From exeter.lab at green2.greenpeace.org Tue Aug 1 06:28:49 1995 From: exeter.lab at green2.greenpeace.org (exeter.lab at green2.greenpeace.org) Date: Tue, 1-AUG-95 10:28:49 GMT Subject: Moruroa Atoll Message-ID: <43278003@green2.greenpeace.org> ---------- Original-TO: hendee at aoml.erl.gov Original-Cc: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov ---------- Dear Dr. Hendee, Prof. Reinhold Leinfelder suggested we forward this proposal to you on the Moruroa Atoll situation. As you can see we are calling for a somewhat elaborate environmental impact study before the tests resume. I wonder whether you would be interested in supporting this initiative and passing this message on to any of your colleagues who might be able to help in a final project design, or indeed add any other elements to the programme. So far, we have about 70 signatures from scientists interested in contrib uting, ranging through physicists, geologists and biologists. I look forward to hearing from you. Best Regards, Paul Johnston Greenpeace Research Laboratories, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QE UK TELEPHONE: 44 1392 263917 FAX : 44 1392 263907 e-mail: Exeter.lab at Green2.greenpeace.org Dear Fellow Scientists, As you are no doubt aware, the French Government intends to resume the testing of nuclear weapons in the S. Pacific at Moruroa Atoll in September. We are writing to you because we believe that such testing poses an unacceptable risk, both now and in the future to human health and to the wider environment. In addition, it poses a threat to nuclear non- proliferation. The implications of the planned testing programme have not been examined in relation to the current condition of the test site. Previous scientific missions, even with access to limited data, have raised serious questions about the safety of teh testing programme. We, therefore, believe that there is an urgent need to carry out a thorough geological, hydrological, biological and radiological assessment of the site in order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of past tests and the likely impact of a resumption of the testing programme. This needs to be carried out prior to any further testing. Accordingly we are circulating with this letter the broad outline of an independent work programme which we believe to be a minimum required to establish the true situation. We hope that you will be able to lend your support to this programme and join the list of signatories that believe this work to be essential. We intend to forward this to the French Authorities in due course. In addition, we are in the process of constructing a more detailed work programme based around the general outline. If you have any detailed suggestions for work which would improve the scope of the proposed study or any additions or refinements to it we would be very grateful to hear from you on this also. Again, the detailed proposal will be submitted to the French Authorities. We hope that you will feel able to lend us your support or to contribute expertise to construct the detailed programme of study. In addition, if you know of any other colleagues who would also be prepared to lend their support, we would be very happy to hear from them. Please contact Paul Johnston or David Santillo at the address above, or alternatively through the Internet at address: Exeter.lab at Green2.greenpeace.org RATIONALE FOR A PROGRAMME OF STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING AT MORUROA AND FANGATAUFA The president of France, M. Jacques Chirac has recently announced that France intends to resume the testing of nuclear weapons at Moruroa and Fangataufa Atolls in the South Pacific during Septem ber. At the same time he has stated that the testing programme carried out by France had no ecological consequences and that independent scientists would be invited to observe the tests to prove their safety. Nonetheless, observation of the tests alone is simply not ade quate as an overall assessment of the possible consequences of resuming the testing regime. Very few data exist concerning the impact upon the atolls and their environs of previous testing programmes carried out at the sites. The data that do exist indi cate grounds for serious concerns, both about the integrity of the atoll structure and the containment of the radioactive products of the weapons testing. To date there have been more than 120 underground tests in these locations. The degree to which the the fission products from these tests will be contained within the structure of the atoll in the long term is highly uncertain. Effectively, the two sites comprise an unregulated dump for radioactive wastes from these explosions. This has never been subjected to a full, independent evaluation. Several scientific missions to the atolls, all of which have been described as "exploratory" by the scientists concerned, have taken place. A common theme to the conclusions reached in these studies is a call for greater openess and constant vigilance at the test sites. Moreover, the data produced by at least two of these missions raise serious questions about the short and long term containment of radioactivity within the atoll. The scientists taking part in these misions were well respected and of international stature. They were led by Haroun Tazieff, Prof. H. Atkinson and Cmdr Jacques Cousteau respectively. Nonetheless, time constraints and logistic restrictions severe ly limited the scope of these studies and the information obtained was, thus, in each case only of a preliminary nature. Very little substantial information, therefore, has made its way to the public or scientific communities as a result of the work. Further, despite their limited and hence inconclusive nature, the French Government has used these studies to justify continuing their testing programme and to assert that the tests are safe and contained. Considering this, there is clearly a need for a comprehensive exhaustive and independent scientific study prior to any further tests. It is important to recognise that such a study does not require the disclosure of militarily sensitive information concerning the weapons themselves. Hence there is no con flict between the needs of a robust scientific programme of work and the perceived need to preserve militarily sensitive information. Obviously, however, the authorities will need to grant access to both sites but it must be emphasised that the nature of the required programme does not conflict with the interests of national security. An environmental assessment of the atolls should apply, as a basic minimum, the same criteria as applied to civilian sites in relation to the short and long term possibilities of environmental damage, radioactive escapes and needs for radiological protection. In addition, this assessment should fully acknowledge that there are inherent uncertainties in any predictive exercise and that gaps exist in the data. Accordingly, a precautionary approach to future environmental protection of the atolls and the wider environment is required where full weight is given to scientific uncertainty and ignorance of the long term consequences of the tests. It must be recognised by the French Government that the time required for a genuine, comprehensive environmental assessment is considerably greater than would be required for simple observation of the tests at the time that they are carried out. The comprehensive nature of the work required implies not only a long lead time for prearation and logistics but also sufficient time to execute the actual fieldwork. It must also be recognised that a genuine environmental assessment can only take place if there is no restriction on access to the study areas. This must be facilitated by the French Government. Additionally, the Authorities must be prepared to provide the most detailed and recent data available on the structure and geomorpholgy of the atolls together with the best data available concerning the radioactive inventory present. Such information would pose no threat to the national security of France but is indispensible to the conduct of the study. Finally, a multidisciplinary approach will be required. This is likely to be a cost intensive process, a judgment supported by the large sums of money required to conduct surveys of nuclear wepaons production sites in the United States. The resourcing for the programme will need to be supported with substantial financing and logistic support from the French Government. The following programme of work suggested in this document is designed to take into account various of the concerns attached to past and planned future weapons testing. It is designed to be a repeatable exercise so that the effect of future testing can be guaged against present environmental conditions. Central to the concerns are the possibility of leakage of radionuclides from the test sites. Hence the programme should address in detail the possibility that leakage has already occurred and the possibility that it might do so in the future bearing in mind the extremely long half-life of many of the radioactive isotopes involved.It must be recognised by the French Government that the scientific integrity of any programme based solely upon observation at the time of testing is highly suspect. The programme should include inter alia the following elements and a decision on whether to recommence testing or not should be based on consideration of the results of this programme, notwithstanding other political aspects (ie. nuclear proliferation and related issues): 1) A full survey of the topography of the atoll using side scan sonar and a remotely operated vehicle equipped with cameras and testing instruments. This will establish the nature and occurrence of any externally visible fissures. These may be present in the basaltic parent material laid down by aerial and submarine volcanic activity in which tests are conducted, or in the overlying transition zone, dolomite and limestone strata. In turn this will allow an evaluation, supplemented by empirical measurement of actual concentrations of radionuclides, of the potential for release of nuclides from the internal reef structure. 2) A shallow seismic testing programme to establish the degree to which the internal integrity of the atoll structure has been compromised by previous testing. Such a programme would provide some information on the degree of internal fissuring of the parent and overlying materials and also contribute substantially to an evaluation of the potential for radioactive leakage to occur from the atoll structure. Together with data produced from the visual/sonar inspection an evaluation is then possible of the potential for serious structural changes in the atoll produced by future weapons testing. 3) A comprehensive sampling campaign to investigate the concentrations of radionuclides in fish, planktonic organisms, sediments and coralline structures. Where feasible, samples will also be taken from various locations outside the atoll to provide data on exsisting background levels. This exercise will help to establish whether radioactive materials have been released. It will also give some indications of the quantities of radiation released. By using coralline materials and analysing the radionuclides present in the skeletal matrix, it may be possible to establish the timing and approximate magnitude of releases of radionuclides in the past. 4) An exhaustive determination of the hydrology of the atoll and reef structure. This should determine the general water movement through the various strata of the atoll. Knowledge of water movements through the system, the interaction between fresh and salt water in the reef system, the presence and size of freshwater lens systems will allow a more precise estimate of the speed at which radionuclides may be carried to the outside environment as a result of failure of these substances to be contained within the reef structure. In particular the hydrological relationships of fissures and faults identified by 1 & 2 above and the remnant test chambers and the boreholes leading to them is a high priority. 5) Following these evaluations, an epidemiological study integrating retrospective and prospective elements should be initiated to assess the local and regional health impacts of the testing regime, past and present. 6) A comparison of the potential for radionuclide release from the testing sites should be made with standards routinely enforced forinitiated civil nuclear installations. Should a decision to resume testing be taken after this pro gramme is carried out and its results fully considered, it should be agreed that the programme be repeated immediately ater the test series has taken place. ---------- From bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Thu Aug 3 11:20:35 1995 From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 11:20:35 -0400 Subject: Marine fauna exploitation .Part V Message-ID: <199508031520.LAA00959@freenet3.carleton.ca> Conclusion Most of the marine ornamental fish exporters in the area of Manila, and possibly in the whole Philippines, are having significant difficulty in keeping their business going. The main reason is the high mortality rate of their exported fish, and consequently the customer dissatisfaction overseas. This problem is due not only to the fact that some are still cyanide caught, but also because of the poor handling techniques that fisherfolks and exporters are practicing, added to the fact that the fish are held for prolonged periods of time in conditions that are of considerable danger such as: * Acute exposure to ammonia * Low values of pH * Sudden increase of pH * High values of nitrates and phosphates * Drastic temperature changes * Oxygen depletion * Prolonged exposure to Copper ( as treatment) and ( possilbly) to other heavy metals present in marine epoxies, used in the construction of holding tanks. In plastic bags or in a recirculating water system the ammonia which fish excrete becomes a crucial factor in water quality. The molecular form of Ammonia, NH3, is highly toxic, while the ionic form, NH4+, is only slightly toxic. Depending on the pH value of the water, when low, much of the ammonia may become ionized and prevent major problems of toxicity. There is a serious problem when the pH increases suddenly due to abrupt water changes. These concepts have to be analized in the context of osmoregulation. All these factors are without doubt responsible for irreparable physiological damage that the fish suffer, and they must be considered as responsible for unnecessary mortality WHICH IS EVIDENT ONLY LATER. Fish under stress, even at a fairly early stage of responding, may show decreased resistance to disease. The filtration systems at exporters facilities are not well designed, they are not equipped with the proper filter media(e.g activated charcoal) or with other devices (protein skimmers) to handled the metabolic products of a heavy biological load. These are the reasons for frequent wipeouts at exporters holding facilities. The water quality criteria, as a must to anyone who is concerned with health of fish, are not applied either at the exporters nor the fisherfolk level. The workshops about water quality and filtration systems did provide to mem- bers of the Federation and the Haribon team, with the necessary tools to set up better and efficient holding facilities to develop their exporting busi- ness. The Federation of Fish Collectors of the Philippines are working hard to accomplish their main goals: -To assure the supply of net-caught fish; -To teach the application of Water Quality Criteria(water management) to the collectors and the operators of their holding facilities in Manila; and -To revise and modify their handling techniques and holding facilities. By implementing the above "factors" the Federation will gain the credibility and support of marine fish buyers because it will succeed in lowering mortali- ty rates (getting customers' satisfaction). This in turn will lead to the Federation's goals of achieving a self-sufficient livelihood for the fisher- folk. Of course coral reefs in this area will be a big winners also. INCENTIVES FOR AQUARIUM FISH COLLECTORS WHO HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO USING NETS ARE NEEDED. Support and cooperation are a must to everyone involved in this trade (collectors, exporters, importers, reatailers and aquarium hobbyists) and avoiding conflicts which only slow down the process of change. The aquarium fish trade is one of many ( and not necessarily the largest) factors or agents impacting on coral reef ecosystems. Nevertheless, the aquarium industry is not any less responsible for what it has done and should not therefore discount its obligation to become environmentally friendly. In fact, we believe it is in its short-term and long-term interests to do so. This requirement extends to the collection of wild corals,reef fish "live rock" and marine invertebrates. Ocean Voice International is clearly taking an active role in finding practical solutions and in reconciling con- flicts between the aquarium trade and marine conservation needs. Thanks for your time. Your comments will be appreciated. Jaime Baquero Marine Biologist From bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Thu Aug 3 10:02:32 1995 From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 10:02:32 -0400 Subject: Marine fauna exploitation. Part IV Message-ID: <199508031402.KAA12994@freenet3.carleton.ca> The fish are not acclimated to the physical and chemical conditions of the water, thus increasing the stress that the animals experienced from the moment they are harvested. At this point, it was critical to introduce the Water Quality Criteria new to the fisherfolk and PMP organizers. Several workshops were conducted with PMP organizers and fishermen from three commu- nities: San Salvador and Matain in the Province of Zambales and Bolinao in the Province of Pangasinan. At the workshops, samples of water from the shoreline, and from the bags holding the fish were tested to determine the concentrations of ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, specific gravity and tempera- ture. The results for the shoreline water were as expected for a non polluted area: pH 8.1-8.2 Ammonia 0.0 mg/l Nitrates 0.0 mg/l Phosphates 0.0 mg/l Specific gravity 1.024 Temperature 74-78 F. The samples of water from the bags in the three communities did show alarming readings, 12 different samples were tested, the results were all very close. Following are the averages: pH lower than 7.0 (6.0-6.5) Ammonia Higher than 0.8 mg/l Nitrates 15-20 mg/l Nitrites 0.0 mg/l Phosphates 0.1 mg/l Specific gravity >1.027 Temperature 78 F. The holding facilities at the exporters level, some of them are constructed with plywood covered with marine epoxy. The filtration systems design is very elementary and inefficient. The only filter media used is crushed coral( the use of other filtration media "bioballs" is not widespread; I saw two two ex- porters using them but the design and efficiency of the filters was considered poor). The use of protein skimmers is not widespread, some use them but the design is extremely poor if we consider the volumes of water their systems handle. There was and exporter using a primitive version ammonia towers(inefficient). An analisys of water was conducted at the holding facilities of an exporter. The results are the following: pH 7.9-8.0 Ammonia 0.2 mg/l Nitrates 80-100 mg/l Nitrites 0.1-0.2 mg/l Phosphates 1.0 mg/l Specific Gravity 1.022 Following.... Conclusion. Jaime Baquero. From mabel at usp.br Sun Aug 6 18:47:15 1995 From: mabel at usp.br (Mabel Augustowski) Date: Sun, 6 Aug 1995 17:47:15 -0500 Subject: info on Palithoa Message-ID: <199508062247.RAA59528@spider.usp.br> Hi all, Palithoa is very common on the north coast of S.Paulo, and I've noted that some of them are white and grow just beside the yellow one. Is it another species or some kind of bleaching ? Mabel Augustowski Instituto Oceanografico Universidade de Sao Paulo e-mail: mabel at usp.br From JAAP_W at harpo.dep.state.fl.us Mon Aug 7 10:00:08 1995 From: JAAP_W at harpo.dep.state.fl.us (Walt, Jaap) Date: Mon, 07 Aug 1995 09:00:08 -0500 (EST) Subject: info on Palithoa - Reply Message-ID: <01HTS9OPGORA000CDA@mr.dep.state.fl.us> Dear Mabel Augustowski: Thank you for your communication. I think that you are referring to Palythoa, a colonial zooanthid that occurs commonly in shallow reef and rock habitats. It is not uncommon for the colonies to turn stark white in mid to late summer or during periods of low wind and intense sun exposure. It is one of the first species to "bleach". When it bleaches, the stoma or mouths often contract and the surface appears to be without any structure. As long as the stress is not severe or long-lasting, the organism will recover and regain color in two months or less. From N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk Mon Aug 7 11:23:12 1995 From: N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk (N.V.C. Polunin) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 16:23:12 +0100 (BST) Subject: Moruroa Atoll In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Reinhold I am disappointed to see you are not attending our 'European Meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies here in Newcastle 5-9 September. Is there any chance you would care to come over and generate some discussion on the matter? NickP On Mon, 17 Jul 1995, Coral Health and Monitoring Program wrote: > > Greetings, > > The following message from Reinhold Leinfelder had some > transmission difficulties on his end and is herewith being > retransmitted. We apologize if this is a duplicate posting for you. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > | | > | Coral Health and Monitoring Program | > | Ocean Chemistry Division | > | Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratories | > | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | > | Miami, Florida | > | USA | > | | > | Email: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov | > | World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | > | | > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > ================================ > > Dear Colleagues, > > The present situation at Moruroa Atoll should not only worry us but rather > demands some actions also from the Coral Health and Monitoring Group as > well as others working on reefs. As reef researchers we all know that reefs > are very porous systems which never will be dense and fence off nuclear > waste from the surrounding world. This is true even if the atoll will not > collapse due to the nuclear explosion. > > Particularly when judging from the fossil record reefs are highly porous, > open hydrological systems. This is why reefs form the majority of reservoir > rocks for giant oil fields. The fact that the oil is entrapped in the reefs > is not contradictory to this view: The reef reservoirs are sealed by > younger rocks or special tectonic situations. This is not possible in > modern reefs which hence are one of the most open hydrological systems. > Many oceanic atolls probably exhibit 'endo-upwelling' which is thought to > be caused by stronger heatflow above the volcanic basement, so that > additional to the generally high lateral permeability a vertical > permeability and water flow from down to the surface might be generated. > > THIS WAS PARTICULARLY SHOWN FOR MORUROA ATOLL by Rougerie, F. & Wauthy, B. > (1993): The endo-upwelling concept: from geothermal convection to reef > construction.- Coral Reefs, 12/1: 19-30, Heidelberg etc. (Springer > International). Knowing about these facts, we should open our mouths. > > I am no member of Greenpeace (I am Professor of Geology and Paleontology at > the University of Stuttgart, Germany) but it seems that Greenpeace is the > most active group in this aspect and that they try to follow a scientific > line, besides all public relation work which is certainly necessary as > well. They particularly demand more thorough studies prior to any tests. If > you are interested you may see their WWW-page: > http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/rw/rwletter.html . At this page which is > from the Greenpeace REsearch Labs, Greenpeace presents a RATIONALE FOR A > PROGRAMME OF STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING AT > MORUROA AND FANGATAUFA. > Additional information is on http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/rw/rw.html. > The e-mail address of Greenpeace research labs is: > where you could send a support > statement. > > Be it through Greenpeace, any other institution or directly to the French > government or embassy, please act in an appropriate manner as fast as you > can! > > Best wishes Reinhold Leinfelder > > ******************************************** > Reinhold Leinfelder > Institut fuer Geologie und Palaeontologie der Universitaet Stuttgart > Herdweg 51 > D-70174 Stuttgart > Germany > > e-mail: reinhold.leinfelder at po.uni-stuttgart.de > phone: ++49-711-1211340 > fax: ++49-711-1211341 > From N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk Tue Aug 8 08:31:03 1995 From: N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk (N.V.C. Polunin) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 13:31:03 +0100 (BST) Subject: 'Population and Ecosystem Sustainability of Reef Fishing' Symposium at 8th ICRS Panama (24-29 June 1996) Message-ID: The following message from 8 July relates to anyone interested in a Symposium with the above title. I would be grateful if any of you interested in just being at this particular Symposium, or giving a paper, would let myself and John Munro know now, and certainly by 11 October. If you are doing either, a special welcome to you and to any ideas you may have about important themes for the subject! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 8 Jul 1995 15:58:56 +0100 (BST) From: N.V.C. Polunin To: APPELDOORN , BOEHLERT , BRUGGEMANN , CADDY , CARPENTER , CHRISTENSEN , CONAND , DEMARTINI , GALZIN , HATCHER , HUGHES , JENNINGS , KOSLOW , ORMOND , PAULYatubc , RAWLINSON , RUSS , SADOVY , VINCENT , WRIGHT Cc: MUNRO Subject: 'Population and Ecosystem Sustainability of Reef Fishing' Symposium at 8th ICRS Panama (24-29 June 1996) The proposal of John Munro and myself to hold this Symposium was finally accepted, and time is flying as ever. This focused meeting stands to be a most stimulating one, so thank you all of you who have expressed interest, or already agreed to give a paper; apologies to those who did neither! If any of you do not have details of the meeting, please do let the organisers at STRI (Panama; Maria Majela Brenes P: stri01.naos.brenesm at ic.si.edu) know. You should register by 1 December 1995. I can help if necessary, but will be away 12 July to 7 August inclusive. (1) ABSTRACTS Since the organisers require abstracts and a final programme by 1 November, it is very important that John Munro and myself between us have details of both in good time before then. The abstract format is included with registration details, but I can send a copy to anyone who lets me know.Please be sure to furnish your own SPANISH version (sic) because neither John nor myself can muster anything more than degraded Spanglish. PLEASE BE SURE TO GET ME OR JOHN YOUR ABSTRACT (ENGLISH + SPANISH) BY 11 OCTOBER! (2) PARTICIPATION As for the final programme, you should let us know whether or not you intend to participate. Clearly this will also require you to have the prospect of funding. Unfortunately we are not able to help anyone at this stage, but in some instances may be able to offer useful suggestions of possible sources, if you let us know. IF YOU INTEND TO BE THERE BUT NOT PRESENT A PAPER, PLEASE ALSO LET JOHN OR MYSELF KNOW BY 11 OCTOBER!! (3) SUGGESTIONS Both John Munro and I will welcome suggestions as to other possible participants, novel forms of communication (!) and means of dissemination other than the published Proceedings (e.g. books, co-authored reviews). EVEN IF YOU INTEND NEITHER TO PRESENT SOMETHING, NOR EVEN TO ATTEND, BUT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A GENERAL PUBLICATION OTHER THAN THE PROCEEDINGS, PLEASE LET JOHN OR MYSELF KNOW BY 11 OCTOBER!!! BUT the main things are that: you register if you are coming, you send us your abstract if you are intending to give something, and let us know if you are coming but will not present a paper. Thanks for your time, and see you there IF NOT BEFORE. Nicholas Polunin Department of Marine Sciences University of Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Fax +44 191 222 7891 Tel +44 191 222 6675/6661 From N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk Tue Aug 8 09:42:27 1995 From: N.Polunin at newcastle.ac.uk (N.V.C. Polunin) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 14:42:27 +0100 (BST) Subject: 'Population and Ecosystem Sustainability of Reef Fishing' Symposium at 8th ICRS Panama (24-29 June 1996) (fwd) Message-ID: Herewith copy of a circular of 8 July about a symposium on the above subject. Anyone interested in the possibility of presenting a paper, or just attending, this particular symposium at the 8ICRS in Panama, please get in touch with myself and John Munro very soon. Abstracts where applicable will be required by us by 11 October. Nicholas Polunin Department of Marine Sciences University of Newcastle NE1 &RU, UK Fax +44 191 222 7891 Tel +44 191 222 6675/6659 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 8 Jul 1995 15:58:56 +0100 (BST) From: N.V.C. Polunin To: APPELDOORN , BOEHLERT , BRUGGEMANN , CADDY , CARPENTER , CHRISTENSEN , CONAND , DEMARTINI , GALZIN , HATCHER , HUGHES , JENNINGS , KOSLOW , ORMOND , PAULYatubc , RAWLINSON , RUSS , SADOVY , VINCENT , WRIGHT Cc: MUNRO Subject: 'Population and Ecosystem Sustainability of Reef Fishing' Symposium at 8th ICRS Panama (24-29 June 1996) The proposal of John Munro and myself to hold this Symposium was finally accepted, and time is flying as ever. This focused meeting stands to be a most stimulating one, so thank you all of you who have expressed interest, or already agreed to give a paper; apologies to those who did neither! If any of you do not have details of the meeting, please do let the organisers at STRI (Panama; Maria Majela Brenes P: stri01.naos.brenesm at ic.si.edu) know. You should register by 1 December 1995. I can help if necessary, but will be away 12 July to 7 August inclusive. (1) ABSTRACTS Since the organisers require abstracts and a final programme by 1 November, it is very important that John Munro and myself between us have details of both in good time before then. The abstract format is included with registration details, but I can send a copy to anyone who lets me know.Please be sure to furnish your own SPANISH version (sic) because neither John nor myself can muster anything more than degraded Spanglish. PLEASE BE SURE TO GET ME OR JOHN YOUR ABSTRACT (ENGLISH + SPANISH) BY 11 OCTOBER! (2) PARTICIPATION As for the final programme, you should let us know whether or not you intend to participate. Clearly this will also require you to have the prospect of funding. Unfortunately we are not able to help anyone at this stage, but in some instances may be able to offer useful suggestions of possible sources, if you let us know. IF YOU INTEND TO BE THERE BUT NOT PRESENT A PAPER, PLEASE ALSO LET JOHN OR MYSELF KNOW BY 11 OCTOBER!! (3) SUGGESTIONS Both John Munro and I will welcome suggestions as to other possible participants, novel forms of communication (!) and means of dissemination other than the published Proceedings (e.g. books, co-authored reviews). EVEN IF YOU INTEND NEITHER TO PRESENT SOMETHING, NOR EVEN TO ATTEND, BUT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A GENERAL PUBLICATION OTHER THAN THE PROCEEDINGS, PLEASE LET JOHN OR MYSELF KNOW BY 11 OCTOBER!!! BUT the main things are that: you register if you are coming, you send us your abstract if you are intending to give something, and let us know if you are coming but will not present a paper. Thanks for your time, and see you there IF NOT BEFORE. Nicholas Polunin From eakin at ogp.noaa.gov Tue Aug 8 18:43:19 1995 From: eakin at ogp.noaa.gov (Mark Eakin) Date: 8 Aug 1995 18:43:19 U Subject: FWD>Open Invitation to Mari Message-ID: Mail*Link(r) SMTP FWD>Open Invitation to Marine Biodiversity FYI. This announcement just arrived. -------------------------- [Original Message] ------------------------- The following article comes from EcoNet, a non-profit network for progressive communication. For more information about EcoNet, send a blank e-mail message to: econet-info at igc.apc.org. Written Aug 7, 1995 by bionet at igc.apc.org in the igc conference biodiversity INVITATION TO PARIS WORKSHOP ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN THE MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT August 3, 1995 Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to invite you to participate in a TWO-DAY WORKSHOP ON MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY, to be held September 2 - 3, 1995 at the Paris Headquarters of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The workshop will be immediately followed by the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The SBSTTA meeting, September 4 - 8, will also be held at UNESCOs Paris Headquarters. Our workshop is designed to help governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) prepare for the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the CBD in November; a major focus of the COP2 meeting will be how the CBD should be applied to coastal and marine biodiversity. More specifically, the workshop will heand initiatives in the area of marine and coastal biodiversity that could be taken at the COP2 meeting. We anticipate roughly 100 participants in the workshop; most will likely be participating in the SBSTTA meeting as well. All governments that are signatories to the CBD are being invited to attend. Other invitees include major UN agencies, other IGOs and NGOs from around the world working on marine and coastal biodiversity and effective implementation of the CBD. In addition to IUCN - The World Conservation Union, co-sponsors of the workshop include, among others: Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET) (U.S.), Environmental Liaison Centre International (ELCI) (Kenya), the Government of Sweden, International Development Research Centre (Canada), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). A more detailed description of the workshop (including a list of all the co-sponsors) is attached, along with a provisional program, relevant logistical information and an ISSUES PAPER. The program for the workshop is being organized around the ISSUES PAPER which is currently being developed by IUCN in collaboration with the other co-sponsors. The ISSUES PAPER will identify and examine a set of priority policy issues and options for action particularly at the COP2 meeting in the area of marine and coastal biodiversity. The final version of the ISSUES PAPER - a STEPS FORWARD PAPER, reflecting the Paris workshop discussions and wide input from other quarters - will contain a set of specific recommendations for decisions and actions that governments should take at the COP2 meeting. The STEPS FORWARD PAPER will be circulated widely to governments and others in advance of the COP2 meeting, most likely in October. There are a number of key logistical points to mention: INTERPRETATION: The workshop will have French, Spanish and English interpretation. ACCOMMODATIONS: A list of hotels located near the UNESCO building is attached. FUNDING FOR PARTICIPANTS: Some limited funding is available to cover hotel and per diem costs for developing country and indigenous participants. In this regard, if you are interested in attending the workshop, but are unable to do so without some support, please contact Mr. Sheldon Cohen (see below) as soon as possible. Please feel free to extend this invitation to any colleagues or contacts who are participating in the SBSTTA meeting, or individuals who you think would be interested in attending the workshop. On the governmental side, it is our hope that officials charged with developing marine and coastal biodiversity policies and positions around the COP2 meeting will be able to attend. To help ensure adequate geographic balance, we ask that each invited government, institution or NGO seek to limit their participation to one or two representatives. Please direct any responses or inquiries to: Mr. Sheldon Cohen/Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET)/1400 16th Street, N.W. Suite 502/Washington, D.C. 20036 USA/ Phone: 1.202.547.8902/ Fax: 1.202.265.0222/ Email: bionet at igc.apc.org. We look forward to your early response. Most sincerely, David McDowell Director-General, IUCN - The World Conservation Union ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY A workshop in preparation for the second Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in November 1995 ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: September 2 - 3, 1995 (Saturday and Sunday) TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. LOCATION: Conference Room #9 at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, France (Address: 7, place de Fontenoy; Metro stations: Cambronne or Ecole Militaire) PARTICIPANTS: About 100 participants will include: governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and others SPONSORS: IUCN - The World Conservation Union, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Government of Sweden, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET), Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Environmental Liaison Centre International (ELCI), Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network, and International Marine Conservation Network (IMCN) BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will be held November 6 - 17, 1995 in Jakarta. How the CBD should be applied to coastal and marine biodiversity is a major focus of the COP2 meeting. To take the fullest advantage of this opportunity, the Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET) has catalyzed an NGO campaign on marine and coastal biodiversity centered around stimulating needed actions by governments at the COP2 meeting. A major component of this campaign will be a two-day preparatory workshop for governments, NGOs, and IGOs to help identify and build support for such actions. We have linked the timing and location of our preparatory workshop with the first meeting of the CBD's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), which will be held at UNESCO Headquarters September 4 - 8, immediately following the preparatory workshop. Therefore, we anticipate that most of the participants in our workshop will also be attending the SBSTTA meeting. An ISSUES PAPER is currently being developed by the above co-sponsors to serve as the primary background document for guiding the discussions at the Paris workshop. The final version of this document - a STEPS FORWARD PAPER - will reflect the Paris workshop discussions and other inputs, and will contain a set of specific recommendations for action by governments at the COP2 meeting. The STEPS FORWARD PAPER will be circulated to COP2 participants and others in advance of the meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ideas, comments and inquiries regarding the workshop should be sent to: Sheldon Cohen, Coordinator or Jill Bukovac, Intern Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET) 1400 16th Street, N.W. Suite 502 Washington, D.C. 20036 USA Telephone: 202.547.8902/Fax: 202.265.0222/Email: bionet at igc.apc.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY A workshop in preparation for the second Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in November 1995 PROVISIONAL PROGRAM* Saturday, September 2 SESSION I: OPENING SESSION Welcoming remarks, introduction to the Biodiversity Convention and its application to marine and coastal biodiversity, objectives and procedures of the workshop SESSION II: PROTECTING IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS AND HABITATS Marine protected areas: building management capacity/involving local communities, a global representative system of marine protected areas, ecosystem management approaches SESSION III: DEVELOPING MARINE GENETIC RESOURCES Building capacity, promoting benefit sharing from the utilization of marine genetic resources SESSION IV: FILLING INFORMATION GAPS Building information capacities within countries, potential role of the CBD's clearinghouse mechanism and Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), a global biodiversity inventory, a better understanding of the major causes of biodiversity loss Sunday, September 3 SESSION V: ENSURING SUSTAINABLE MARICULTURE Global and regional trends: production, trade, aid and consumption; potential impacts of mariculture on biodiversity loss; developing guidelines and standards to help ensure sustainable mariculture SESSION VI: PREVENTING AND REDUCING MARINE POLLUTION Integrated coastal zone management, Washington Conference on Land-Based Activities/CBD linkages SESSION VII: ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES Protection of artisanal fisheries and community-based management regimes, achieving sustainability in commercial fisheries, linkages between the CBD and other international agreements and processes SESSION VIII: PREVENTING EXOTIC SPECIES INTRODUCTIONS A new international regulatory framework CLOSING SESSION (Review of draft workshop report, discussion of how to carry work forward at SBSTTA and COP2 Meetings) * Items under each session indicate likely topics to be covered. Sessions will focus on how the CBD applies to these areas and specific steps that can be taken at the SBSTTA and COP2 meetings to help achieve progress in these areas. Each session will include extensive discussion periods. Ideas, comments and inquiries regarding the workshop should be sent to: Sheldon Cohen, Coordinator or Jill Bukovac, Intern/Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET)/1400 16th Street, N.W. Suite 502/Washington, D.C. 20036 USA/Telephone: 202.547.8902/Fax: 202.265.0222/ Email:bionet at igc.apc.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY A workshop in preparation for the second Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in November 1995 LOGISTICAL INFORMATION EQUIPMENT. The following equipment will be available for use during the workshop: slide and overhead projectors, literature table, and photocopier. INTERPRETATION. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, Spanish and French. HOTELS. The following hotels are located within a walking distance to the UNESCO Headquarters building, the venue for the workshop: HOTEL IBIS CAMBRONE 2 rue Cambronne 75015 Paris Tel: +331.45.67.35.20 or 45.67.97.04 Fax: +331.45.66.49.58 Single Room: $85 Double Room: $95 HOTEL du TOURISME 66 Avenue de la Motte Piquet 75015 Paris Tel: +331.47.34.28.01 Fax: +331.47.83.66.54 Single Room: $77 (breakfast included) Double Room: $87 (breakfast included) HOTEL SEGUR 34 Boulevard Garibaldi 75015 Paris Tel: +331.43.06.01.85 Fax: +331.47.34.30.82 Single Room: $84 Double Room: $96 HOTEL BAILLY de SUFFREN 149 Avenue de Suffren 75015 Paris Tel: +331.47.34.58.61 Fax: +331.45.67.75.82 Single Room: $113 Double Room: $123 HOTEL de L AVRE 21 rue de l Avre 75015 Paris Tel: +331.45.75.31.03 Fax: +331.45.75.63.26 Single Room: $56 (breakfast included) Double Room: $72 (breakfast included) HOTEL BALDI 24 Boulevard Garibaldi 75015 Paris Tel: +331.47.83.20.10 Fax: +331.44.49.08.72 Single Room: $72 $77 Double Room: $79 $83 Support for hotel and per diem costs. Some limited funding is available to cover hotel and per diem costs for developing country and indigenous participants. In this regard, if you are interested in attending the workshop, but are unable to do so without some support, please contact Mr. Sheldon Cohen (see below) as soon as possible. PLEASE DIRECT ANY RESPONSES OR INQUIRIES TO: Mr. Sheldon Cohen or Ms. Jill Bukovac/Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET)/1400 16th Street, N.W. Suite 502/Washington, D.C. 20036 USA/ Phone: 1.202.547.8902/ Fax: 1.202.265.0222/Email: bionet at igc.apc.org. CONTACT INFORMATION IN PARIS. A special workshop coordination office within the UNESCO building will be in operation during Thursday through Sunday, August 31 - September 3. The phone number will be available in the near future through BIONET. From jordan at mar.icmyl.unam.mx Sun Aug 13 14:15:41 1995 From: jordan at mar.icmyl.unam.mx (Jordan Dahlgren Eric) Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 12:15:41 -0600 (CST) Subject: Coral Reef Management in Latin America VIII Coral Reef Symposium Message-ID: CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA, A bi-lingual invitation: Como ya deben saber por la circular, estamos organizando un simposion sobre el manejo de arrecifes coralinos en America latina (Jorge Cortes, Hector Guzman y un servidor). Esperamos poder incluir un amplio rango de topicos relacionados con investigacion, conservacion y manejo, con la mira de poder discutir ampliamente en Panama 1966, cual es la situacion actual en nuestros paises, intercambiar experiencias y llegar a conclusiones que puedan ser de utilidad para todos nosotros. Necesitamos una amplia participacion. POR FAVOR DISTRIBUYE ESTA INVITACION A TODOS LOS COLEGAS INTERESADOS. Necesitamos su resumen a mas tardar la primera semana de octubre para poder organizar el evento. Lo pueden enviar a la direccion y fax inbajo o si prefieren por este medio. -------------------------------- We (Jorge Cortes, Hector Guzman and Eric Jordan) are organizing a symposium on coral reef management in Latin America, as must of you should be aware by now. We hope to include a wide range of topics related to research, conservation and management, and whithin that framework be able to hold interesting discussions on Panama, about the actual situation in different countries, share experieces and hopefully be able to arrive to conclusions that may prove usefull to all of us. We need your participation !!. Be so kind to DISTRIBUTE THIS INVITATION AMONG INTERESTED COLLEAGUES and please, send your abstract by the first week of October, so that we would be able to organize the program. Send your abstract to: Dr. Eric Jordan Dahlgren Ap. Postal 833, Cancun 77500, Q. Roo MEXICO From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Tue Aug 1 16:07:11 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 08:07:11 +30000 Subject: recent papers: cyclone damage & recovery? (fwd) Message-ID: Following message has been forwarded: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 13:08:57 EST From: MARJI PUOTINEN To: Coral Health and Monitoring Program Subject: Re: recent papers: cyclone damage & recovery? Dear Netters, I am a PhD student investigating the impact of tropical cyclones on coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef Region. If anyone is aware of very recent journal articles, conference proceedings, etc that have not yet made it into the literature, I would greatly appreciate it. In return, I promise to post a copy of my bibliography to the list once completed. Thanks in advance! Marji Puotinen --------------------------------------------- | MARJETTA L. PUOTINEN | | Tropical Envir. Studies & Geography Dept. | | James Cook University of North Queensland | | Townsville, QLD 4811 AUSTRALIA | | Phone (077)81-5565 Fax (077)81-4020 | | Internet: PMAP at cathar.jcu.edu.au | | tgmp at ikarus.jcu.edu.au | --------------------------------------------- From emueller at jaguar1.usouthal.edu Mon Aug 14 10:28:19 1995 From: emueller at jaguar1.usouthal.edu (Erich M. Mueller) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 09:28:19 -0500 (CDT) Subject: change of address Message-ID: Friends & Colleagues, Please note my address and number changes. The Florida Keys Marine Research Center is located on Pigeon Key, FL. Please contact me after 1 Sept. if you have questions or need facilities on the island. I can be reached via email sooner if you need info more quickly. Mote Marine Laboratory Florida Keys Marine Research Center P.O. Box 500895 Marathon, FL 33050 phone: (305) 289-4282 FAX: (305) 289-9664 email: FKMRC at aol.com From cindyh at hawaii.edu Tue Aug 15 20:40:21 1995 From: cindyh at hawaii.edu (Cindy Hunter) Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 14:40:21 -1000 Subject: 8ICRS Abstract Deadlines--New Approaches/Clonal Organisms Message-ID: New Approaches to Understanding the Evolution of Clonal Organisms 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama June 24-29, 1996 Dear Colleague: A symposium addressing new methods in cellular, biochemical and molecular research on the evolution of clonal organisms will be held at the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama, June 24-29, 1996. We are presently finalizing our list of speakers and request that all interested researchers confirm their participation in this symposium prior to September 8. All symposium participants are also requested to submit abstracts (in English and Spanish--please see 8ICRCS Circular for Abstract forms and formats) to the symposia organizers before October 18. We will then forward all abstracts received to the Panama organizers prior to their November 1 deadline. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact either of us at the addresses listed below. Please send confirmation of participation and completed abstracts to Cindy Hunter--again, by October 18. Thank you for your interest. We look forward to an exciting session! Co-organizers: Cynthia L. Hunter Buki Rinkevich Botany Department Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd. 3190 Maile Way University of Hawaii Tel Shikmona, P.O.B 8030 Honolulu, HI 96822 Haifa, 31080 USA ISRAEL tel: (808) 956-3946 tel: (972) 4-515202 fax: (808) 956-3923 fax: (972) 4-511911 email: cindyh at hawaii.edu From aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu Wed Aug 16 09:58:37 1995 From: aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu (aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 09:58:37 -0400 Subject: Coral Spawning Message-ID: <199508161358.JAA09686@umigw.miami.edu> Last night we observed several large colonies of Acropora palmata spawn on a reef at the sothern end of Biscayne National Park, Florida. Bundle formation began ca. 10 pm and most of the spawning was between 10:30 and 11 pm. Most of the colonies on the reef did not spawn. We'd be interested in hearing about other observations of Acropora spawning (there was no A. cervicornis on our reef but it was expected to spawn at about the same time). We are expecting Montastraea spawning over the next 3 nights with Thursday night (August 17) being the most likely (again 10:30 - 11:30 pm). ***************************************************************** Dr. Alina M. Szmant RSMAS-MBF, University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami FL 33149 Tel: (305)361-4609 FAX: (305)361-4600 e-mail: ASZMANT at RSMAS.MIAMI.EDU **************************************************************** From aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu Thu Aug 17 11:59:13 1995 From: aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu (aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 11:59:13 -0400 Subject: more spawning Message-ID: <199508171559.LAA10797@umigw.miami.edu> Last night all three sibling species of Montastraea "annularis" spawned on a reef in Biscayne National Park from 9:30 pm (M. franksi) to 10:30 to 11:30 pm (M. annularis and faveolata). Heavy spawning was observed but not all colonies spawned. The one colony of Acropora palmata on this reef did not spawn. No other species were observed to spawn. We'd like to hear from other observers!! We plan to be out there again tonight. Cheers... ***************************************************************** Dr. Alina M. Szmant RSMAS-MBF, University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami FL 33149 Tel: (305)361-4609 FAX: (305)361-4600 e-mail: ASZMANT at RSMAS.MIAMI.EDU **************************************************************** From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sat Aug 5 18:25:40 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 10:25:40 +30000 Subject: C-MAN funding Message-ID: The following message from Dr. John Ogden (jogden at seas.marine.usf.edu) of the Florida Institute of Oceanography is herewith forwarded to the coral-list group: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATTENTION: USERS OF C-MAN DATA IN THE FLORIDA KEYS Two weeks ago we met with Doug Scally of the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) to discuss the dismantling in October of the network of oceanographically enhanced C-MAN stations which we installed and operated in the Florida Keys from 1989-1995. While the utility of the system and the importance of the data have been amply documented by many users and relevant NOAA agencies, the FIO has not been successful in turning this interest into funding. When we began in 1989, there were two National Weather Service (NWS) C- MAN stations at Molasses and Sombrero Reefs. We enhanced these with oceanographic (temperature, salinity, and light) sensors and added 4 more enhanced C-MAN stations (Fowey Rocks, Long Key (Florida Bay), Sand Key, and Dry Tortugas) to form a network encompassing the geographic scale of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. We operated these stations with the cooperation of NDBC for 4 years, generating unique data on storms, annual temperature cycles, and floods and gaining a great amount of experience in coastal monitoring. We also learned a great deal about the deployment of sensors in biofouling coastal environments and the application of this infrastructure to ground-truth satellite observations. Most of the annual budget supported two persons and a computer facility for on-site data reduction at our Keys Marine Laboratory, and a boat, trailer and truck for weekly maintenance of the stations. Our staff also worked with a variety investigators on related physical and chemical studies and made data available in demand to many users. With the help of NDBC, the NWS has taken over the funding of the C-MAN portions (not the oceanographic sensors) of the stations at Fowey and Dry Tortugas. Thus, we will be left with 4 meteorological stations (Fowey, Molasses, Sombrero, and Dry Torugas). However, loss of the Keys-wide oceanographic observations and our staff at KML will cripple the baseline data requirements for the major management actions planned in south Florida and will damage the development of oceanographic observational capabilities basic to adaptive management. As our staff was a key element in system maintenance, their loss will compromise even the meteorological observations. We need a minimum of support to carry us next year. We will use the time to continue to seek funding partners and to assess the data users to define minimum data needs. With a little time, we feel that we can "strategically downsize" the system while serving the future needs of scientists and managers in the region. An abrupt dismantling of the system will essentially waste 5 years of cooperative effort and nearly $1 million in private, state, and federal funds. You can help by making your voice heard. John C. Ogden Director Phone: 813/893-9100 Florida Institute of Oceanography Fax: 813/893-9109 830 First Street South St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sat Aug 5 21:32:38 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 13:32:38 +30000 Subject: Coastwatch and C-MAN fixes Message-ID: -- Coastwatch -- We have modified source code which extracts Coastwatch data for presentation on our Home Page so that you may now better observe relative temperature differences for South Florida images. Note the color bar at the bottom of each image. Soon we hope to add images from Hawaii and the Caribbean. Once again please note that these images are only meant to give a rough idea of sea surface temperatures in the region. You may compare the images with postings of actual temperatures on the C-MAN pages. To obtain the actual Coastwatch images, which can present fairly accurate temperatures as well as latitude and longitude at your cursor, contact Arthur Chester at: achester at hatteras.bea.nmfs.gov -- C-MAN -- A problem with parsing salinities at the Sand Key C-MAN station has been fixed. The salinity meter at Sombrero Key is not working. A problem with daily updates of the C-MAN data has been fixed. The problem mainly lies in not being able to get the raw data via FTP--it is only available via modem. Sometimes the modem is not successful in collecting the data from the remote site (Wallups Island, VA). We hope to be able access the data via FTP in the not-too-distant future. We anticipate posting some of the historical Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) enhanced C-MAN data (salinity, PAR, sea temperature) within the next couple of weeks. If you have a need for the historical or real-time FIO-enhanced C-MAN data please let us know soon. Sincerely yours, The Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP) coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov From aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu Fri Aug 18 19:14:30 1995 From: aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu (aszmant at rsmas.miami.edu) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 19:14:30 -0400 Subject: more spawning Message-ID: <199508182314.TAA11606@umigw.miami.edu> The folks at Biscayne National Park documented more spawning by at least two of the Montastraea species of coral again Thursday night a bit later than on Wednesday night. Some of the same colonies were observed to spawn & some that did not spawn on WEednesday spawned. I heard from nancy Knowlton from STRI in Panama, and they did have some spawning in San Blas, but they think that many of their corals will spawn in September since they appear to have unripe gonads at this time. Acropora palmata was observed to spawn Wednesday night by John Halas in Key Largo (we observed it Tuesday night in BNP). We have larval cultures from these 4 species (3 M. annularis sibs & A. palmata) going in the lab & in the field to see if we can get settlement. Would like to hear about spawning by other species??? ***************************************************************** Dr. Alina M. Szmant RSMAS-MBF, University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami FL 33149 Tel: (305)361-4609 FAX: (305)361-4600 e-mail: ASZMANT at RSMAS.MIAMI.EDU **************************************************************** From joshua at polaris.ncs.nova.edu Sat Aug 19 10:58:38 1995 From: joshua at polaris.ncs.nova.edu (JOSHUA Feingold) Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 10:58:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Yet More Coral Spawning Message-ID: In a follow-up to Alina Szmant's observations, spawning of Acropora palmata was observed last night (18 August) on Molassas Reef, Key Largo, Florida. Pink-orange bundles were observed in the upper gastrovascular cavity at 2148 hrs in 4 of 8 colonies. Bundle release commenced at 2238 hrs and ended at 2309 hrs. Surprisingly, the first portions of the colony to become active were along the margins and undersides of branches. Activity (spawning or planulation) was not observed in any other coral species, including Montastrea annularis, Colpophyllia natans, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Siderastrea siderea, Siderastrea radians, Favia fragum and Dichocoenia stokesii. However, other dive vessels (at Key Largo Dry Rocks) did report spawning activity in "star coral" (probably Montastrea sp.). Our observations were made from 2109 hrs (18 August) through 0008 hrs (19 August). Following spawning, bundles floated to the surface where snorkelers reported that they were being eaten by "hoards of fish". Nancy Gassman and Joshua Feingold joshua at polaris.ncs.nova.edu From oveh at bio.usyd.edu.au Sat Aug 19 23:17:34 1995 From: oveh at bio.usyd.edu.au (Ove Hoegh-Guldberg) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 13:17:34 +1000 Subject: No subject Message-ID: <9508200317.AA00103@linnaeus.bio.usyd.edu.au> Dear all, As was announced in the Second Circular for the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, we are organising sessions of contributed papers on "Nutrient dynamics and coral reef ecosystems". We are putting out our "last call" for speakers and rseaerch groups interested in particpating. We are interested papers in these general areas: 1. Biochemical and Physiological Processes and Mechanisms 2. Ecosystem scale changes in response to nutrient perturbations 3. Policy Implementation: science and management We hope you will join us in these sessions. Please communicate your interest (and provisional titles) to one of us (Hoegh-Guldberg) by e-mail, as soon as possibel With thanks and anticipation, Sincerely, Dr Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Professor Tony Larkum Mr Andrew Steven School of Biological Sciences University of Sydney Building A08 University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia Ph: +61 2 351 2389 Fax: +61 2 351 4119 email: oveh at bio.usyd.edu.au ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Ph: (02) 351-2389 School of Biological Sciences Fax: (02) 351-4119 Building A08 Country code Australia = 61 University of Sydney 2006 NSW Australia ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com Thu Aug 17 17:48:00 1995 From: J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com (John McManus) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 14:48:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Opinion Wanted! Message-ID: <3037CECC@msm.cgnet.com> TO : Coral List FROM : John W. McManus/ICLARM DATE : August 17, 1995 Opinions wanted! We are looking for a commercial reference-handling program. It should be Windows-based, be capable of handling a few tens of thousands of references, and should make it very easy to generate a bibliography in one format and change it to another format. For example, it should be able to shift a manuscript from Coral Reefs to Science formats, including converting citations in the text from author-year to number. We are seeking candid evaluations of systems you are familiar with. We promise not to quote anybody. Please replies directly to: J.McManus at cgnet.com Thank you. Sincerely, John W. McManus ReefBase Project Leader Coastal and Coral Reef Resource Systems Program International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) 3rd Floor, Bloomingdale Building, Salcedo Street Legaspi Village, Makati, Metro Manila 1229 Philippines Tel. No. (63-2)8180466 Fax No. (63-2)8163183 E-Mail: J.McManus at cgnet.com From smiller at gate.net Sun Aug 20 19:54:16 1995 From: smiller at gate.net (Steven Miller) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 19:54:16 Subject: Keyswide coral reef expedition Message-ID: The first of three mission legs is underway to document coral reef community structure throughout the Florida Keys, from south of Miami to the Dry Tortugas. Fourteen scientists have assembled on the M/V Seaward Explorer for 10 days to specifically work the deep intermediate reefs, in 50 -70 feet of water. One of our operating premises is that to understand system variability it is important to survey many reefs, rather than looking at a few in great detail. We plan to visit up to 30 sites, working 10 days this month, 7 days in September, and 10 days in October. Principal investigators on the first leg include Steven Miller (NURC/UNCW), John and Nancy Ogden (FIO), Rich Aronson (Dauphin Island Sea Lab), Dennis Hanisak HBOI), Jim Bohnsack (NMFS), Tracy Baynes (NMFS), and Gene Shinn (USGS). Video transects, photography, fish censuses, algal collections, and nutrient-related work comprise a large part of the effort. A substantial amount of subjective discussion is held each day as well, to provide overview and an immediate product. The project is a cooperative effort among several agencies, with administration and operational support provided by the National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Florida Institute of Oceanography is providing ship time and funding, as are the National Park Service and the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is also contributing substantially to the program by providing ship time for leg two in September. Updates will be provided at the end of the cruise, later this month. Please send inquiries to Steven Miller at the above e-mail adress, or to millers at nurc.cmsr.uncwil.edu. From J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com Mon Aug 21 18:43:00 1995 From: J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com (John McManus) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 15:43:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: No subject Message-ID: <30384F7D@msm.cgnet.com> TO : Coral-List FROM : John W. McManus/ICLARM DATE : August 21, 1995 The reports of spawning dates of corals could get very exciting. We believe that the synchronicity of spawning varies from highly synchronous in the GBR to less synchronous in parts of the Philippines and elsewhere. It is likely that the degree of synchronicity is dependent on the predictability and nature of oceanographic features (see Sinclair's book "Marine Populations"). If enough people watch for and report spawning of corals in different areas we will be able to home in on causation. This will ultimately be very useful for marine reserve design and other attempts to keep reefs healthy. Congratulations to alina Szmant and colleagues for starting a good thing. We hope others will follow-up. John W. McManus ReefBase Project Leader Coastal and Coral Reef Resource Systems Program International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) Fax No. (63-2) 816-31-83 Tel. No. (63-2) 818-04-66 E-Mail: J.McManus at cgnet.com From J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com Mon Aug 21 19:27:00 1995 From: J.MCMANUS at cgnet.com (John McManus) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 16:27:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: No subject Message-ID: <30384FAB@msm.cgnet.com> TO : Coral-List FROM : John W. McManus DATE : August 21, 1995 We are ReefBase are very concerned about the news that portions of the C-MAN monitoring system may become inoperative. Our worldwide search for data on coral reefs has confirmed that long term data of the king being obtained by the C-MAN system is very rare. It is quite obvious from recent revelations concerning coral bleaching and other problems that scientific progress on understanding these phenomena will be very difficult in the absence of reliable, site specific environmental data and associated benthic studies. We urge readers of coral-list to seek ways to keep the C-MAN system going. Sincerely, John W. McManus ReefBase Project Leader Coastal and Coral Reef Resource Systems Program International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) From croberts at uvi.edu Mon Aug 21 08:29:57 1995 From: croberts at uvi.edu (Callum Roberts) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 08:29:57 -0400 (AST) Subject: Coral spawning Message-ID: Just for the sake of geographical spread, I have heard second hand from Erkki Siirila (WWF/Encore, St. Lucia) that Montastrea's and brittle stars were busy spawning on the night of 17th August in St. Lucia. No other details but the timing is spot on compared with other places. Callum Roberts From eakin at ogp.noaa.gov Tue Aug 22 08:40:05 1995 From: eakin at ogp.noaa.gov (Mark Eakin) Date: 22 Aug 1995 08:40:05 U Subject: Biodiversity Forum Message-ID: Subject: Time: 9:41 AM OFFICE MEMO Biodiversity Forum Date: 8/22/95 Forwarded Message: ANNOUNCEMENT CALL FOR PAPERS GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM 4-5 November 1995 Atlet Century Park Hotel Jl Pintu Satu Senayan Jakarta, Indonesia Convenors: Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (KEHATI) Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Indonesia Programme IUCN - The World Conservation Union World Resources Institute (WRI) African Centre for Technological Studies (ACTS) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) BACKGROUND The third meeting of the Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) will be convened on 4-5 November 1995, immediately prior to the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP2), 6-17 November 1995. GBF-Jakarta will be held at the Atlet Century Park Hotel, which is near the venue for COP2. The GBF provides for an independent, open process to foster analysis and unencumbered dialogue and debate among interested parties to address the key ecological, economic, institutional and social issues related to the options for action to save, study and use biodiversity sustainably and equitably. It works closely with those involved with the further development and implementation of the Convention at the local and national level to complement the intergovernmental process with perspectives and proposals from independent sources. Forum-like events were held under the aegis of the Global Biodiversity Strategy, the Convention, and the preparations of AGENDA 21. The first formal test of the Forum concept was hosted by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Nairobi in January 1993. The first meeting of the GBF was hosted by IUCN in October 1993, in Gland, Switzerland, and examined critical issues facing the further development of the Convention. It was held immediately prior to the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Convention on Biological Diversity. The second meeting of the GBF was hosted by the Bahamas National Trust and held immediately prior to the first meeting of the COP to the Convention, in Nassau, in November 1994. GBF-Jakarta will focus on four themes: Marine Biodiversity; Regulation of Access to Genetic Resources; Decentralization of Governance and Biodiversity Conservation; and Forests and Biodiversity. CALL FOR PAPERS Interested parties from all sectors are invited to submit one- page, type-written abstracts of papers for presentation in any of the four themes at the Forum. Abstracts must be received by IUCN by 10 September 1995. Please use the form below. A limited number of papers will be chosen for formal presentation at the Forum. All participants are encouraged to bring short ideas and proposals for presentation and debate. Every effort will be made by the hosts to reproduce and distribute them. The Forum in not an academic seminar, and at least 50 percent of its time will be devoted to open discussion among all participants. The selection of papers will be made by Workshop organizers and Forum convenors on the basis of relevance to the topic, quality, balance among sectors, and geographical balance. Authors selected to present papers will be contacted by 15 September. The selected authors will then need to submit their completed papers to IUCN by 15 October, so that they may be reproduced for distribution at the Forum. Papers not selected for formal presentation will still be reproduced for distribution at the Forum and will be considered for subsequent publication in the Forum proceedings. FORMAT AND AGENDA The Forum will consist of an opening and closing plenary, and four parallel workshops to address each of the four themes. In addition, four lunch-time sessions are being scheduled during the COP to carry on the discussion on these issues. Marine Biodiversity: At the COP1, governments agreed to take up marine biodiversity as the main ecosystem theme of COP2. Conservation of marine biodiversity raises questions significantly different from those in the terrestrial context. This workshop will provide a venue for all interested sectors to share information and strategies concerning the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity and biological resources. Those submitting abstracts may wish to consider the following areas: unique problems of marine biodiversity conservation and proposed solutions; marine protected area management and policy; community-based coastal resources management; marine biodiversity prospecting; needs and mechanisms for regional and international cooperation; relationship of the Biodiversity Convention to other international marine treaties and programmes; funding priorities for marine biodiversity conservation; and priorities for special action by the COP and its Subsidiary Bodies on marine biodiversity. Organizers: Biodiversity Action Network (BIONET), USA; Tambuyog Development Center, Philippines; WRI, Philippines/USA; and IUCN- US. Regulating Access to Genetic Resources: The Biodiversity Convention establishes that genetic resources lie within the sovereign jurisdiction of individual nations. Countries are now moving to establish legal regimes to regulate access to and utilization of their genetic resources, which due to the rapid development of biotechnologies, are becoming increasingly valuable as raw material in the development of drugs, crops, and industrial material and processes. But few models for regulating access yet exist, capacities to enforce such regulatory regimes are weak and working mechanisms for ensuring the equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources utilization -- both among and within nations -- are in their infancy. Those submitting abstracts are encouraged to consider the following areas: current national-level efforts to develop policies and laws regulating genetic resources access; case studies of ongoing "biodiversity prospecting" efforts and their legal and/or contractual basis; informed consent by and compensation for local communities within national access regulation frameworks; principles and mechanisms for benefit-sharing; the unique situation of indigenous peoples with respect to genetic resources exploitation in their territories; building capacity to regulate and benefit from genetic resources utilization; and the need for international mechanisms to harmonize and give effect to national access regulation regimes. Organizers: African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya; WRI; IUCN Environmental Law Centre, Germany; Peruvian Society for Environmental Law; and the Institute of International Legal Studies, Philippines. Decentralization of Governance and Biodiversity Conservation: Many national governments are moving to decentralize a share of their powers to provincial, state, or lower levels of government, or even giving some of their traditional responsibilities to the private sector. At the same time, the role of non-governmental actors and community-based institutions in carrying out many "governmental" functions is growing larger. The Biodiversity Convention, however, pays little attention to the roles of local government and the institutions of local civil society in conserving biodiversity. Individuals submitting abstracts for this workshop may wish to consider the following questions: What experience exists to date with decentralization of biodiversity management? What steps need to be taken to ensure that increasing decentralization of governance helps rather than hurts biodiversity conservation? What are the key needs for capacity- building at the sub-national levels? How can financing of biodiversity conservation flow directly to local level efforts and reflect local level priorities? Organizers: KEHATI, IUCN, and WWF-Indonesia Programme Forests and biodiversity: Forests are a key repository for the earth's biodiversity, as well as important resources for both national and local economies. Forest loss has been a topic of great concern, particulary in the species-rich tropical forests, for at least a decade or more. There is general agreement that knowledge of the various factors affecting forests, and particularly the interactions among them, are as yet poorly understood. Better and more relevant research is necessary to provide answers to the intricate problems of sustainable forest management. Furthermore, there was no agreement at UNCED on a mechanism for promoting sustainability in the world's forests. A protocol under the Convention on Biological Diversity has been one proposed mechanism, but can the Convention effectively address the myriad of socio-economic and biophysical factors affecting the sustainability of forests? What specific steps should be taken within the context of the Biodiversity Convention? What is the role of science in helping the develop a comprehensive mechanism to promote sustainable forest management? Organizers: Centre for International Forest Research (CIFOR), Indonesia; WWF Forest Project, Switzerland; and others to be added. PARTICIPATION AND REGISTRATION FEES Please use the participation form provided below to notify the organizers of your intent to participate. The deadline for receiving the participation form is 30 September 1995. Registration for the Forum will cost US$25 for all participants, to cover the costs of refreshments and photocopying. The fee will be collected at the registration desk. A very limited number of waivers on the fee will be made available to those with the greatest financial need but only on the basis of a written application to Jeffrey McNeely prior to 20 October 1995. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Financial assistance for airfare and per diem will be made available to developing country participants chosen to present formal papers or to otherwise contribute to the Forum pending the outcome of ongoing fundraising efforts. All participants requiring financial assistance are urged to also seek travel support from the local offices of international donor organizations. For government representatives from developing countries wishing to participate in the Forum, funding will be sought to provide the necessary additional per diem expenses. HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS The venue for the Global Biodiversity Forum is the Atlet Century Park Hotel (3 Star, Single = $98; Double = $108), which is near the Jakarta Convention Centre where the second meeting of the Conference of Parties will be held. Please fill in the hotel section of the Participation Form if you require assistance with hotel arrangements. For further information regarding the Global Biodiversity Forum, please contact: Jeffrey McNeely, Chief Biodiversity Officer, Global Biodiversity Forum '95, IU CN-The World Conservation Union, 28 Rue Mauverney, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland. Tel: +41.22.999-0001; Fax: +41.22.999-0025; email: jam at hq.iucn.ch GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM '95 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM (Please type or print clearly) PLEASE RETURN WITH ONE PAGE ABSTRACT BY 10 SEPTEMBER 1995 TO: Jeffrey McNeely, Global Biodiversity Forum '95, IUCN, 28 Rue Mauverney, CH-119 6 Gland, Switzerland. Tel: +41.22.999-0001; Fax: +41.22.999-0025; E-mail: jam at h q.iucn.ch PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Mr/Ms ________________________________________________________ Family name First name Organization ________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Tel ______________________ Fax ______________________ Email ______________________ SUBMITTED TO (please check relevant workshop(s)): Marine Biodiversity Regulation of Access to Genetic Resources Decentralization of Governance and Biodiversity Conservation Forests and Biodiversity GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM '95 PARTICIPATION FORM PLEASE RETURN BY 30 SEPTEMBER 1995 TO: Russell Betts or Rita Oetomo, World Wide Fund for Nature/Indonesia Programme, Jl. Kramat Pela No. 3, Gandar ia Utara, Jakarta Selatan 12140, Indonesia. Tel: +6221.720-3095/724-5766/739-590 7; Fax: +6221.739-5907; E-mail: 2518413 at mcimail.com PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Mr/Ms ________________________________________________________ Family name First name Organization ________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Tel ______________________ Fax ______________________ Email ______________________ HOTEL RESERVATION (Please mark as appropriate): SINGLE: _____ DOUBLE: _____ Price Range: Below US$40_____ US$40 - 49 _____ US$50 - 59 _____ US$60 - 69 _____ US$70 - 79 _____ US$80 - 89 _____ Above US$90_____ If you already know the hotel at which you wish to be booked, kindly print the name here:_______________________________ From jhardy at henson.cc.wwu.edu Tue Aug 22 15:50:13 1995 From: jhardy at henson.cc.wwu.edu (Jack Hardy) Date: Tue, 22 Aug 1995 12:50:13 -0700 Subject: Panama Symposium Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs Message-ID: Dear Colleague: I am organizing a symposium on "Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs" as part of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama, June 24 to 29, 1996. I am currently finalizing the list of speakers. If you are interested in presenting information related to remote sensing of reefs, please confirm your interest and title to me as soon possible and no later than September 18. Space is limited, so we retain the right to select those abstracts to be presented orally. All symposium participants are also requested to submit abstracts to me by October 18. Abstracts must be in both English and Spanish. For format see the 8th ICRS Circular or contact H.A. Lessios, editor ICRS, at STRI01.NAOS.LESSIOSH at IC.SI.EDU Again, please send abstracts to me (both hardcopy and disk-labelled with your name and type of software used) by October 18 at the following address: Jack Hardy Center for Environmental Science Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington 98225-9181 USA phone 360-650-6108 FAX 360-650-7284 e-mail jhardy at henson.cc.wwu.edu Thank you for your interest. We look forward to an exciting session. Jack Hardy, Director Center for Environmental Sciences Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225-9181 voice 360-650-6108 fax 360-650-7284 Jack Hardy, Director Center for Environmental Sciences Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225-9181 voice 360-650-6108 fax 360-650-7284 Jack Hardy, Director Center for Environmental Sciences Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225-9181 voice 360-650-6108 fax 360-650-7284 From fichez at tahiti.orstom.fr Thu Aug 24 14:21:17 1995 From: fichez at tahiti.orstom.fr (fichez at tahiti.orstom.fr) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 09:21:17 -0900 Subject: Anthropogenic impact Symposium Message-ID: <9508241821.AA21688@tahiti.orstom.fr> Dear Colleagues: David Klumpp, Brian Lapointe and I are organizing a symposium on=20 "Anthropogenic disturbance in coral reef environments : respective interest= =20 of in situ and experimental approaches" as part of the 8th International=20 Coral Reef Symposium in Panama, June 24 to 29, 1996. This symposium is=20 planned as a 1 day session hosting no more than 15 talks. Here are the=20 symposium objectives as defined in the proposal to the organizing committee. To address issues on anthropogenic impacts on coral reef=20 environments. This symposium will gather the growing number of scientists=20 working on the topic to present their results and projects. A special=20 emphasis will be given to the impacts of eutrophication, sedimentation=20 enhancement and overfishing and to work linking community composition with= =20 ecosystem functionning. Topics of major interest will be : - How anthropogenic activities modify community equilibrium. - How human related changes in community composition affect the whole reef= =20 equilibrium. - Bioindicators, how usefull are they ? - Records of human related environmental changes during the past 100= years. - Experimental approaches of anthropogenic modifications. - Synergy between catastrophic events and chronic anthropogenic= disturbances. Practically and according to the meeting imposed schedule we are=20 calling for abstracts (both printed and on a disk with name and software=20 used) to be delivered to Dr. R. Fichez in Tahiti before the 1st of October= =20 1995. Abstract standards are provided in the Panama Symposium 2nd circular.= =20 Please be aware that abstract have to be written in both English and Spanish= =20 ! Please also mention whether you wish to give a talk or display a poster. I sincerely hope that a symposium on such a major concerne will=20 gather a significant number of scientists. * Renaud FICHEZ, Centre ORSTOM-Tahiti, BP 529, Papeete, French=20 Polynesia.=20 Fax : (689) 42 95 55 E-mail : FICHEZ at ORSTOM.ORSTOM.FR * David KLUMPP, AIMS, PMB N=B03, Townsville, Queensland 4810,= Australia Fax : 61 77 72 58 52 E-mail : D_KLUMPP at AIMS.GOV.AU * Brian E. LAPOINTE, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Box= 297A,=20 Big Pine Key, Florida 33043, USA E-mail : LAPOINTE at GATE.NET From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sat Aug 12 16:04:54 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 08:04:54 +30000 Subject: Stormy Weather Message-ID: Unfortunately, the CHAMP (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Home Page and coral-list server were knocked out by Tropical Storm Jerry, but are back in the ring. In light of this storm, the two others that appear to be heading this way, and in remembering Hurricane Andrew which struck here three years ago yesterday, we offer the following two new abstracts to be added to our CHAMP Home Page: ==================== Blair, S.M.; McIntosh, T.L.; Mostkoff, B.J. 1994. Impacts of Hurricane Andrew on the offshore reef systems of central and northern Dade County, Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54(3): 961-973. On 24 August 1992, Hurricane Andrew passed in close proximity to eight natural reef biological monitoring stations and eleven artificial reef sites offshore of Dade County. Eight qualitative visual surveys and eight quantitative photogrammetric surveys were used to estimate the impact of the hurricane on the natural reefs. The forereef slope of the offshore (5 km offshore) reef, between 17 and 29 m, was most heavily affected with lesson levels of damage occurring on the middle (4 km offshore) reef and least loss of organisms noted on the inner (2.5 km offshore) reef. The impact to the hard coral, soft coral, sponge and algal components varied on a given reef tract. The algal community consistently showed the greatest loss (40 to >90%) of benthic cover. The sponge community was slightly (0-25%) to heavily (50-75%) impacted, showing the greatest loss on the offshore reef and least on the inshore reef. Soft corals showed a similar trend with 25-50% loss and 0-25% on the offshore and inshore reef, respectively. Hard corals were least affected with a moderate loss of benthic cover (38%) on the offshore reef and slight loss (< 23%) on the other inner two reefs. The effect of the storm on artificial reefs (i.e., steel vessels, prefabricated modules, concrete structures) varied greatly. Impacts ranged from no impact, to movement, to partial or total structural modification. No pattern of damage relative to location, orientation or depth of the reef material was discernable. ============ Hughes, T.P. 1994. Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science Wash. 265(5178): 1547-1551. Many coral reefs have been degraded over the past two to three decades through a combination of human and natural disturbances. In Jamaica, the effects of overfishing, hurricane damage, and disease have combined to destroy most corals, whose abundance has declined from more than 50 percent in the late 1970s to less than 5 percent today. A dramatic phase shift has occurred, producing a system dominated by fleshy macroalgae (more than 90 percent cover). Immediate implementation of management procedures is necessary to avoid further catastrophic damage. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sat Aug 12 21:37:00 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 13:37:00 +30000 Subject: Contacts for encouraging C-MAN funding Message-ID: This message forwarded (and only slightly edited) from Sandy Vargo of the Florida Institute of Oceanography: ======== Reviewing our previous e-mail message we noted that is was not clear what course of action we were suggesting for those interested in preserving the enhanced C-MAN stations of the SEAKEYS network. The most helpful action would be to contact U.S. representatives and senators and Stan Wilson at NOAA. John Ogden has contacted Dr. Wilson directly and we have also informed the following congressional folks: Senator Bob Graham 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202/224-3041 Senator Connie Mack 517 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202/224-5274 Fax. 224-8022 Rep. Peter Deutsch 425 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-7931 Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart 509 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-4211 Fax. 225-8576 Rep. Porter Goss 330 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-2536 Fax. 225-6820 Rep. Carrie Meek 404 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-4506 Fax. 236-0777 Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 127 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-3933 Fax. 225-5620 Dr. Stanley Wilson Assistant Administrator NOAA National Ocean Service 1305 East-West Highway Route Code N Silver Spring, MD 20910 301/713-3074 Fax. 713-4269 Rep. C.W. Bill Young 2407 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202/225-5961 We have requested $60,000 from NOAA to tide the system over for a few months with minimal operations until additional funding can be identified. The annual operating costs are about $250,000 including $51,000 to the National Data Buoy Center for maintenance and operation of the C-MAN portion of two of the six stations in the network. The NDBC maintains the meteorological but not the oceanographic sensors on the stations. The oceanographic sensors are maintained entirely by the two persons employed by the SEAKEYS program. We would appreciate it if those with an interest in continuance of the data flow from the SEAKEYS network would emphasize these points in their letters. If you see a need for further information or anything is unclear just drop me a line. Sandy Vargo svargo at marine.usf.edu From birkelan at uog9.uog.edu Tue Aug 29 01:04:28 1995 From: birkelan at uog9.uog.edu (Charles Evans Birkeland) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 05:04:28 +0000 (WET) Subject: seeking Bruce In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Peter: Bruce G. Hatcher is with CARICOM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Program (CFRAMP). His e-mail address is hatcher_b at col.barbet.net The telephone lines are sometimes flakey. His FAX is (809) 457-2414 and telephone is (809) 457-1909 (Z+4). Snail-mail address is Dr. Bruce G. Hatcher CFRAMP Resource Assessment Unit Tyrell Street, Kingstown St. Vincent (at St. Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies) Best regards, Chuck On Mon, 28 Aug 1995, Sale Peter wrote: > I'm seeking a current e-mail (or snail-mail) address for Bruce Hatcher, > formerly at Dalhousie, now reputedly in St. Lucia, BWI. > > Can anyone help? > Pete Sale > From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Aug 13 01:02:27 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 17:02:27 +30000 Subject: Coral/Climate Page & Workshop Message-ID: This message is being forwarded from Bud Buddemeier, since the original message to coral-list bounced. ================== Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 18:56:28 +0800 (U) From: Bob Buddemeier Subject: Coral/Climate Page & Workshop To: delia at cbl.umd.edu, J.McManus at cgnet.com, MARKHAM+r%WWFUS at MCIMAIL.COM, andre at ruf.rice.edu, archer at popeye.uchicago.edu, d_barnes at aims.gov.au, B.VALLEJO at CGNET.COM, birkelan at uog9.uog.edu, bmarino at bio2.com, broecker at lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu, b.e.brown at newcastle.ac.uk, carlson at soest.hawaii.edu, nancy at porites.geology.uiowa.edu, croberts at uvi.edu, ccin at dar.csiro.au, zooclm at leonis.nus.sg, coral-list, crc.reef at jcu.edu.au, C_WILKINSON at AIMS.GOV.AU, david.hopley at jcu.edu.au, D.Graetz at dwe.csiro.au, dshoger at falcon.cc.ukans.edu, delbeek at lake.scar.utoronto.ca, dodge at ocean.nova.edu, RKINZIE at zoogate.zoo.hawaii.edu, f61119 at barilan.bitnet, dunbar at rice.edu, E_WOLANSKI at AIMS.GOV.AU, Falkowsk at bnlux1.bnl.gov, fautin at KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU, fredm at soest.hawaii.edu, fred at utig.ig.utexas.edu, pol at univ-perp.fr, admin at msi.upd.edu.ph, rgrigg at soest.hawaii.edu, tguild at lamont.ldeo.columbia.edu, dhinckley at igc.apc.org, gregor at hk.super.net, j7kumar at cc.um.my, Jamie_Oliver at ccmail.gbrmpa.gov.au, JayNoller at aol.com, jeff at kgs.ukans.edu, jgoldman at whoi.edu, JLEWIS at mvax31.ntou.edu.tw, kleypas at sage.cgd.ucar.EDU, jogden at marine.usf.edu, pernetta at nioz.nl, coleje at spot.colorado.edu, june at geosun1.sjsu.edu, jware1 at csc.com, j_lough at AIMS.GOV.AU, J_VERON at AIMS.GOV.AU, kayanne at geogr.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp, knappertsbus at ubaclu.unibas.ch, kris at falcon.cc.ukans.edu, jlang at curly.cc.utexas.edu, mpl at christa.UNH.edu, mpotts at bbsr.edu, eakin at ogp.noaa.gov, marlin at soest.hawaii.edu, mcclla at wwc.edu, mmaccrac at usgcrp.gov, Milliman at VIMS.edu, fmurphy at nature.berkeley.edu, STRI01.NAOS.knowlton at ic.si.edu, gkofish at okway.okstate.edu, jpearse at cats.ucsc.edu, cperry at qvarsa.er.usgs.gov, pilson at gsosun1.gso.uri.edu, potts at biology.ucsc.edu, quinn at chuma.cas.usf.edu, weissr at washpost.com, rwollast at ulb.ac.be, pol at univ-perp.fr, sandy_tudhope at edinburgh.ac.uk, prtaylor at nsf.gov, terry.hughes at jcu.edu.au, 71672.3413 at compuserve.com, swells at ucb.edu.bz, seysuzu at sci.shizuoka.ac.jp, yair at bio2.com, paleo2 at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu, paleo3 at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu Message-id: <9508251856.AA09164 at pangaea.kgs.ukans.edu> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Working Group 104 has been formed to address the topic: CORAL REEF RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGE: THE ROLE OF ADAPTATION Members of the working group are: R. W. Buddemeier (Chair), R. Bak, R. Gates, J.-P. Gattuso, T. Done, B. Hatcher, J. Pandolfi, and A. B. Pittock. Corresponding members are: S. V. Smith, C. B. Castro, R. Rowan, B. Opdyke, J. Patzold, and D. Yellowlees. The overall objective WG-104 may be summarized as the multidisciplinary identification, review and integration of scientific knowledge -- both existing and needed -- relevant to the assessment and prediction of responses of corals and coral reef communities to various kinds of environmental change, including climatic change. This ambitious goal cannot be achieved without the collaboration of the larger scientific community. Two mechanisms to developed this collaboration have been established: 1. There is a WG-104 WWW Home Page at: http://ghsun1.kgs.ukans.edu/welcome.html This is intended to stimulate communication among WG-104 members and interested colleagues, and to focus attention on relevant issues. It is still under development and will be updated and expanded as material becomes available. Relevant contributions are solicited, but users are asked to recognize that this is a volunteer operation, and prompt or extensive responses may not always be forthcoming. 2. There will be an Open Workshop on WG-104 topics, progress, and objectives at the ICRS8 Symposium in Panama, June 1996. The preliminary workshop proposal is contained on the Home Page. Our intention is to use brief status reports by working group members or others as a basis for structuring discussion groups and contributions from the scientific community. Formal registration, attendance commitment, or presentations are not required -- or even permitted -- for the workshop; however, for planning purposes we need some estimates of probable attendance, and if anyone is interested in discussing or presenting specific material we would like advance notice. Please contact me at the address below if you are interested in participating. Please pass this information on to interested colleagues not addressed on this list. Thank you Robert W. Buddemeier, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, 1930 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047 USA. ph (913) 864-3965, fax -5317, e-mail Bob_Buddemeier at msmail.kgs.ukans.edu From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Wed Aug 16 17:06:01 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 09:06:01 +30000 Subject: Coral Reef Research Institute Home Page Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 15:32:30 +1000 From: Ove Hoegh-Guldberg To: Coral Health and Monitoring Program Dear All, The Coral Reef Research Insitute based at the University of Sydney has a home page at http://www.bio.usyd.edu.au/OTI/crri.html. We would like to build up links from and to other sites. Could you add our URL to your homepages and send me your URL and I will add it to ours. Thanks, Ove ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Ph: (02) 351-2389 School of Biological Sciences Fax: (02) 351-4119 Building A08 Country code Australia = 61 University of Sydney 2006 NSW Australia ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From eakin at ogp.noaa.gov Tue Aug 29 10:32:37 1995 From: eakin at ogp.noaa.gov (Mark Eakin) Date: 29 Aug 1995 10:32:37 U Subject: Free Equipment Available (U Message-ID: Subject: Time: 11:26 AM OFFICE MEMO Free Equipment Available (U.S. only) Date: 8/29/95 Free Equipment Available in U.S. Used equipment such as electronic hardware, computers, etc. are available free to institutions of higher learning in the U.S. through programs established within the Federal government. One such program, in the Department of Energy, is described below. Up to date listings of available equipment, including searchable databases, can be reached through FEDIX at: WWW: http://www.fie.com/ FTP/Telnet: fedix.fie.com Gopher: gopher.fie.com Modem: 301-258-0953 ------------- Guidelines The United States Department of Energy, in accordance with its responsibility to encourage research and development in the energy area, awards grants of used energy-related laboratory equipment to universities and colleges and other non-profit educational institutions of higher learning in the United States for use in energy-oriented educational programs in the life, physical and environmental sciences, and engineering. Applications for the grant of available equipment in this program should be submitted by an eligible, non-profit educational institution to the DOE operations office responsible for the site where the specific equipment is known to be located. The monthly Energy-Related Laboratory Equipment Catalog (ERLE) is available on a yearly subscription from the Government Printing Office. An order form is provided on the back inside cover of the ERLE catalog. Eligibility and Procedures Any non-profit, educational institution of higher learning, such as a university, college, junior college, technical institute, museum, or hospital, located in the U.S. and interested in establishing or up-grading energy-oriented educational programs in the life, physical and environmental sciences, and engineering is eligible. An institution is not required to have a current DOE grant or contract in order to participate in this program. High schools, grade schools, and vocational trade schools are excluded. An energy-oriented program is defined as an academic research activity dealing primarily or entirely in energy- related topics. Because of space limitations, cost of equipment storage and requests by other Federal agencies for DOE equipment, institutions have 30 days, from the time of "freezing" the equipment, to submit their grant application. Application reviews and grant awards will be performed on a first-received, first- qualified basis. Send equipment applications to the appropriate DOE operations office. A list of operations offices is on Page V. Applications may contain multiple equipment items from more than one DOE facility in the facilities are served by the same DOE operations office. If the equipment is located at more than one facility, not served by the same DOE operations office, an application must be submitted to each DOE operations office. The responsibility for identifying the location of equipment rests with the requesting institution. Specific questions concerning equipment should be directed to the organization responsible for the item(s) under consideration. General inquiries may be made to: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Education, ER-31 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585 ATTN: Larry L. Barker Program Manager ERLE Program (202) 586-8947 From d.k.hagman at mail.utexas.edu Tue Aug 29 12:59:00 1995 From: d.k.hagman at mail.utexas.edu (Derek Hagman) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 11:59:00 -0500 Subject: coral spawning Message-ID: <199508291649.LAA12171@smtp.utexas.edu> Sorry for the delay- Between the nights of August 16-20 coral spawning was observed at the Flower Garden Banks (NW Gulf of Mexico). Most of the activity was concentrated around the night of the 17th with Montastraea cavernosa, M. franksi and Diploria strigosa spawning between 21:30-22:30 and M. annularis and M. faveolata spawing between 23:20-0:00. Some of our divers reported sperm release by Stephanocoenia, but this remains unconfirmed. We did however, have a very substantial spawning effort by Colpophyllia spp. on the night of August 19th between 21:45-22:30. No other coral species were observed spawning on the 19th. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Thu Aug 24 04:43:33 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 20:43:33 +30000 Subject: Climate Records in Coral Skeletons Message-ID: The following is a forwarded message from Peter Swartg. Please respond to Pswart at rsmas.miami.edu. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 09:53:02 -0400 From: Peter Swart To: Coral Health and Monitoring Program Dick Dodge, Bob Halley and Peter Swart are organizing a symposium at the Panama meeting on climate records in coral skeletons. At the moment the following have tentatively agreed to give presentations: Cole, McConnaughey, Halley, Swart, Lough, Quinn, Halley, Lea, Wellington et al. We still have a few places left. If any one is interested please contact me. Abstract dealine is approaching. Peter From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Fri Aug 25 16:03:17 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 08:03:17 +30000 Subject: Fish Ecology List-Server Info Message-ID: This message forwarded from Stephanie Bailenson: From: "Stephanie Bailenson" Organization: University of Hawaii - Zoology To: coral-list Date: Wed, 6 Sep 1995 15:27:44 -1000 Subject: Re: fish list Several of the responses to my inquiry on white line disease have asked how to subscribe to the fish ecology list server, here is that info... To: LISTSERV at SEARN.SUNET.SE don't put anything in Subject In the text: SUBSCRIBE FISH-ECOLOGY -Stephanie Bailenson sbail at zoogate.zoo.hawaii.edu From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Thu Aug 31 15:48:14 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 07:48:14 +30000 Subject: Coral Reef Research Institute Home Page Message-ID: The following is a forwarded message from Jo Taylor of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 13 Sep 95 11:48:27 BST From: Jo.Taylor at wcmc.org.uk Subject: re: Coral Reef Research Institute Home Page I attach info about WCMC'c activities in Coral Reef Mapping and our presence on the Internet. ______________________ WORLD CONSERVATION WCMC Project Profile MONITORING CENTRE ---------------------- Coral Reef Mapping The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) is currently undertaking a major initiative to digitally map the world's coral reefs. This work is part of a collaborative venture with the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) in the Philippines which will lead to the production of a global coral reef database to be known as ReefBase. Why are the data needed? Darwin first produced a map of the world's coral reefs in 1842, a slightly more detailed map was prepared by Joubin early this century. There have been very few systematic global surveys of coral reefs since these attempts - the only widely accepted summary statistics on reef coverage were published by Smith in 1978, while a more detailed descriptive account was provided in 1988 by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in the highly-acclaimed three volume series "Coral Reefs of the World". There is a wide and growing need for recent, accurate information describing coral reefs at higher resolutions than are currently available. Such data, at the international level, are required by aid agencies, conservation organisations and industry as well as individual scientists and the public for uses that include planning operations and investment, monitoring changes, predicting fisheries statistics, planning shipping routes, scientific research, conservation and education. How can individual countries benefit? The coastal zone is an area of considerable interest to a wide range of users and detailed resource maps are increasingly important for planning and management. Maps are used by government planners, fisheries organisations, conservationists, scientists, protected areas agencies, and private organisations. While many countries have already begun detailed mapping programmes, others have not yet begun, or do not have the resources available to undertake this work. For those countries with little or no information at the national scale relating to marine resources this project will provide maps, which could be incorporated into national databases. The working scale of most maps will be 1:250,000, with more detailed scales (1:50,000 or 1:100,000) for specific sites and small nations. Due to the constraints of time and money it will not be possible to undertake highly detailed work, nor will it be possible to undertake any direct interpretation of remotely sensed data. Where digital datasets do not exist WCMC is actively seeking to obtain the best available maps in hard copy which it will then digitise. These maps, and there may be several for each country, could range in both quality and scale (with 1:250,000 being set as the ideal). The final digitised product would be made freely available to all contributors. For countries with existing coastal resource maps at the national level, either on hard copy or in digital format. Such data will prove very valuable for the ReefBase initiative. Non-digitised maps will be digitised and made available to the suppliers of the data. Digital maps will be incorporated directly where these are available. High resolution maps will be summarised as necessary. All the data will be fully acknowledged and referenced. Reef Maps - features to be incorporated The prime focus of this work will be to map coral reef distribution: coastlines, emergent reef crest or reef polygons and simple bathymetric data for coral reef areas. A separate project is currently underway to map the global distribution of mangrove forests which, although of lower resolution, will be a very useful complimentary dataset. Where possible it is hoped to incorporate other features relating to biodiversity and coastal sensitivity, as funding and time permits. The following is a list of features for which data will be incorporated subject to these provisos: Physical features: Coastline, differentiated if available, into mud, sand/gravel, rock, cliffs etc.; Emergent reef crest; Reef areas as polygons where available; Bathymetric data - 20, 50 and/or 100m wherever available; Simple wind, tide and current data Further substrate/habitat data: Mangrove; Seagrass; Mud, sand, rock, coral dominated habitat Species data: Turtle feeding and nesting sites; Reef fish distribution; Seabird colonies; Manatee and dugong distribution data Human aspects: Protected areas; Fisheries data; Shipping channels; Research stations; Dive sites; Towns and cities; Tourist and fishing centres; Other planning regimes (shipping, fishing, controls) For all countries and contributors. ReefBase, a global database describing the coral reefs and reef systems of the world will be prepared on CD-ROM and freely distributed to all contributors. The data on ReefBase will include a simple geographic information system (GIS) and bit-maps for every country along with summary statistics describing reef areas, protected areas and other management regimes, fisheries, economics, taxonomic information and much more. In addition to receiving data at the global level, participants will be linked, through ReefBase into a loose network of collaborating individuals, institutions and organisations. Funding and progress to date The World Conservation Monitoring Centre has highlighted coral reefs as key habitats of conservation importance and concern, and this initiative ties in closely with previous work at the Centre in the preparation of the "Coral Reefs of the World" volumes. Partial funding has come from the European Community, through the linkage to ReefBase. Further funding has been drawn from other projects at WCMC, including work on small island developing states for the United Nations Environment Programme, and current support from the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association. Thus, although there is no single funding base, work is progressing steadily. By early 1995 detailed reef maps had been prepared or incorporated for over 25 countries. For further information on Coral Reef Mapping, please contact: Richard Luxmoore, Head of WCMC's Habitats Programme; Richard.Luxmoore at wcmc.org.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For further information, please contact: The Information Officer World Conservation Monitoring Centre Tel: +44 (0)1223 277314 219 Huntingdon Road Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136 Cambridge CB3 0DL, United Kingdom e-mail: info at wcmc.org.uk WCMC Conservation Information Service is sponsored by the BT Community Programme ------------------------------------------------------------------------ coral.prj mar95gy __________________________ WORLD CONSERVATION WCMC Information Services MONITORING CENTRE -------------------------- Internet Services WCMC is expanding its information services by using international communications networks - especially the Internet, which is the most widely used network for science. The Internet allows WCMC to access and be accessed electronically by other users of the network. Recent estimates indicate millions of users are linked via the Internet. To assist these users, a number of programs and services are available through the Internet to enable organisations to manage their own information and to retrieve information from other users. The most commonly used features include Email, World Wide Web, Gopher, List Servers, Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS). WCMC is utilising these facilities to provide information and meta-database services via the Internet. (Meta-databases are databases of databases, i.e. they tell users where information can be obtained). Five services are in operation: - World Wide Web (WWW) - for users of the WWW, WCMC has released its own WWW home page providing access to conservation data and information, including text, tables, maps and images. This can be accessed through the following universal resource locator (URL) http://www.wcmc.org.uk - Anonymous FTP - this allows users of the Internet to copy files to and from a dedicated disk area at WCMC on which a variety of information is available already. The address of this disk is: ftp.wcmc.org.uk - List Server - an electronic discussion forum for CITES-related issues using email. - WCMC hosts a node for the Microbial Strain Data Network (MSDN). - Biodiversity Information Network - WCMC is one of five WWW nodes for the BIN21 network, that disseminates information relating to Agenda 21 and informs the global biodiversity community of regional contacts and current activities. WCMC is a primary test site for a meta-database system serving a range of environmental disciplines. This will allow network users to browse through descriptions and view examples of WCMC's data-sets. The meta- database uses the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) Catalog System and lists WCMC data, including an inventory of products and services. It is both X and character-based and belongs to the NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) family of connected meta-databases. Following a review of existing systems, WCMC has embarked on two projects to develop its own meta-database systems. The first project provided an Internal Meta-database System (IMS) that is used for the internal search and retrieval of information. The second project is developing a Metadata Entry Tool (MET) allowing external users to fill in meta-data records describing WCMC data-sets. This has been developed to export to one of three formats, CIESIN Directory Interchange Format (DIF), NASA GCMD DIF, and UNEP GRID. WCMC is beta-testing this system for operational use by October 1994. WCMC's long term objectives are to make information and data available to users through an open and transparent on-line information service. The services offered will be periodically expanded in response to feedback from users and to include further information that becomes available. For information on the above please contact: Ian Barnes, Data and Communications Coordinator e-mail: ian.barnes at wcmc.org.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For further information on other WCMC projects, please contact: The Information Officer World Conservation Monitoring Centre Tel: +44 (0)1223 277314 219 Huntingdon Road Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136 Cambridge CB3 0DL, United Kingdom e-mail: info at wcmc.org.uk WCMC Conservation Information Service is sponsored by the BT Community Programme ------------------------------------------------------------------------ internet.inf oct94y