[Coral-List] Request for comment on recent report on coral loss and population density for Guardian article

[Jack Silverman]

Hi Johnny
The counter intuitive and contradicting results in my opinion of the
analysis presented in this report (see for example L. 15-22 in abstract),
and its conclusions are essentially advocating better management and
monitoring practices instead of confronting the more important issues, the
proverbial elephant in the china shop that will eventually bring about the
extinction of coral reefs, i.e. global warming and ocean acidification.
This is the same agenda that has been promoted for a while now in the GBR
that provided allot of government funds for research, monitoring and
conservation, which I think this is a very good thing, the funding I mean.
Nonetheless, look what happened over the past few months, a bleaching event
of unprecedented magnitude that wiped out more than 50% of corals in the
northern half of the GBR as well as other large areas in the Caribean,
Pacific and Indean Oceans. From the abstract it seems that the authors
would have us believe that if we just practice sensible or better
management then coral reefs will be preserved. I think that this is highly
misleading and I also think that it provides management with an
excuse/impetus to avoid the real issue, which is sadly unavoidable, unless
we seriously start to reduce CO2 emissions and develop technologies that
can be used to reduce atmospheric CO2. Otherwise, it seems that the fate of
coral reefs is pretty much sealed regardless of what management practices
we employ.
Jack

On Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 2:22 PM, johnny langenheim <
johnnylangenheim at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi listers,
>
> Just wondering if anyone cared to comment on this recent report in Nature
> <http://www.nature.com/articles/srep29778> suggesting that population
> density has nothing to do with coral degradation, which appears to conflict
> with a report last month
> <
> http://www.nature.com/articles/nature18607.epdf?referrer_access_token=udQwbLfe1xu-TqaHwY4Zx9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OovfC-4lBD1DyTcTysQeXH3fB98eYLxcDZa5xm0whdwD7YWf3cEldRzEkPLtpCYuI_fv-gCbADO9PMT-lAG2r9ya3UlYfF5J_W8RhkQ2_pd95nKTrR73ne7CigGrqo35mOdKOZetByFK4jWgS83GQ-s9Co52J8j-XNk-S3QnFWSKMyVQcZjsoUpBeMKnuaX0A%3D&tracking_referrer=news.nationalgeographic.com
> >
> that suggested some 'bright spots' are doing better as a direct result of
> proper marine management
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Johnny
>
> --
> Johnny Langenheim
> +44(0)7427 312 760  (UK)
> +62 (0) 8123 657 3757.  (INDONESIA)
> www.johnnylangenheim.com
> Skype: Johnny Langenheim
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-- 
How much is six times seven?

Jack Silverman PhD
Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Ltd.
Tel-Shikmona, POB 8030, Haifa, Israel, 31080
Tel: 972-4-8565300; Fax: 972-4-8511911
http://www.ocean.org.il/Heb/Researchers/page_jack.asp