[Coral-List] The ISRS "TEN THINGS" CAMPAIGN - how much can you suppor?

[Judith Lang]

Dear Nohora and Coral Listers,
As members of the ISRS (International Society for Reef Studies) have recently learned, the Council and Conservation Committee are initiating what I hope can become a sustained campaign to help promote changes in our individual and collective actions that will benefit nature (humanity included) in general, and coral reefs in particular. 

Not all of these requests are suitable for everyone (for example, not everyone lives where heating or air conditioning are required); not everyone can restrict their flights to no more than three return trips/year and remain professionally active. 

But there should be some actions in which everyone can participate. So I encourage all those who care about our reefs to start by giving at least one of these suggestions “a good try;” and then see how many others are appropriate for each individual to add. 

Thanks,
Judy Lang
AGRRA Scientific Coordinator


Ten Things YOU CAN DO to Help Save CORAL REEFS
In the International Year of the Reef - TAKE THE PLEDGE!

Sign up to achieve these 10 realisable personal goals

For the recently launched International Year of the Reef (IYOR2018) (http://www.iyor2018.org/) the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) is urging its members and all others interested in or concerned about coral reefs, to take one or more of the practical steps in their day-to day living listed below, to help save coral reefs from the existential threat that they now face.

If a large number of members, colleagues and friends make this commitment together for IYOR2018, the effort will be magnified and the achievement will have more impact. We encourage members and others to show their commitment and sign up on the ISRS IYOR SIGN-UP website at http://signup.com/go/GMEXeyo <http://signup.com/go/GMEXeyo>.

Our list of practical steps you can take to help save coral reefs is:

Do ONE of the following: either turn back your heating or air conditioning by at least 1 degree Celsius or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit and replace all your lights with LED bulbs OR invest in a renewal energy source or electric car
Keep flying to a minimum: aim for no more than THREE return air-tickets in a year and offset all your flights, for example with the WorldLandTrust
Reduce your meat and dairy consumption; we suggest eating meat no more than TWO times a week
Make sure ALL the fish and sea-food you consume comes from sustainable sources 
Watch at least ONE film and read at least ONE book on Climate Change
Explain to at least TEN contacts THREE or so key facts behind climate change and its impacts
Join ONE campaign to help protect reefs or oppose climate change
Organise at least THREE educational talks and/or showings of the film Chasing Coral
Write to at least THREE local elected representatives about corals and climate change
Participate in or support at least ONE REEF CONSERVATION ACTIVITY. If you will be diving or snorkelling, learn how to recognise the different types of damage that can severely impact coral reefs, and send your observations to a relevant organisation. Alternatively, take part in or otherwise support a citizen science or volunteer project.
It is not essential for anyone supporting these aims to commit to all the above actions or meet all of the above targets; anything that you can do under any of the ten headings will be beneficial. But if you are willing to try to meet most or all of the targets, please show your support for this initiative by signing up at our sign up website.

To SIGN UP please go to http://signup.com/go/GMEXeyo <http://signup.com/go/GMEXeyo>.

A pdf copy of the above details can be downloaded here:  Ten Things YOU CAN DO to help Save CORAL REEFS 3.1. <http://coralreefs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ten-Things-You-can-do-to-help-Save-Coral-Reefs-3.1-1.pdf>