[Coral-List] Coral restoration trashing

Mon Aug 21 22:52:49 UTC 2023

Luiz, thank you very much for your message. Such a comment coming from a
non-restoration practitioner or scientist is precious.

I hope your comment stops the confrontation between passive (i.e.,
protection) and active (i.e., restoration) coral reef conservation
scientists. Although on different fronts, we all work on the same goal or
interest: resilient coral reefs, right? Let's stop wasting our energy and
time arguing between us! Polluters, climate change deniers, among others
responsible for coral reef deterioration, laugh at us when every time we
engage in another argument.

Why is it so difficult to understand that only a joint siege strategy that
combines proactive (i.e., effective impact control) and reactive (i.e.,
assisted ecosystem recovery) restoration efforts might give us a better
chance to achieve our goal?  This strategy must be defined and implemented
by all parties involved. With circa 80 years of coral reef science, we all
know why, how, and what we need to do. Then, let's join forces and seek
the political will needed to fund and implement a coral reef conservation
campaign.

Best,
Phanor

Phanor H Montoya Maya, Ph.D. (CERP 0514)

Coral Restoration Program Manager

Phone: +1-305-522-3690

Work Phone: +1-786-780-2660

Coral Restoration Foundation™

coralrestoration.org

Headquarters

89111 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, Florida 33070

Exploration Center

5 Seagate Blvd, Key Largo, Florida 33037

INSTAGRAM @coralrestorationfoundation

FACEBOOK CoralRestorationFoundation

TWITTER @coralcrf

Dr. Phanor Montoya: Restaurando Arrecifes Coralinos | TED Talk
<https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_phanor_montoya_restaurando_arrecifes_coralinos>

> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2023 08:07:36 -0700
> From: Luiz Rocha <lrocha at calacademy.org>
> To: Coral List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Coral restoration trashing
> Message-ID:
>         <CAGRWgp7Buvzoa-tT_Mr4tsAPubGEGcWnqVPfBgrkPoEoCnN=
> Dg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> 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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>
> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 180, Issue 19
> *******************************************
>