Reefs: Keep The Priceless, Not Lifeless

The longest-established scuba diving magazine in North America

March 2008

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FUTURE OCEANS

REEFS: Keep Them Priceless, Not Lifeless

BY JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU

Goal of this second International Year of the Reef (IYOR) is to promote the understanding that coral reefs enrich our health, our wealth and our lives.

Photo credit: Dr. Richard Murphy, Ocean Futures Society

I am extremely pleased to see that global attention will again be focused on coral reefs. Through the hard work and dedication of International Coral Reef Initiative partners, 2008 is designated the second International Year of the Reef (IYOR). Although problems have mounted since 1997 when we launched the first International Year of the Reef, there’s also good news. We have a much clearer understanding of how reefs are being affected by climate change; ocean acidification (DIVER January 2008) now is getting attention.

Ten years ago it wasn’t even mentioned. We now have solid data that marine reserves and protected areas actually work, and in the public mind there’s much greater awareness of the need to change to more sustainable ways of living and doing business.

My personal perspective is based on extensive travel and diving.

I’ve witnessed firsthand what’s happening to many coral reefs around the world. These experiences have allowed me to better understand the vital connections between the health of coral reefs and the quality of life for those most directly affected. Coral reefs themselves are interconnected on wide geographic scales with other marine ecosystems by way of fish and bird migrations; the dispersal and recruitment of fish and shellfish larvae; and by people as they travel to exploit or enjoy reef resources. I’ve also witnessed the effects of deforestation, agricultural runoff, pollution, over fishing, and destructive fishing practices on coral reefs.

In spite of noble proclamations to protect coral reefs, in every country I’ve visited I can cite examples of reefs overexploited or compromised 10

through mismanagement. In the Caribbean, deforestation, overdevelopment and agriculture release nutrients and sediments into the water, stressing reefs. In Papua New Guinea I have seen reefs reduced to rubble from dynamite fishing, and local people missing limbs from premature explosions. In Haiti a 10-foot-high (3m) wall of conch shells, called the pink cliffs, extends along a coastline for almost a mile (1.6km). Fishermen now lament the collapse of their fishery, believing the conch population has relocated, and that over harvesting is not the root cause.

The over harvest of fish throughout the Caribbean has upset ecological balances affecting entire reef ecosystems. On some of Florida’s reefs there has been a 62 percent reduction of living coral cover in just the two-year period 1996 to 1998. Causes of these declines are complex but cumulative because everything is connected.

As with our bodies, once our general state of health is undermined, we are vulnerable to a host of maladies.

The most devastated reefs I have ever seen surround the tiny Pacific Republic of Nauru, with per capita income among the highest in the world. Phosphate mining, and the resultant destruction of over 80 per cent of the landscape, provided ample revenues but eliminated natural resources, the heritage of future generations. Young people with whom I have spoken there have no need or incentive to work, and told me that their greatest wish would be to be able to dive and enjoy healthy and productive coral reefs.

In my opinion these examples of mismanagement share a common

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FUTURE OCEANS

There’s a vital connection between the health of coral reefs and the quality of life for people who depend on them for a living. Photo: Dr. Richard Murphy, Ocean Futures Society

denominator: lack of understanding about coral reefs, how they function, their value to humans, why they are vulnerable to human impact, and how they can be sustained through proper management.

Education at every level – locally and globally, from big city university to children in an island village, and everywhere in between – is critical if we are to protect coral reefs. I am pleased to see that IYOR 2008 is tackling this important issue.

We at Ocean Futures Society offer our wholehearted support of this International Year of the Reef and share its goals of raising public awareness about the critical state of coral reefs and promoting sustainable management of reefs. For me this is a people issue; it will be people who will make the difference in the survival or loss of coral reefs. All of us must work together to ensure that our grandchildren have the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from these marvelous wonders of nature.

Protect The Ocean And You Protect Yourself.

TOP LEFT: Health of the oceans and the planet hinges on our ability to sustain vibrant coral reefs. Photo: Dr. Richard Murphy, Ocean Futures Society TOP RIGHT: Our greatest gift to the next generation will be healthy reefs. Photo: Dr. Richard Murphy, Ocean Futures Society ABOVE: Increased awareness and education are essential if we are to sustain healthy coral reefs and associated fisheries. Photo: Dr. Richard Murphy, Ocean Futures Society

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