[Coral-List] FW: SPAM R2: Re: Concerns over ICRS, 2021 (Austin Bowden-Kerby)

[Julian]

Dear list

I'd like to support the views of the two writers below. I'm not convinced I
will be allowed to leave my country of residence (Malaysia) by next July;
I'm not sure I would want to anyway, given the risks associated with travel
(look at the number of cases flying back into the UK from holidays in
Greece, just for example); and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be attending
anyway given the cost.

Virtual is possible, and might be preferable. Next week I am participating
in a two-week long virtual conference here in Malaysia on climate change,
resilience and solutions. There are several sessions each day; audience is
targeted at several thousand over the time. Separately, this past Monday I
participated in a training session delivered by two trainers - one in
Australia and one in the South Pacific, in which we used break out groups,
whiteboards...pretty much all you would expect. Might take a bit of getting
used to...but it is possible.

Imagine how many people from "developing countries" (whatever they  are) -
who would never be able to attend a conference in Germany - would be able to
participate on-line?

Regards,

Julian Hyde
General Manager
Reef Check Malaysia
+60 3 2161 5948
www.reefcheck.org.my
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rcmalaysia


-----Original Message-----
From: Coral-List [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf
Of Chelsie Counsell via Coral-List
Sent: Wednesday, 9 September, 2020 8:56 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: SPAM R2: Re: [Coral-List] Concerns over ICRS, 2021 (Austin
Bowden-Kerby)

Dear Austin & List,

Another option could be a virtual conference for ICRS 2021. We had great
success with Global Coral Reef Week 2020 - while we had hoped to have
regional hubs, our conference was entirely virtual and we had 2,700
subscribers from across the globe. GCRW (www.coralreefweek.org) was
organized entirely by volunteers with a budget of <$1,000. Imagine how
amazing a virtual coral reef conference could be with the resources of ICRS.

All the best,
Chelsie

><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Chelsie Counsell, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marine Biology
College of Arts & Sciences
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT  USA    06824
chelsiew12 at gmail.com


Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2020 11:21:33 +1200
> From: Austin Bowden-Kerby <abowdenkerby at gmail.com>
> To: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Concerns over ICRS, 2021
> Message-ID:
>         <CAL0VXCU_LzGh7tfpU_9den_kkbxqJJEZBPQ4Ap9GfXV=
> Qae7yA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Dear List,
>
> I hesitate to write this, but seriously- are we kidding ourselves?  To 
> plan for ICRS to be held in July 2021 seems absurd, based on the many 
> scientific medical reports and the informed opinions of the experts, 
> and despite attempts by certain leaders and the media to deny the 
> facts for economic or political reasons. The experts tell us that 
> there is a strong chance that the pandemic will still be raging by 
> next July, and with all the tremendous energy required to pull off 
> ICRS, is it really wise for the global coral reef community to forge ahead
like this- only to have all of these efforts
> come to naught- yet again?   Am I the only one here who feels this way?
>
> For perspective, I am writing this from the South Pacific, where we 
> are sealed off in a COVID-19 free bubble- no community spread, and 
> only a few cases intercepted at the border and in strict quarantine.  
> At least for us in this region we may not be able to emerge from our 
> secure bubble for a long time, perhaps until the virus is as rare as 
> SARS1?  Presently it is very difficult to get flights in and out, and 
> on returning we are required to be in government quarantine for two 
> weeks- which might be expanded to three.  Barring some miracle cure or 
> long lasting effective vaccine, ICRS is certainly not going to happen 
> for us unless it is pushed back to 2022 or
> 2023
>
> Kind regards, and stay safe,
>
> Austin
>
> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> Corals for Conservation
> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods for the Future P.O. Box 4649 
> Samabula, Fiji Islands https://www.facebook.com/C4Conservation
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009j6wb
> TEDx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PRLJ8zDm0U
>
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-co
> ral-bleaching/
> <
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-co
> ral-bleaching/
> >
>
>
> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods Farm Km 20 Sigatoka Valley Road, 
> Fiji Islands
> (679) 938-6437
> http://
> <
> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-environmental-
> livelihoods-farm-Fiji
> >
> teiteifiji.org
>
> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-environmental-
> livelihoods-farm-Fiji https://www.facebook.com/teiteifarmstay
>
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/happy-chickens-for-food-security
> -and-environment-1/
>
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