[Coral-List] Coral restoration trashing

Mon Aug 21 20:03:58 UTC 2023

I second, second. It’s so easy to trash and blame, and I think we all feel frustrated and somewhat helpless about the trajectory. But we still have to try, and what we can learn about propagation is valuable no matter where corals may be in the coming century. Peace out y’all.

Andy Collins
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

> On Aug 21, 2023, at 9:59 AM, Rebecca Vega Thurber via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 
> Luiz,
> You said what so many of us are thinking.  Thank you for standing up for
> this group of practitioners and scientists who are continuously
> scapegoated, but working hard everyday to make a difference despite the
> immense odds.     -Becky
> 
>> On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 11:01 AM Joanie Kleypas via Coral-List <
>> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>> 
>> 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/>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> 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
>>>> *
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
>> Joanie Kleypas, Senior Scientist Emeritus
>> Climate & Global Dynamics
>> National Center for Atmospheric Research
>> ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
>> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber (she/her)
> Distinguished Professor of Microbiology
> Oregon State University
> 454 Nash Hall
> Corvallis OR  97331-3804, U.S.A
> 541-737-1851 (office) 541-737-0496 (FAX)
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> <Rebecca.Vega.Thurber at oregonstate.edu>
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