Interview with B.R.E.E.F. and Teens4Oceans
Throughout this summer I have been in touch with Mallory Raphael, the Coral Reef Sculpture Garden Coordinator for the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF). BREEF, which is a non-profit organization in The Bahamas, provides education and preservation for marine life in The Bahamas. In fact, below in my blog you can find an article about the time I helped volunteer at one of their local dives. Ms. Raphael has been really helpful, especially because she has done some research in Hawaii before coming to The Bahamas. Below are my questions I had for Ms. Raphael.
What are the key differences you have seen between coral reefs in Hawaii and in The Bahamas?
Are there distinct corals in Hawaii and in The Bahamas?
In your opinion, which destination has suffered most from the degradation of coral reefs and the destruction of our ecosystems?
How can the two destinations work together to help promote coral conservation through tourism?
In Hawaii do you see tourism or environmental pollution as the main cause of coral degradation?
In The Bahamas do you see tourism or environmental pollution as the main cause of coral degradation?
Due to the fact that Ms. Raphael was not SCUBA certified during her time in Hawaii she was not able to answer all my questions but told me “I would guess that reefs on the southwest side of New Providence are more degraded than most in Hawaii but there are also heavily populated and trafficked areas on the major islands of Hawaii. Perhaps eco tourism in the form of coral restoration will have an effect on the global health of coral reefs. This seems like one way to rehabilitate the reef while educating divers on the sensitivity of these ecosystems firsthand.” Along with this answer, Ms. Raphael put me in touch with Zack Rago, one of her colleagues in which she worked on a documentary about coral bleaching. Zack Rago is the Research & Outreach Coordinator at Teens4Oceans, a non-profit organization which empowers passionate teenagers to become supporters of their ocean through education and different outreach programs. While I have never meet Mr. Rago, he also answered the same questions as Ms. Raphael and he was able to go into detail as he has a bit more expertise on the topic. Below are his answers to my numbered questions above.
1. Coral reefs in Hawaii and The Bahamas are quite different from each other for a variety of reasons. The first and most obvious is the fact that each belongs to a different ocean. The coral communities in the Atlantic are much different and significantly less diverse than that of many areas in the Pacific. That being said Hawaii is an interesting location when it comes to coral. Geologically speaking Hawaii is quite young and is also very far away from other land masses. This means that coral spawn must travel great distances to settle in the Hawaiian Island Chain. Therefore Hawaii's reefs are not nearly as diverse as many other reefs in the Pacific. Diversity wise the locations are probably very similar but the actual species structure is completely different!
2. There are distinct coral communities in the Atlantic and Pacific. The Atlantic's corals are all only found in the Atlantic for the most part, and same for the Pacific. Some of the the common corals in the Bahamas, Acropora palmata, Acropora cervicornis, Orbicella spp, Diploria spp, etc are not found in the Pacific but have a large range in the Caribbean. Hawaii's common species, Montipora spp, Pocillipora spp, and Porites spp. are also found throughout the pacific. I do not know any corals endemic specifically to the Bahamas but the Blue Rice Coral ( Montipora flabellata) is only found in the Hawaiian/Line Island chain.
3. This one is tough to answer. The Caribbean has taken a true beating over the past few decades and the over all coral coverage throughout the region has decreased drastically, (around 70% I believe). That being said the Bahamas have likely been impacted on a larger level and for a longer amount of time. Hawaii on the other hand does not have as intense of a history of degradation but in the last 2 years has been impacted greatly by the 3rd Global Bleaching event. In last years bleaching Hawaii lost upwards of 90% of Pocillipora species to bleaching, and their reefs have faced bleaching for consecutive years which reeks havoc on them physiologically.
4. Collaboration of nations around the world that have coral reefs is a huge step in the right direction for conservation and protection. Educated tourists make educated decisions about how they treat the environment they are visiting and cultivates an ownership for those places. Things like the Coral Watch community and educational outreach to the tourism industry are incredible ways to have positive impacts locally as well as on a global scale between countries.
5/6. For both Hawaii and The Bahamas the main cause of degradation is going to be environmental pollution. Specifically Nutrient Runoff, and Global Carbon Emissions. Tourism can have its down falls and uneducated divers, boaters, and fisherman can have serious impacts on local reefs but are likely negligible when it comes to overall degradation. Ever increasing amount of environmental stress on corals is the largest problem. Increasing sea surface temperatures can cause large bleaching events and even kill the corals. Nutrient runoff can lead to a phase shift (or a coral reef turning into an algal turf). Their are a variety of very worrying factors that are harming corals and even worse is when those overlap with each other.
Overall, this information has been really interesting and helpful to my studies on the way that pollution is harming our coral reefs. I am extremely grateful for both Ms. Raphael’s answers and also for putting me in contact with Mr. Rago. I love learning about our coral reefs and am so excited to share this information with everyone!