[Coral-List] Coral-List Digest, Vol 162, Issue 12

[Neus Figueras]

Dear Elisa,

Thank you so much for this!
Last year I wrote the following to the ICRS21 organisation and other
presenters, and many scientists answered me showing support whereas I never
received an answer from ICRS. I hope that someone in your position can make
a greater difference and again, thank you so much! If everyone spoke up
like this things would be better.

Dear ICRS community,

My name is Neus Figueras and my solidarity project I’m With Lorac, which
uses storytelling to connect people with corals and the ocean, and emotions
to catalyse positive change, has been accepted to present at the ICRS. When
I accessed the online registration, however, I was disappointed by the
registration fees (up to 395€).

I understand that organising the primary international conferences on coral
reef science, conservation and management takes a lot of effort and
resources and I don't dismiss this at all. I'm sure the organisers are
doing a great job, moreover taking into account the COVID situation.

This is, however, a unique opportunity: the conference is going virtual,
which means that for the first time in the history of the ICRS, it could be
an inclusive and equitable conference in which many of the participants who
could not afford the travel and accommodation of a traditional conference
could participate. But I'm afraid this is going to be hampered by the high
registration fees.

Diversity should be promoted in Coral Reef Science and considering that
many of the corals are in developing countries, it is unfair that some
presenters and participants will be left out because they cannot afford the
registration fees.

These symposia are key events to develop science-based solutions addressing
the present and future challenges of coral reefs, and therefore they should
provide options to ensure that all the latest scientific findings and ideas
reach the conference, and not just those of a privileged part of the
community.

I've taken part in many virtual conferences and the one that cost the most
was €30, plus they all had a reduced payment option for people living in
developing countries or for solidarity projects, as well as a more generous
payment option for those who could afford it.

If you really want to provide a platform to build the essential bridges
between coral reef science, conservation, politics, management and the
public, it'd better not to leave one part of the community out.

This is the first time a virtual ICRS has been held, and while this means
that there are many challenges to overcome, it also means that starting
from scratch it’s easier to make a difference. We need climate justice to
safeguard coral reefs, and one way to start and promote a coherent public
and political outreach is to make this conference inclusive and equitable.

Thank you for your attention. I would like to encourage and thank everyone
who helps the reefs by quoting an excerpt from my novel "Lorac":

“Corals are made up of tiny organisms, some smaller than the head of a pin.
> They are one of the simplest animals in the world and yet, they have built
> reefs that are seen from space, and all the fauna of the ocean is linked to
> these oases of life. They show us you’re never too small or too
> insignificant to make a difference, to make something great.”
>

Neus Figueras
Marine Scientist & Author
www.ImWithLorac.com <https://imwithlorac.com/>


<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon>
Virus-free.
www.avast.com
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link>
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

El dom, 13 feb 2022 a las 18:20, <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
escribió:

> Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
>         coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>         https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>         coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>         coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest...", e.g., cut and paste the
> Subject line from the individual message you are replying to. Also,
> please only include quoted text from prior posts that is necessary to
> make your point; avoid re-sending the entire Digest back to the list.
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Open call for action on equity and inclusiveness      to
>       ICRS22 (C?sar Augusto Marcelino Mendes Cordeiro)
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "César Augusto Marcelino Mendes Cordeiro" <cammcordeiro at id.uff.br>
> To: "elisa.bayraktarov at gmx.de" <elisa.bayraktarov at gmx.de>
> Cc: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Bcc:
> Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2022 15:49:15 -0300
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Open call for action on equity and inclusiveness
> to ICRS22
> Dear Elisa,
>
> I couldn't agree more with you! You speak for many that remained silent,
> including me. Despite all claims about costs related to the event
> organization, it is segregative to apply costs as elevated as those
> indicated for the ICRS. In 2020 and 2021 I had organized together with a
> very dedicated team of young scientists the Brazilian Reef Meeting which
> had the participation of more than 2000 subscribers for both editions and a
> large audience from the non-academic public. You can check our website (
> https://encontrorecifalbr.wixsite.com/encontrorecifalbr/erebra2020) and
> YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOYtak-JfzC0DOos0dAvoZA
> ).
> Unfortunately, they are only in Portuguese. The event was completely
> virtual and free of charge. Still, we had the presence of renowned
> scientists, and we had a good engagement of marine and coastal stakeholders
> and the general public. I'm not saying that the ICRS should take the same
> route, but it is possible to make a great meeting, bringing high-quality
> information and debate to a larger audience in a more inclusive way,
> especially in the Ocean Decade. Open science is not only about publishing
> open data and open access papers, but leveraging access to best practices
> in science - from information to infrastructure. That is a long debate, but
> anyway, I'd be very happy to exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues
> (especially from lower-middle income countries) about building up a more
> accessible meeting model.
>
> All the best,
>
> Cesar Cordeiro
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list