what I am hearing from my former colleagues in several (US) jursidictions 
   
  Unfortunately, some of our long-range strategizing is missing out on much of this.  Admittedly, I haven't been back to look at the Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan in a bit, so it could contain more human dimensions research than it did (which was not much at first), but I do know that the not-yet-final Ocean Research Priorities Plan is bereft of HD research, and if you look at the 1999 National Action Plan for Coral Reefs, Part 4 of Section Three is titled "Undertand the Human Dimensions", yet only a very narrow slice of HD research has been brought to bear thus far(economics, mainly).
   
  We are working with several locales to help them identify information needs and especially ways to get this information.  I think that over the next 18 months or so, managers will see some helpful guidance coming out of our shop, and some of the other good HD shops out there.
    
  Best,
  Chris
   
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  Christopher Hawkins, PhD student
  Human Dimensions Research Unit
  Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Program
  Department of Natural Resources Conservation
  314 Holdsworth Hall
  University of Massachusetts
  Amherst, MA 01003
  413.545.3749  hawkins at forwild.umass.edu
   
   
   
   
    Hi Wade,

We held international workshops to establish 
research needs for coral reef
management in the Caribbean and globally. You can 
get copies at
http://www.ncoremiami.org/press/links.htm of

"Research Priorities for Coral Reefs in the 
Caribbean" and 
"The Future of Decision Support for Coral Reef 
Management"  

Outside of that, a good approach to finding out 
what is going on in reef
research, outside of Coral_list, is to peruse the 
last year of Coral Reefs
(journal), the International Coral Reef Symposium 
Proceedings (last one
published 2002, with 2004 coming out soon) 
(online at www.reefbase.org), and
the recommendations from the most recent 
International Tropical Marine
Ecosystem Management Symposium (ITMEMS2)
(http://www.icriforum.org/itmems.html). If you 
are hoping to do research
with reef management relevancy, you might want to 
attend ITMEMS 3 in
Cozumel, October 16-20, this year 
(http://www.itmems.org/index.htm). The
Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium will be held in 
Hong Kong in late June,
2006 
(http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/bio/APCRS/invitations.htm). 
Of course, don't
miss the International Coral Reef Symposium in 
Ft. Lauderdale in mid-2008. 

Cheers!

John
 
John W. McManus, PhD
Professor, Marine Biology and Fisheries
Coral Reef Ecology and Management Laboratory 
(CREM Lab)
Director, National Center for Coral Reef Research 
(NCORE)
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric 
Science
University of Miami, 33149
Office: 305-421-4814/4820, Fax: 305-421-4910, 
Website: www.ncoremiami.org
 
If I cannot build it, I do not understand it. -- 
Richard Feynman, Nobel
Laureate
 




		
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