[Coral-List] Coral restoration trashing

Mon Aug 21 18:52:55 UTC 2023

I agree with the comments from Luiz Rocha.

In addition, speaking as a coral reef restoration ecologist, here are two key messages to share with the coral list community and all the restoration thrashers out there.

1) Saving the world's coral reefs:

In all my talks, I share this simple formula

coral reefs= energy transition + drawdown+ conservation + restoration

We need to do everything, everywhere, all at the same time. And the time to do it all is NOW. There has been too much time wasted with political drama queens and decision-makers lacking the gonads to do the job.

2) Cost of coral reef restoration:
It's all relative.
In 2022, people in the USA spent $23.9 billion on Valentine's Day, with average spending of $175.41 per person (per National Retail Federation data). That is $23.9 billion spent on a fake holiday for a fake saint.
This spending amount is light years away from all the money ever spent on coral reef restoration. So, the next time you feel the urge to say there is no money for restoration, just take a deep breath, remember this statistic, and start educating yourself.

I strongly recommend reading the book Active Coral Restoration from J Ross Publishing, where you find all the science and implementation in the field of coral reef restoration during the last 20 years, including initiatives done in low-income countries with the lowest cost possible.

Happy learning.

<><...<><...<><...

Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
Twitter: @GrouperDoc
Science Blog: https://grouperluna.com/
Art Blog: https://oceanbestiary.com/

________________________________
From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf of Joanie Kleypas via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2023 1:03 PM
To: JJ <jeremybcjackson at gmail.com>
Cc: Coral List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral restoration trashing

I second Jeremy - Thank you, Luiz!

On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 10:53 AM JJ via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!
> jeremy
>
> On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 11:39 AM Luiz Rocha via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > Alright, I've had it. I am sick and tired of the constant trashing and
> > criticism that coral restoration projects and that any science even
> > remotely related to restoration are getting. Even though I don't work on
> it
> > (directly or indirectly) I know a lot of scientists working on coral
> > restoration. And I also know a lot of restoration projects. Not a single
> > one of them has ever said that the solution for the coral reef crysis is
> > coral restoration. This is hyperbole created either by the media and the
> > critics of coral restoration.
> >
> > Now more specifically about the critiques to every kind of science
> related
> > to restoration. If we put together all of the dollars that went into
> coral
> > restoration science, in all of human history, that adds up to (very
> > graciously) about half a billion dollars. For those that keep saying that
> > we can solve the climate crisis with coral restoration dollars, please,
> > please, tell me how 500 million dollars would solve climate change. If
> you
> > sit down and really think about it, I hope you realize that climate
> change
> > is not a money problem. We have the money and the solutions to do it.
> What
> > we do not have is the political will.
> >
> > And for those that keep saying that corals in air conditioned aquaria are
> > not a solution, rhinos in zoos aren't either, so should we kill them all
> > and be done with it? The only surviving individuals of unique genetic
> > lineages of several species that used to be in Florida are now only alive
> > in aquaria. So let's use the few hundreds of thousands of dollars being
> > used to keep them alive to convince Ron De Santis and Donald Trump that
> > climate change is real. Yeah, that's gonna work. These dollars (even if
> > dollars could solve climate change, which they won't) are not competing
> > with climate change dollars. That's like asking to stop funding coral
> > taxonomy because giving coral species names is only rearranging the
> chairs
> > in the Titanic. That argument can be used for any branch of science that
> is
> > not fighting climate change. And it is not true.
> >
> > So, get off your horses, fight climate change the best way you can, and
> > keep doing science, even if it's not related to climate change. Because
> it
> > will help.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Luiz
> >
> > Luiz A. Rocha, Ph.D.
> > Curator and Follett Chair of Ichthyology
> > Co-Director, Hope For Reefs Initiative
> >
> > California Academy of Sciences
> >
> > p. 415.379.5370
> >
> > LRocha at calacademy.org
> > Academic Website
> > <https://www.calacademy.org/staff/ibss/ichthyology/luiz-a-rocha>
> >
> > 55 Music Concourse Drive
> > Golden Gate Park
> > San Francisco, CA 94118
> >
> > Twitter <https://twitter.com/CoralReefFish> | Instagram
> > <https://www.instagram.com/coralreeffish/>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
>
>
> --
> Jeremy Jackson
> Author: *Breakpoint: Reckoning with America's Environmental Crises
> <
> https://www.amazon.com/Breakpoint-Reckoning-Americas-Environmental-Crises/dp/0300179391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523815680&sr=8-1&keywords=jackson+breakpoint
> >*
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list

--
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Joanie Kleypas, Senior Scientist Emeritus
Climate & Global Dynamics
National Center for Atmospheric Research
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