[Coral-List] comments on last considerations at ICRs

[Silvia Pinca]

Dear listers,
it was very inspiring participating to ICRS, and I have only a couple of comments on the closing remarks.





On the closing
discussion group it was asked by the media representatives to give a punching
one sentence declaration about the need of preserving reefs to give editors good reasons to publish articles that would really interest readers. Why would a reader care about
saving the world reefs?  

The first input from the scientists
as a good reason for people to be concerned and care about coral reef
management was the loss of diversity and beauty. Not more than a whisper was spared to
the preservation of food security for about 30 million people (or more?) in the
developing word. I personally find it morally depressing to believe that most
western country news readers should be more concerned about the hopeless
recovery of beauty and biodiversity of the already over-suffering Caribbean reefs than by yet another food crisis in
developing countries. Who would be called to support hunger in tropical
countries when all reefs of overpopulated areas are depleted and impoverished
of not just pretty colors but of foodfish?

 

Another major subject
discussed was that one of the major, if not the major, cause of environmental
aggression to CR is due to high population growth and that more education and
resources should be developed to help developing
countries tackle such an issue. However, is education on family planning really
an issue of developing countries?

-        
Population
growth rate in US: compared to other developing countries (for ex. the G8): USA 0.92 vs G8: -0.37 (Russia) to 0.9(Canada), average EU = 0.15



Silvia Pinca, PhD.
Senior Reef Fisheries Scientist 
Coastal Fisheries Programme
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
B.P. D5 - 98848 Noumea Cedex- New Caledonia
Tel: +687 265475

NRAS Conservation Marshall Islands
www.nras-conservation.org