[Coral-List] Sticky issue

[Ernesto Weil]

Yes it is an overwhelming sticky issue, but the problem is that nobody,
specially governments (votes) and religious groups (power of the masses -
contributions), wants to even talk about it. On the other hand, it seems
that the people who needs the most education are those living in the
developing countries, who most of the time drive/push the undeveloped
countries to destroy their natural resources to satisfy their
ever-increasing appetite for unnecessary things. A good example, at least in
our field, is the exploitation/destruction of reefs for the aquarium trade.
Major consumers, yes you guessed right, the USA and Europe, at least in some
statistics I saw last year. How many of those fish, anemones, shrimps,
seahorses, soft- and hard corals do you think survive one year in the
aquariums at home or hotels?? How many die during the whole process since
capture to the retail stores?? The same is happening for rainforest and
other terrestrial and fresh water system creatures as well, just visit the
nearest pet-store. Developed countries usually protect their natural
resources well, but pressure the underdeveloped countries to destroy theirs
to satisfy the local markets for these. Are there solutions to these
problems, of course there are, are we willing to implement them, well, here
is where we are limited because we do not implement policies, we just
provide scientific-based recommendation to those responsible to legislate,
and most of you know what happen with these recommendations. 

Saludos,     


-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of JKoven at aol.com
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 6:50 PM
To: rgrigg at soest.hawaii.edu; lesk at bu.edu; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] The long view is for the Undead: reefs ARE
introuble today

 The people who live in these underpopulated areas are still trying to earn
a 
living...often by fishing their own reefs and selling to those who have 
depleted their own fisheries and willing to pay the price.

Yes, over-population is at the base of many world problems but it is a
sticky 
issue, at once cultural, ethnic and religious.  Not exactly one to be solved

by reef scientists.  Perhaps women's education in general and in
reproductive 
rights are the answers?  Women want better lives for their children, after 
they've been fed, saved from curable infectious diseases, and
educated....and who 
is to determine what that better life is?  Is it what they perceive as the 
lives that other children in the world have, including yours? 

Joan Koven
Astrolabe, Inc.

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