[Coral-List] Restoration rationale

Douglas Fenner douglasfennertassi at gmail.com
Sat Sep 14 04:16:46 UTC 2019


Alice,
     I completely agree with your first paragraph, but would add that the
No. 1 threat to the future of corals is global warming, and if we don't get
emissions under control, we will loose the coral reef ecosystems.  I think
that coral restoration is a great idea, along with the many other kinds of
projects designed to help coral reef ecosystems.  There are a lot of great
projects, a lot of people doing great work we all appreciate and support.
      The problem is, of course, that we are failing, and failing
miserably, to get greenhouse gas emissions under control, and that is the
elephant in the corner of the room that will doom corals if we don't get
them under control and get effective action to do that soon, we have
limited time.  We're actually emitting more greenhouse gases than was
predicted for "business as usual" that is, doing nothing.  That's utter
failure.
      IF we do not, I fear that all the great projects, all the hard work,
all the money will have been wasted, AND we will have lost precious time to
get emissions under control.  (exactly what the deniers want and have been
very successful at getting so far in the USA)
      I think what concerns Steve and I is that when the press puts out
stories about how this or that project is doing great work to help save
corals, and doesn't mention that global warming is going to wipe out all
that progress if we don't get emissions under control, that the public and
governments can be lulled to sleep, "oh there's no urgency to do anything
serious about emissions because the reefs are being saved by these
projects."  That's NOT what the people in these projects are saying, but
some of these news stories are omitting the global warming problem, and
that plays into the hands of those who want to block action on the greatest
single threat to coral reefs, and a huge danger for humanity itself.
      The press must continue to have the freedom to write what they want,
freedom of the press.  But we need to stress when we are interviewed, that
all our efforts will have been in vain if the big problem, global warming,
isn't solved decisively.  We need to try to convince the press to add at
least a sentence to say that emissions must be reduced or all these great
projects will have been a waste of effort, money, and time.  That's my view.
       Cheers,  Doug

On Sat, Sep 14, 2019 at 6:05 AM Alice Grainger via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Hello Steve,
>
> That's a great question. It is, of course, critical that the causes of
> coral decline are addressed and the stressors removed if we are going to be
> able to ensure a future for coral reefs into the next century and beyond.
>
> In the Keys, a number of the local stressors that contributed to reef
> degradation are increasingly being alleviated. In recent decades, a sewage
> system, mooring balls, increased diver awareness, and fishing regulations
> have all created conditions that enable our outplants to survive and even
> thrive – many of our outplanted corals are now observed to be spawning in
> the wild.
>
> The diverse genotypes that we work are also the descendants of corals that
> survived decades of stressors, and so are likely hardy. As these corals
> spawn, we are optimistic that the new genets that result will be even
> better adapted to surviving in the current environmental conditions. Our
> work with partners such as FLAQ is also accelerating the process by which
> new genotypes can be created and introduced to the wild.
>
> It is not also critical that we maintain wild populations of corals in
> areas that have experienced a decline, rather than allow total local
> extinction while we wait to "solve" climate change issues?
>
> Best,
>
> Alice
>
> ____________________
>
> Alice Grainger
> Communications Director, Coral Restoration Foundation™
> Phone: (415) 770 8952
>
>
> *Coral Restoration Foundation™*
>
>
> *www.coralrestoration.org <http://www.coralrestoration.org>*
>
>
> *facebook.com/CoralRestorationFoundation
> <http://facebook.com/CoralRestorationFoundation>*
>
> *twitter.com/coralcrf <http://twitter.com/coralcrf>*
> *instagram.com/coralrestorationfoundation
> <http://instagram.com/coralrestorationfoundation>*
>
> Headquarters
>
> 89111 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, Florida 33070
>
>
> Exploration Center
>
> 5 Seagate Blvd, Key Largo, Florida 33037
>
> *Phone*
> (305) 453-7030
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 13, 2019 at 11:54 AM Steve Mussman via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > In an attempt to better understand the processes and goals involved in
> > coral restoration, I would ask listers to help me gain a fuller
> > appreciation for projects like this.
> >
> >
> >
> https://www.coralrestoration.org/post/noaa-backs-coral-restoration-foundation-with-2-5-million-to-restore-florida-s-coral-reefs
> >
> > Although I get the concept behind enhanced resilience and/or “super
> > corals”, do researchers actually expect newly outplanted corals to
> flourish
> > in degraded ecosystems like those found in the Florida Keys (and
> elsewhere)
> > without first effectively addressing the multitude of stressors
> (including
> > overall water quality, over-fishing, disease and now the broader impacts
> of
> > climate change) that have, over the last several decades, contributed to
> > these ecosystems becoming increasingly degenerated in the first place?
> >
> > Seems to me that we’re putting the proverbial cart before the horse, but
> > maybe I’m missing something (beyond the obvious).
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Steve
> >
> >
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Douglas Fenner
Ocean Associates, Inc. Contractor
NOAA Fisheries Service
Pacific Islands Regional Office
Honolulu
and:
Consultant
PO Box 7390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA

"Global warming is manifestly the foremost current threat to coral reefs,
and must be addressed by the global community if reefs as we know them will
have any chance to persist."  Williams et al, 2019, Frontiers in Marine
Science

A call to climate action  (Science editorial)
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6443/807?utm_campaign=toc_sci-mag_2019-05-30&et_rid=17045989&et_cid=2840296

New book "The Uninhabitable Earth"  First sentence: "It is much, much worse
than you think."
Read first (short) chapter open access:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/read-a-chapter-from-the-uninhabitable-earth-a-dire-warning-on-climate-change


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