[Coral-List] coral reef decline

[Martin Moe]

Our world,oceans, continents, and the life that they support are all declining more rapidlythan we can repair them, certainly with just our present state of developingeffective repairs. But we must do the best we can and save all that we can.Around 2005 I lived in the Florida Keys and I gave up working on breedingmarine tropical fish and switched over to Diadema sea urchins. It took over 10 years but I was successful at rearing them in large numbers. There’s a bookout on my efforts and also three articles in the July/August 2022 issue of CORALmagazine. The following is the last section of the last article, and itpertains to the current topic on the Coral List.  

 

What we cando

The firstproject would be set up as experimental, we still need to learn a great dealabout coral reef restoration and ecosystem restoration through a stepwiseprocess. There could be two interactive parts to the first project.

We haveestablished aquatic areas, National Sanctuaries, where coral reefs areprotected from exploitation, and we have planted coral frags over extensiveareas. And we are working hard on ecosystem restoration. This is good, but wecan take this a step further.  We couldselect smaller areas of decaying coral reefs that can be established as ‘coralreef educational and experimental ecosystem restoration preserves’ where theobject is not only replacement of basic coral species but also includesreestablishment and monitoring of functional coral reef keystone speciesincluding herbivores (Diadema), certain algae such as coralline algae,some sponges, some crabs, even some reef fish, and other organisms that arefunctional in coral reef ecosystems. These small preserves would becooperatively maintained and operated by governmental and educationalinstitutions. The difference between these and existing sanctuaries would beintensive, continued, and fully fiscally supported long-term, permanent activitiesaimed at ecosystem research and restoration contained in a manageable andwell-defined area. Coral diseases that may occur can be controlled and researchedwithin a limited area that is frequently and intensively examined andmaintained under the care of experienced and knowledgeable personnel. 

The secondarm of such a project would be the establishment of a controlled, large,land-based facility where a contained artificial coral reef environment couldbe created. These large near-natural coral reef ecosystems would providedevelopment and control of the chemical, physical, and biological elements ofcoral reefs. The purpose would be to maintain, preserve, reproduce and providecorals to aid the research and development of experimental ecosystems.Physical, chemical, and biological parameters would be controlled to provide ahistorically accurate replicate of the environment of a coral reef before humandegradation. The technology to create large contained marine environments thatreplicate natural coral reefs has already been created in basic structures forlarge public aquarium facilities. The basic technology for the creation of alarge, contained, and environmentally controlled system for a coral reefalready exists. 

This wouldcreate fully controllable marine coral reef environments, and also provide asanctuary for the species of plants and animals that create coral reefecosystems, including living corals that are now critically endangered in thewild. This preservation of coral reef ecosystems would serve active researchindependent of the vagaries and environmental hazards that plague our existingand declining coral reefs. Successful propagation of corals in these artificialreef environments would also provide a source of coral “seeds” and otherspecies of marine life necessary to establish natural reefs when these reefsare in the process of renewal and restoration. There would be close cooperationbetween the experimental restoration of a natural coral reef and the establishmentof a synthetic, land-based experimental coral reef ecosystem. This is withinour current technical capability of building and controlling physical andchemical marine environments but on a larger scale.

It wouldpreserve the essence of the biological ecosystems of coral reefs that would beinstrumental in actual coral reef restoration. It would be a tragedy if thecoral reefs of the future were only to be found in land-based artificialecosystems. It would be a much greater tragedy if the coral reefs of the futurejust did not exist.  I hope humanity hasnot already made the choice between investing in coral reefs and the environmentalrepair and protection that will provide a healthy future for the ecosystems ofour planet; the alternative is to dance with abandon as our ecosystems decayand our wars and pleasures destroy not only what we might have done, but alsowhat we have already done to enhance the future of our presence on this planet.

Yes, itwould be costly, but even at this present time, we are now, not later, NOW,faced with the decision to go all out with the preservation and repair of ourplanet, no matter what the cost….. or accept the results of humanoverpopulation, uncontrollable pollution of land and sea, destruction ofnatural resources, and a long list of existential horrors waiting in the wingsfor humanities near future. Near future? Yeah, we’ve been around for about 300,000years, 100, even 500 years, is just the blink of a temporal eye. 

But if theoceans continue to degrade, and without a successful effort to repair oceanicenvironmental damage and prevent their continued use as a food source with noend and a waste receptacle with no bottom, it probably won’t take 60 years forplanet Earth to reject our industrial presence, maybe only 20 or 30.  if so, we’ll never be able to build andoccupy a base on the moon, or Mars, and maybe not even on Earth. Can we restorethe oceans and also have a base on the moon? Live on the moon, mine its resources,and have clean oceans filled with life? 

Maybe…

Assuming wewant humanity to get civilized and survive, could we afford the research anddevelopment needed to preserve our oceans and coral reefs? Well, we can nowafford things that cost much more, like professional football, just to pointout one of many nonessential expenditures. Professional football, anonessential expenditure? Well, yeah. I know, now I’m in big trouble, but accordingto Forbes the NFL league’s 32 franchises were worth a combined sum of more than$91 billion in 2019, and that year the average NFL franchise had a valuation of$2.86 billion. And that’s just football. And war, and preparing for war? Howmuch does that cost? If humanity really wanted to survive and eventuallyexplore other planets and the solar system, and control the climate and life onearth, which we could do, the track we are on now ends in a dead-end.  

 

The Marineand Reef Aquarium Hobby and Industry 

The aquariumhobby and industry have a great interest and an existential need in therestoration of freshwater and marine ecosystems throughout the world. Perhapsthe major difference between marine and freshwater hobbyists and the rest ofthe world’s populations is that the hobbyists are well aware of the great lossand human tragedy that awaits us when the ecosystems that birthed and supportedthe origin and development of humanity are no longer functional. 

And where isthe Marine Reef and Aquarium Hobby in the overall picture of coral reef declineand possible restoration? Well, it’s kind of like looking at the highways androads of all the world and trying to discern the reason why each of all thosevehicles is on those roads. Actually, this isn’t possible, is it? But prettymuch every vehicle on these roads has rules and regulations that they mustfollow to have a successful journey. However, there is a commonality. Everydriver is responsible for the results of their journey. And every aquarist isresponsible for the success, or failure, of the aquarium that they manage. So,the marine aquarium hobby has a collective responsibility to do all that ispossible to maintain and preserve the aquatic ecosystems that provide theessence of their endeavor. Even if just being aware of the problems thataquatic environments all over the world are experiencing and supporting therepair of the world’s aquatic environments is the only thing that is possible,it is something that should be done. And there is power in numbers, power inclubs and associations. If we don’t help, who will?  

Martin Moe