[Coral-List] Education for the Masses
Marci Wulff
Marci.Wulff at noaa.gov
Tue Aug 5 10:14:59 EDT 2008
Dear Coral List,
We have been following the "Education for the Masses" thread on this list serve with great interest.
This topic is near and dear to us at the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP).
The CRCP recently released the "Roadmap for the Future" which sets a new
course and priorities for the program. In this document the program
reinforces its commitment to education and outreach as an integral
component of coral reef conservation. It is indeed a priority for us
to "educate the masses", but it does not happen with one campaign or
overnight.
NOAA co-chairs the US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) which maintains an
Education and Outreach Working Group that operates both as an outreach
mechanism for the USCRTF and as a body through which non-USCRTF member
organizations, academic institutions, and individuals can take part in
the activities of the USCRTF. There are currently over 140 members from
state, Federal and Territory agencies as well as from academic
institutions and non-governmental organizations. CRCP worked with
multiple partners through this working group to create a set of clear,
consistent messages for the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) to
inform and engage the public to take actions in their daily lives. This
information can be found at www.iyorcreative.org and is for the public
to use. We all have the opportunity to work together to ensure that
IYOR continues beyond 2008.
Two core messages are listed below:
1) Coral reefs are valuable resources. They provide food, recreation,
marine habitat, coastal protection and medicines. They sustain American
livelihoods and economic development.
2) The health of coral reef ecosystems is at serious risk due to a
variety of human activities both local and global. The three main
threats are climate change, land based sources of pollution and
overfishing. Protecting and conserving coral reef ecosystems is an
urgent issue, we can protect them if we act now.
We certainly welcome more scientists and coral experts to lend their
voices to this effort. If you are interested in learning more about
our efforts or our working group please contact Maria.Barry at noaa.gov or
Marci.Wulff at noaa.gov.
We look forward to working with you on this important and timely issue.
More information about the Coral-List
mailing list