[Coral-List] article: blueprint for coral survival

[sealab at earthlink.net]

Hi Doug,

“Designing a Blueprint for Coral Reef Survival” is yet another notable paper that drives home the point that although a number of innovative and timely actions are called for, addressing climate change is the essential step needed to prevent coral reef ecosystem collapse. In fact, this paper emphasizes the need for further innovations that go beyond the scope of existing conservation measures. So, for sure we need to support the efforts of restoration projects around the world, but at the same time those projects must not lose sight of the fact that their long-term success is dependent upon, as the authors put it, a “Grand Bargain” to reduce global emissions. In light of this fact, shouldn’t we fully expect public outreach efforts associated with restoration projects to reflect this fundamental point? As you mentioned in a previous post on marine heat waves, without this linkage a misleading and counterproductive message could be derived that the decline of coral reefs is solvable without rapid, coordinated action on climate change - a message that if popularized could effectually impede betterment.

I don’t mind getting push back on anything that I have posted on-list, but I want to reiterate that any criticisms of restoration efforts that I’ve put out there are in no way an indictment of them all. Any attempt to draw attention to the plight of coral reefs is great, but my comments are just a plea to be mindful of the importance of accurate messaging.

Again, I would take a quote from this paper to make one final point. “Developing a blueprint to save coral reefs may be the first major attempt to save an ecosystem, but it will also provide a roadmap of action for other ecosystems at risk (Duarte et al., 2020)”. Or as you wrote, “save reefs to rescue all ecosystems”.

In the end, all this just emphasizes the fact that we urgently need to develop more in the way of broad-based support - which for starters requires that we take pains to get the message right.

Warm regards,

Steve Mussman

On 5/7/21, 12:36 AM, Douglas Fenner via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

Designing a blueprint for coral reef survival

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320721001592?via%3Dihub

Cheers, Doug

--

Douglas Fenner

Lynker Technologies, LLC, Contractor

NOAA Fisheries Service

Pacific Islands Regional Office

Honolulu

and:

Coral Reef Consulting

PO Box 997390

Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799-6298 USA

Slashing emissions by 2050 isn't enough. We can bring down temperature now.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/climate-deadlines-super-pollutants-hfcs-methane/2021/04/15/acb8c612-9d7d-11eb-b7a8-014b14aeb9e4_story.html

Humans have destroyed 97% of earth's ecosystems

(well, more like only 3% are fully intact)

https://a.msn.com/r/2/BB1fH7DT?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare

Study: One-third of plant and animal species could be gone in 50 years.

(but 2-4 times worse in tropics)

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uoa-soo021220.php

https://www.pnas.org/content/117/8/4211

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