"Unless we have social action working in unison with scientific action we can't expect change to occur"
The ocean. The deep blue abyss. Swimming with an array of color, bounty and beauty. It's seamlessly never ending and full of secrets. However, it needs your help. It has one secret it's dying to tell you. The oceans coral reefs are dying right before our eyes. Why? What can we do? The answers lie below. Read on to see what Dalton Hesley, Senior Research Associate at the University of Miami and Program Manager of Rescue a Reef has to say about the topic.
Travel On Paddle On: Alright Dalton, we're live. Why don't you start from the beginning and explain A) what Rescue A Reef is and B) what the main objectives are.
Dalton: Sure. So Rescue a Reef is a citizen science program out of our coral research lab at the University of Miami. Our coral research lab focuses on coral reef conservation and restoration. We're actually rebuilding coral reefs but it's very simple methodology. Over time we realized the issues surrounding corals were too vast and that science alone couldn't really tackle them. So we decided to build a public program, a citizen science program so that everyday individuals could get involved, learn more about it and actually play a role in coral restoration.
TOPO: So in a sense Rescue a Reef kind of leans on and encompasses the community as a whole because it is such a big problem. So it's double faceted in the sense that you can educate the citizens and then they can also help to reach your goal. Is that right?
D: Exactly. Honestly, citizen science is essentially dual purpose in that you're able to engage the public and talk about some important issues and initiatives for solving them while simultaneously advancing your efforts. So in our case we're able to work with people and talk about Florida's coral reefs, some local stressors and then actually teach them our methodology and our scientific techniques so that they themselves can actually play a role in the science. It really works wonderfully in that both the citizen scientist and the researcher benefit from it.
TOPO: I think that's great. Educating the community and getting them to care about it is, well, half the battle really. Why don't we take a step back and would you lay out exactly what is the problem and what is the current state of the coral reefs off of the Miami coast?
D: Definitely and truthfully ya know, it's not just South Florida's coral reefs that are at risk here. Essentially we're seeing drastic coral decline at an unprecedented rate both local and worldwide to the point where actual coral cover on our reef floors is down to around 2-3%. Historically it was around 40%. That's dramatically lower than anything we've seen before.
TOPO: And you said this is worldwide?
D: Well it varies. There are certainly areas in the world where coral reefs are doing pretty darn well. But, roughly 75% of all coral reefs are threatened and in active decline. So yeah that's not just a local issue that's something that we're seeing in populations all over. There are a lot of different issues though. There are some local stressors. Here in Miami we're seeing overdevelopment, pollution, over fishing and these things in combination with global stressors like increased water temperatures, increased ocean acidification and more intense storm events are really having a dire impact on our coral reefs. Like I said, in the last 20 years the coral decline we've seen is really alarming. So while we're still conducting a lot of this cutting edge science to better understand the issues and potential solutions we knew we had to do more. So that's really where coral reef restoration came into play to actually rebuild these corals to promote their recovery.
TOPO: Right, this does seem like a daunting task and Rescue a Reef has been making strides in this arena. Could you shed some light on some accomplishments that Rescue a Reef has made so far?
"Once you realize how easy it is to find your role and kind of play a part it just snowballs and you end up finding yourself coming up with creative new ways to play a positive role"
D: Yeah of course. We're really proud of everything we've been able to do with Rescue a Reef. The field of coral reef restoration is really only about 10 years old. In those 10 years we had to start small and figure out first how best to collect corals from the wild to then grow them in these underwater coral nurseries. We went from hundreds of corals to thousands of corals to tens of thousands of corals. Once we had that nursery full of corals we had to be able to then plant them back on the local reefs. That was a lot of the heavy lifting to figure out the science and methodology. But we're really there now so the last 5 years have been on expanding and advancing the amount that we can really do. The bottleneck has always been resources and actual individual power, being able to get as many corals on the reef as possible. Rescue a Reef has essentially blown the lid off of that and has become this wonderful platform to raise awareness while broadening what we're capable of doing. Each year we have hundreds of people come on the boat with us, divers and snorkelers, to learn about this and then help restore these reefs. And to date they've planted 4,000+ corals which is really tremendous.
TOPO: 4,000 corals that's amazing! And then are you going back and tracking the growth and the progress of the corals that are planted?
D: Definitely. Everything we do is grounded in science and with that means monitoring. Anytime we go and outplant corals of any different species to some of these local reefs we make sure to photograph, measure, and then track long term. So we'll go revisit that site after a month and then again after 6 months and then again after 12 months. We want to make sure that we're doing a good job as well as to note interesting changes. We look at the different species and genotypes to see if there are patterns. Maybe we need to alter our techniques or reef locations or what have you because again, this is a really dire situation and we need to understand what's going on.
"We don't think we have 20 or 30 years to figure out these issues. We need to work on it now"
TOPO: Sure, and that makes me think of another question. So, the coral reefs in the ocean are threatened, they're dying off. And, you're saving them by putting more corals out there. What's to say that the new corals out there aren't exposed to the same threats. You know, they'll grow but then maybe the warming ocean temperatures or the increased acidity of the ocean isn't going to just kill off these corals as well?
D: You nailed it on the head. That's a really big reason as to why we created Rescue a Reef in that we realized unless we have social action working in unison with scientific action we can't expect change. If there's a house on fire and you're throwing buckets of water on it you can't really stand a chance at changing anything. But if you have the entire community working collectively then you can actually solve a problem. That's why we think it's pivotal to work with these individuals alongside them rather than just simply educate them. So we're working on the problem together and you can have that transformative impact. On one side of the coin we're raising awareness and hoping to create stewards that can then help drive down ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and reduce their carbon footprint essentially. Then on the other side, on the science side we're looking at how to build coral resilience. I guess the silver lining is when you have these coral bleaching events or storm events there are survivors. Those individuals are special, they're tough. We can look at better understanding them and why they're so resistant and resilient and then we'll incorporate them into our restoration. In addition, we're also capable of breeding more hardy individuals through science. We can actually take different corals and expose them to stress and allow them to recover and then they're tougher and more resilient because of it. We try to work on both of these things in concert. The need for education and engagement while still grounding everything we do in science.
"Explore. We all have that special place that we know and love and I think it's our civic duty to protect and ensure it's long term viability"
TOPO: Alright so Rescue a Reef is successfully guiding the hand of Darwin and purposefully using natural selection with the corals that A) in the wild are stronger and have survived so maybe they've got the genes that would allow other corals to do so as well and then B) in the lab through stress inducing scenarios you're making some stronger corals.
D: Yep exactly. That's one of the things that is kind of special about our lab, coral restoration is fundamentally just nature accelerated. These corals actually do fragment on their own and one of their natural responses is to grow faster. It's called pruning vigor. And so by deliberately fragmenting them we can accelerate their growth so we get more corals. So that's just nature we're just doing it a little faster and more quickly.
TOPO: So essentially you're pruning the corals in the same way you prune a flower?
D: Yeah it's a lot like a rose garden from what I've been told in that you can prune a rose garden to increase its growth and productivity so we're doing the same thing with these coral species. You can learn a lot of interesting things from nature and then somewhat guide it in an accelerated fashion. And that's the key problem, we don't think we have 20 or 30 years to figure out these issues. We need to work on it now. So by looking at these corals that are for some reason resistant to disease or coral bleaching and utilizing them in our coral restoration we're creating a more resilient coral community. I think this is important not only for their future but then to have the public simultaneously involved and aware so they can see the different things they're working on and better understand their role.
"I think it's about realizing what you're capable of and what makes you special and just going for it"
TOPO: Okay this leads me to two things that I want to talk about. I'll tackle one first. One thing that I've always been inspired by with Rescue a Reef and by you and your movements within the organization is the idea of a global issue. For example, and I'm sure it's associated with coral reefs in fact I know it's associated, is the plastic problem. And there's just so much going on there how do you even start? Corals, if they're down as much as they currently are down, what can you do? Where do you start? Will you just briefly talk on the idea of not being overwhelmed by the scale of a problem and just starting. I think Rescue a Reef is a great grassroots organization that is blossoming and it got there just by starting and not being intimidated by the scale of the problem and just getting your hands dirty and doing it.
D: Yep, and I get asked this question all the time. It goes "Okay, I care about coral reefs, I realize it's an issue but what can I do about it as an individual for such a large global problem?". It just means doing something, right? We all are unique and capable of amazing things and so all of us can contribute in very different ways. For me, I'm able to speak and communicate pretty effectively and I'm a good scientific diver so I've found a way where I can use these skillsets to play a role, right? But other people might be better at networking or creating volunteer cleanups or reducing their plastic consumption. I think it's just about taking a few small steps forward and gaining momentum. Once you realize how easy it is to find your role and kind of play a part it just snowballs and you end up finding yourself coming up with creative new ways to play a positive role. And I won't stand on this little soap box and claim that I need everyone to care about coral reef restoration. I think it's just a really important piece of a larger puzzle in that a lot of our ecosystems are in trouble. Almost all of them are facing the same issues and we just need to reduce our impact. Whether that's using reusable grocery bags, or it's biking to work more often, or reducing the number of cross country flights, or shopping more sustainably ya know choosing your brands or investing more sustainably. There are really easy ways that all of us can play an important role. I think it's about realizing what you're capable of and what makes you special and just going for it.
TOPO: I agree 100% and you just organically answered my next question flawlessly I don't even have to ask it you just displayed the answer. The question was what can we, who are 1,500 miles away from the corals in Florida do to help? But you just answered it, reduce our carbon footprint and all of the above.
D: Yeah, I think there are three levels of engagement, or I guess contributions that an individual can make. Number one is volunteer. Now obviously on the West Coast it would be difficult to volunteer for Rescue a Reef and go scuba diving but I guarantee there are a lot of wonderful organizations that could use some help in a very similar fashion. Number two is everyday action. Just your daily choices. Whether you buy sustainable toothbrush materials or plastic ones. Or maybe you buy reusable water bottles instead of single use. Then the third one, if you're unable to donate your time or energy, maybe you can donate your actual funds. With a lot of these organizations if they can't have actual people come through the door they could certainly use an additional dollar here and there and it goes a really, really long way. Rescue a Reef is a non-profit organization that is essentially run by citizen scientists whether it's their time, energy or support. So I think people can find some way to play a role and just run with it.
TOPO: I think that's the answer as well. It comes down to awareness but not only awareness but do you care? And will you passively let this go by and assume that I've only got sixty years left on this world so it's not my problem. Or do you take action and get after it and make it a better place?
D: Exactly. One thing, I guess I didn't touch on it but Rescue a Reef hosts these expeditions for these citizen scientists to come on the boat with us and meet our scientists and then go diving or snorkeling for a day of coral restoration. But it's only a half of a day event. So at the end of the day when we're back at the dock I always tell everyone that today was their first step but the rest of the journey is ahead of them. Unless they take what they did today and use the information that they learned and carry it with them then we won't see any change. Right? Because, yeah we planted corals that will hopefully promote recovery, but like you said the issue they are facing still remains. So unless they use their voice and spread awareness then it's all for not. They're the most important vehicle in our program. What we try to do is plant a seed and hopefully see it grow over the next fifty years and produce these ocean advocates. I think that's the most important part, if people learn something or are passionate about something to make sure to spread that.
TOPO: Well, Dalton I agree with you and I think that's a good place to wrap it up. Just make sure you get outside and do your part to make this a better place to live.
D: Yep. Explore. We all have that special place that we know and love and I think it's our civic duty to protect and ensure it's long term viability.
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