[Coral-List] ICRS Session-Future of Hawaiian coral reefs

Mike Field mfield at usgs.gov
Tue Dec 8 13:10:31 EST 2015


We invite contributors to our symposium on: HAWAII’S CORAL REEFS IN 2050: THE PATH TO SURVIVAL (#85) at the ICRS conference in Honolulu next June. Information about the conference agenda, with links to individual symposia, can be found at:  https://www.sgmeet.com/icrs2016/pre-agenda.asp The link for abstract submission is now open; the deadline for submission is January 15.

The overall goal of the session is to provide up-to-date information about the problems facing Hawaiian coral reefs, and, importantly, introduce a range of ideas about what needs to be done to aid their survival and how to accomplish such actions. The reefs face uncertain times, and they need your knowledge and innovative ideas! The full session description is below.



 Session 85: HAWAII’S CORAL REEFS IN 2050: THE PATH TO SURVIVAL

“Coral reefs and associated fish assemblages are steadily declining in numbers and diversity throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) due to unsustainable fishing pressures and land-based pollution. Some fish stocks around the MHI have declined by more than 90% over the past 100 years. Looming impacts from climate change--both thermal stress and acidification-- will clearly exacerbate and accelerate the decline, making survival of the reefs as they exist today unlikely within decades.

 Abundant scientific evidence indicates that reefs protected from overfishing and local stressors such as land-based pollution offer the best chance of building resiliency and surviving the on-going and growing anthropogenic disturbances. At present, the MHI trail most of the nations of the world with less than1% of coral reefs protected. The situation is urgent, and this session will bring together scientists, resource managers, and policy makers in Hawai`i to identify pathways forward that will enable coral reef survival until mid-century and beyond. The coral reefs of Maui Nui compose the largest, most complex, and richest coral reef system in the MHI, and they will be a focus for collaborative discussions of Hawaiian coral reef status and policies.” 

Co-convenors: Mike Field, Eric Brown, and Alan Friedlander

 

********************
Michael E. Field
Senior Scientist Emeritus
U.S. Geological Survey 
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science  Center
400 Natural Bridges Dr.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

831-212-1251
mfield at usgs.gov

http://coralreefs.wr.usgs.gov







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