12th International Coral Reef Symposium | Cairns Queensland Austral ia | Friday 13 July 2012

coralnewsJackson gives Darwin Medal addressThe Darwin Medal – the most

prestigious award given by theInternational Society for Reef

Studies (ISRS) – will be presentedthis morning to Professor JeremyJackson.

The Senior Scientist Emeritus at theSmithsonian Institute, Professor Jacksonwill focus on a mixture of coralassessment and vision for improving themarine environment in his address.

He is the seventh recipient of the DarwinMedal and has been praised by thePresident of the ISRS, Professor BobRichmond, earlier this week as “one ofthe most outstanding scientists in theworld today”.

Professor Jackson told Coral News: “Thishonour has made me reflect on how mycareer, which began in the late ’60s, hasencompassed the decline of coral reefs”.

He recalled how he came to Australia forthe 1973 Symposium – held aboard theMarco Polo – and had been inspired byBob Endean, who gave his theory onhow Crown of Thorn outbreaks werecaused by human activity.

“He was crazy like a fox,” rememberedProfessor Jackson. “I knew then that hewas on to something.

“When I now reflect on my own career,every big step since then has coupled anew discovery with human impacts thathave been relentlessly ratcheting up.”

Professor Jackson said he had been partof a team in the 70s that had written alandmark study on the aftermath of ahurricane in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, whichwas then the epicentre of reef research.

“We looked at the impact and predictedhow the reef would recover – and wewere 100 per cent wrong,” he said.

“We treated the reef as if it was pristine

but the problem was us . . .humans. There were zerofish. Now that magnificentcoral has 50 per centseaweed cover and there isonly 5 to 10 per cent livecoral cover left.”

Professor Jackson said hisDarwin address wouldembrace four key areas.

“I am going to get thedoom and gloom out of theway,” he said. “It has to bedone but I remainoptimistic. The second partoffers ‘glimmers of hope’,and focuses on all thepositive actions being takenaround the world.

“Then, I will look at how Isee the demise of reefs andclimate warming having thepotential to impact oncivilisation immediately.”

The final part of theaddress will focus on the work he is nowconducting as Leader of the GlobalCoral Reef Monitoring Network.

“The network is looking globally at ourscience in a vigorous, qualitative way,” hecontinued. “In doing this, I can see wehave no common metrics in reef scienceand that is making the job 10 timesharder. Statistics for reefs are ineffectivebecause we are all so individualistic andsome are not prepared to sacrifice theirsacred beliefs.”

Professor Jackson said he wanted the coralscience community to follow the lead ofthe Centre for Tropical Forest Science,which has benchmarks to consistentlymonitor 8 million trees of 2700 species.

“Why can’t we do this,” he askedrhetorically.

Professor Jackson’s recent research hasfocused on the investigation of historicalhuman impacts on marine ecosystems.

He told a briefing at the Symposiumearlier this week that it was clear localexcesses on the reef, such as over-fishingand dynamiting coral, were having adramatic impact.

He complained that efforts to police andrestrict abuses had been only “moderate”.

“Corals persist in areas where action istaken,” said Professor Jackson, who isalso Emeritus Professor of Oceanographyat Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

“This is not theory. It is fact. There is agreat deal of observation we can act on.

Reefs offshore are better than thosenear-shore that have been affected by

human impact.

Areas where no fishing takes place lookas good as they did 50 years ago.

If there is a bleaching event, then thecoral recovers. You can see the differencebetween remote coral reefs and thosethat have been plundered and polluted.”

Professor Jackson’s paper, “Historical Over-Fishing and the Recent Collapse of theCoastal Ecosystems” has been cited morethan 200 times in scientific literature.

It has been quoted in the mediahundreds of times.

Professor Richmond said of his colleagueearlier this week: “We are very fortunateto have scientists of the quality ofJeremy Jackson. He is leading thetremendous effort to bridge science andcommunity understanding.”

Professor Jackson said local action wasessential to help alleviate the stressorson reef ecosystems but warned that theeffects of climate change would impactin the future.

“The rise in sea levels will have profoundeconomic effects.

“We all need to remember that theproblems of coral reefs are the same asthose for the people.”

Previous recipients of the DarwinMedal are:• Professor Terry Hughes – 2008 (11th

ICRS, Fort Lauderdale)• Dr J.E.N. (Charlie) Veron – 2004 (10th

ICRS, Okinawa)• Professor Yossi Loya – 2000 (9th ICRS,

Bali)• Dr Ian G. MacIntyre – 1996 (8th ISCR,

Panama)• Dr Peter W. Glynn – 1992 (7th ICRS,

Guam)• Dr David Stoddart – 1988 (Inaugural

recipient)

Thanks to our ICRS 2012 volunteers, all Ph.D students from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.

Friday 13 July

Benjamin Ruttenberg – Oral presentation at 1030, Hall DWithdrawn.

Emma Hickerson – Speed talk at 1245, Hall APresentation to be given onsite by Billy Causey.

Chris Jeffrey – Oral presentation at 1445, Hall DWithdrawn.

Sean Morton – Oral presentation at 1115, Hall CPresentation to be given onsite by Steven Thur.

Chris Wikle – Oral presentation at 1230, Plenary Hall 2Presentation now scheduled for 1245.

Petra Kuhnert – Oral presentation at 1245, Plenary Hall 2Presentation now scheduled for 1230.

Joanna Kolasinski – Oral presentation at 1400, SebelMossmanWithdrawn.

ICRS 2012 Program changes

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Speakers’ Preparation GuidelinesIf you are presenting a talk, you must upload your presentation at least three (3) hours prior toyour presentation, at the same venue where you are giving your talk: MR8 on the mezzanine atthe Cairns Convention Centre and the Rosser Room on the first floor at the Sebel Hotel. TheSpeakers’ Preparation Rooms at both venues will be open at these times:

Sunday: 1200 – 1700 • Monday-Thurs: 0730 – 1800 • Friday: 0730 – midday

Free WiFi WiFi is available throughout the Cairns Convention Centre for the duration of the Symposium.WiFi is available throughout the Sebel Hotel for the duration of the Symposium. To accessplease enter the code 3HFJE4.

Connect at ICRS 2012 with Social MediaTo discuss today’s media briefings online, use the following hash tags:

Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef - #icrs2012 #reef

The State of Coral Reefs - #icrs2012 #coral

The international Coral ReefScience Community calls on allgovernments to ensure the

future of coral reefs, through globalaction to reduce the emissions ofcarbon dioxide and othergreenhouse gases, and via improvedlocal protection of coral reefs.

Coral reefs are important ecosystems ofecological, economic and cultural valueyet they are in decline worldwide due tohuman activities. Land-based sources ofpollution, sedimentation, overfishingand climate change are the major

threats, and all of them are expected toincrease in severity.

Changes already observed over thelast century:

• Approximately 25-30% of the world’scoral reefs are already severelydegraded by local impacts from landand by over-harvesting.

• The surface of the world’s oceans haswarmed by 0.7°C, resulting inunprecedented coral bleaching andmortality events.

• The acidity of the ocean’s surface has

increased due to increased

atmospheric CO2.

• Sea-level has risen on average by 18cm.

By the end of this century:

• CO2 emissions at the current rate will

warm sea surface temperatures by at

least 2-3°C, raise sea-level by as much

as 1.7 meters, reduce ocean pH from

8.1 to less than 7.9, and increase

storm frequency and/or intensity. This

combined change in temperature and

ocean chemistry has not occurred since

the last reef crisis 55 million years ago.

Other stresses faced by corals andreefs:

• Coral reef death also occurs because

of a set of local problems including

excess sedimentation, pollution,

habitat destruction, and overfishing.

• These problems reduce coral growth

and vitality, making it more difficult for

corals to survive climate changes.

Future impacts on coral reefs:

• Most corals will face watertemperatures above their currenttolerance.

• Most reefs will experience higheracidification, impairing calcification ofcorals and reef growth.

• Rising sea levels will be accompaniedby disruption of human communities,increased sedimentation impacts andincreased levels of wave damage.

• Together, this combination of climate-related stressors represents anunprecedented challenge for thefuture of coral reefs and to the servicesthey provide to people.

Across the globe, these problems causea loss of reef resources of enormouseconomic and cultural value. Aconcerted effort to preserve reefs for thefuture demands action at global levels,but also will benefit hugely fromcontinued local protection.

Consensus Statement on Climate Change and Coral Reefs

Today’s Program HighlightsOve Hoegh-GuldbergUniversity of Queensland, Australia

Coral reefs and global change: where do the solutions lie?1515-1600, Friday 13 July, Plenary Hall 2

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Professor of Marine Studies, Director of the Global Change Institute atthe University of Queensland and Deputy- Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for CoralReef Studies. He leads a research laboratory with over 25 researchers and postgraduatestudents who are focused on understanding global warming and ocean acidification and itseffect on coral reefs. Hoegh-Guldberg has published over 185 peer-reviewed publications andis Coordinating Lead Author for the ‘Oceans’ chapter within the IPCC 5th assessment report.He is the third most-cited author globally within the peer reviewed literature on climate change(past 10 years). In addition to his research and administrative roles, he is also a regularcontributor to the media, with his work featuring on the ABC (Catalyst), BBC (with Sir DavidAttenborough) and NBC (with Tom Brokaw). He is an active member of Climate ScientistsAustralia and maintains the science blog http://www.climateshifts.org.

Hoegh-Guldberg was recognised with the Eureka Prize in 1999 for research by an Australianscientist under 40. In 2009 he was awarded the Queensland Smart State Premier’s Fellowship.

coralnews | friday 13 july 2012

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The future of dugongs andgreen turtles may depend onscientists being able to

convince poor coastal communitiesthat “big critters” are worth morealive than dead.

That is the view of Helene Marsh,Professor of Environmental Science andDean of Graduate Research Studies atJames Cook University.

She urged the coral science communityto expand their research to betterunderstand the “human dimensions” ofchanges to the marine environment andto not worry about being seen as“dolphin-huggers”.

In her Day Four plenary addressyesterday, Professor Marsh cited casestudies in which coastal populations inemerging countries had begun tounderstand that a thriving mega faunawas more profitable than fishing “bigcritters” to the point of extinction.

She said 15 per cent of coral reefs wereunder the management of the poorestcountries in the world, “and that meansyou need to prove to their coastalcommunities that big critters are worthmore alive than dead to them”.

Global whale-related tourism was worthan estimated $US1 billion, ProfessorMarsh said.

She shared the positive experience ofPalau, which now derives 8 per cent of itsGDP from tourism related to shark-diving.Some 14 per cent of the nation’s entiretax income comes from this activity.

“That’s worth much more to the peoplethan killing sharks,” she said, addingthat Fiji was experiencing similareconomic benefits.

Research in Palau showed 78 per cent oftourists would recommend such avacation.

Coastal communities in Lovina, innorthern Bali, have had to change theirapproach because of negative feedbackfrom tourists who had travelled to theIndonesian province to see dolphins.

There were 179 boats dedicated to thisarea of tourism and when a pod wasspotted, up to 100 vessels would chaseit. Tourists complained of aggressivehelmsmanship and the relatively fewdolphins seen.

Professor Marsh said Lovina localsunderstood they had to change theirbehaviour and its waters would soonbecome part of a network of MarineProtection Areas aimed at curtailingexcesses and bringing back the tourists.

For Lovina, dolphin-spotting was worth$5 million annually, of which 97 per centwas derived from hotels, restaurants andother land-based businesses.

Professor Marsh said “big critters”, suchas dugongs, were a powerful politicalcatalyst that had the potential to changethe “political will”.

She described the challenges toreplenish fish stocks and revitalise reefs

as a “social problem” that required a“new and different approach” frommarine science.

She estimated 85 per cent of all marinescience was bio-centric and only 1 percent looked at either the social oreconomic impact of environmentalchanges.

“If we are going to be effective incommunicating the danger, then ouremphasis must change,” she said.

Professor Marsh lamented that megafauna, such as dugongs and turtles,were no longer “the dominant specieson reefs that they used to be”.

She cited the experience of the greenturtle population on Australia’s RaineIsland to illustrate the stress to whichturtles were subjected because of falls insand depth and rising sea levels.

The remote island holds the world’s largestgreen turtle rookery and the populationthrived until the mid-90s. Nests created inthe sand were now too shallow to protectthem from flooding and up to 34 per centof the nest area was now inundated,Professor Marsh said.

Green turtle populations usually had a15 per cent population of juveniles butthis had dropped to 5 per cent.

Professor Marsh continued: “There are stilllarge numbers of green turtles but in 35years this is not likely to be the case. Theaction we are taking now is not enough.”

She said additional focus needed to beplaced on the conduct of coastalcommunities to manage their harvestbecause the situation would eventuallybecome a “food security issue”.

Big issues need big critters

Intervention measures to help coral

survive climate change were discussed

yesterday by Madeleine van Oppen,

who gave the afternoon plenary address.

In her session Can Old Corals Learn New

Tricks?, she told the audience that unless coral

was able to adapt to climate change, then reef

life would diminish further.

“Increases in temperature have already led to a

reduction in coral cover and diversity,” said Dr

van Oppen, of the Australian Institute of

Marine Science.

“Unless coral can adapt, further losses of coral

cover and diversity are expected to occur over

the coming decades.”

This view has been supported this week by

Stephen Palumbi, of Stanford University.

He said earlier: “Oceans are already up 0.5°C

warmer. Corals live at the top of their thermal

range. They have only 1.5°C of headroom, and

in the next century they could lose that

headroom.”

Increases in ocean acidity are presenting a

challenge for the growth of coral skeletons,

which are made of calcium carbonate and can

dissolve under more acidic conditions.

“Sea levels may rise 1m or more and perhaps

corals can keep up with that but they will not

be able to handle the increasing acidity of

oceans if the trends continue,” he said.

Dr van Oppen discussed attributes that

provided the coral animal and its microbial

symbionts with the potential to respond and

adapt to climate change.

Reefs need to learn new tricks

Madeleine van Oppen

Helene Marsh

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The Symposium ExecutiveCommittee has expressed theirgratitude to the 2000-plus

delegates for attending the 12thInternational Coral Reef Symposiumin Cairns.

“We have been thrilled with theresponse of the global reef sciencecommunity,” said Professor TerryHughes, convenor of the Symposiumand director of the ARC Centre ofExcellence for Coral Reef Studies atJames Cook University.

“It has been great to see so manycolleagues from all over the world andfeel the enthusiasm of the hundreds ofPhD students here. They represent thefuture of our science.”

Held every four years, this Cairnssymposium has attracted delegates from82 countries.

Professor Hughes said delegates wouldbe returning home with the entireproceedings “in their pockets”.

“We have put all the presentations on aUSB memory device that was inserted inthe Symposium bags that were handedout on the first day,” he said. “They are avery valuable addition to the Symposium.”

He continued: “We have endeavouredto make the content of the Symposium

available to everyone who could notattend. All the presentations will be onthe ICRS website by early next week.”

A link will be sent to delegates as part ofthe next e-newsletter.

Global attention focused on theSymposium after Professor Hughes andother leading coral scientists launched aConsensus Statement outlining locally-based actions required to help reefsrecover from the impact of humanactivity. The statement was developedinitially under the auspices of the Centerfor Ocean Solutions.

Earlier this week, Professor BobRichmond, President of the InternationalSociety for Reef Studies, calledorganisers “courageous” for launchingthe statement during the Symposium.

Professor Hughes said he was delightedat the response of scientists to thestatement, which has now beenendorsed by 2,800 colleagues.

More than 200 signed the documentduring the Symposium.

Organising Committee member, JenniferLappin, said she had been overwhelmedby the warmth of the coral sciencecommunity and the energy that delegateshad brought to the Symposium.

“It has been three years of work and wehave been delighted with the positivefeedback we have received,” said MsLappin, who is chief operations officer atthe ARC Centre of Excellence.

Some $US1 million was raised tosupport the Symposium, with somefunds dedicated to financing attendanceby more than 700 PhD students.

Professor Hughes added: “We would liketo thank our sponsors, who have been

marvellous and supportive of our workand the value a symposium can bring.

“The sessions have been outstanding andthis Symposium has illustrated the valueof networking and meeting colleagues.The informal exchange of informationhas been hugely valuable to everyone.”

The venue for the 13th symposium in2016 will be announced at the ClosingCeremony by ISRS President, ProfessorRichmond.

Thanks for coming… and see you in four years

Symposium speakers took partin a televised debate onWednesday night organised by

Australia’s national broadcaster, theABC.

An audience of more than 75 turned upat a makeshift studio at the CairnsCruise Liner Terminal to discuss thefuture of coral reefs with plenaryspeakers such as Helene Marsh, ofJames Cook University, and Jeremy

Jackson, the Senior Scientist Emeritus atthe Smithsonian Institute.

The one-hour discussion – Can CoralReefs Survive the 21st Century? – will bebroadcast at 9pm on 22 July 2012 onthe ABC 24 digital news channel. It willalso be available on the broadcaster’sweb site, abc.net.au after that date.

The audience “peppered” the panelwith questions, according to Symposiumconvenor Professor Terry Hughes, who

was one of the guests.

“We discussed a variety of topics, suchas how to best manage the Great BarrierReef and how to balance coastaldevelopment with environmental needs,”said Professor Hughes, who is director ofthe ARC Centre of Excellence for CoralReef Studies at James Cook University.

“There was a lot of discussion about therecent UNESCO report on the GreatBarrier Reef and its call that no new ports

should be established north of Cairns.

“Many people said how embarrassing itwould be if the Great Barrier Reef wasplaced on the World Heritage Site inDanger list.”

UNESCO has given the Australiangovernment until 1 February 2013 toprovide a report on the remediationefforts being carried out on the reef.

Peter Doherty, of the Australian Institute ofMarine Science, told a media conferenceearlier this week that the Great BarrierReef had lost 50 per cent of its live coralcoverage since its listing in 1981.

Professor Hughes said he had advocatedthat tourism was good for the reef.

“Unlike coal mining, the reef will still behere and earning revenue for thecommunity in 100 years if we look afterit,” Professor Hughes said.

The panel also featured Meg Caldwell,of Stanford University; Agnetha Vave-Karamui, a representative for theSolomon Islands for the Coral TriangleInitiative and Daniel Gshwing, the chiefexecutive of the Queensland TourismIndustry Council.

It was moderated by well-known ABCscience commentator, Robin Williams.

Coral experts on TV

Left to right: Eliza Glasson, Terry Hughes, David Yellowlees and Jennifer Lappin

coralnews | friday 13 july 2012

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Proudly sponsored by

Animal Behaviour Category

Winner Klaus Stiefel, Australia 2nd Place Thomas Vignaud, France3rd Place Andrew Dunstan, Australia

Scientific Image Category

Winner and 2nd Place Aurelie Moya, France 3rd Place Steve Lindfield, Australia

Wide-Angle Category

Winner Neil Chan, Australia

2nd Place Pedro Periera, Panama

Macro Category

Winner Frederieke Kroon, Australia 2nd Place William Goodwin, USA3rd Place Pedro Pereira, Australia

People and the Reef Category

Winner Dirk Steenbergen, Australia 2nd Place Hiro Kan, Japan3rd Place Aaron O’Dea, Panama

Animal Portrait CategoryWinner Kemit-Amon Lewis, USA (also Best In Show)

2nd Place Christian Jessen, Germany

3rd Place Steve Lindfield, Australia

ICRS 2012 Photographic Competition winners

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Thanks to ICRS 2012, 60researchers from Frenchresearch Institutes met on

Tuesday. The session wasmanaged by Michel Kulbicki,senior researcher at the Institut forDevelopment (IRD), unit COREUS.

The French Coral Reef Association(ACOR) was created in 1997 and is apart of IFRECOR (French Initiative forCoral Reef). Its aims are to create anetwork for people interested indeveloping coral reef research,conservation and management. Theassociation represents this community

at national and international levels or

non-government organizations and

wants to increase communication by

and between their members. Currently,

more than 420 researchers are

members. Answering to a request from

the French Ministry of Ecology, two

books (one in French, one in English)

will propose an inventory of research

results form the basis of an overview of

the scientific organization of French

research on coral reefs. At the end of

this meeting, people indicated the need

to focus on communication and

website development.

Strategies to create alternativeforms of income for coastalvillages are essential to

convince fishers not to over-fish ordestroy coral in their local waters,according to community workerswho have been attending theSymposium this week.

Investment in commercial activities suchas seaweed farming, fish-drying and saltproduction are being offered bygovernments in an effort to persuadevillagers to replace income from sellingreef fish at local markets or throughmiddle-men for export.

In suitable areas, coastal villagers of theCoral Sea and Pacific are encouraged bycommunity workers to expand land-based activities such as agriculture, oruse grants to encourage eco-tourism.

Not every village is keen to take-up suchalternatives in exchange for surrenderingreef fishing areas or restricting their catch,said Jovelyn Cleofe, the Philippines co-ordinator for her nation’s LocallyManaged Marine Areas network (LMMA).

“If closing an area is difficult, then wemight start with encouraging thecommunity to plant mangroves toimprove water quality and encouragefish to breed,” she said.

LMMAs are rarely bigger than 20ha andhave been designed to encouragecoastal communities, which oftendepend on seafood, to sustainablymanage their local waters.

This restricted size is “so small it does notmake a difference but if you pick the rightplace to conserve it can be beneficial forfish stocks”, according to Cliff Marlessy,the LMMA co-ordinator for Indonesiawhose work focuses on the eastern sideof the archipelago and Papua.

Fijian counterpart Alifereti Tawake, saidthese small areas were “all aboutputting the science into action”.

“I was brought up in a traditional Fijianvillage,” said Mr Tawake, who is thetechnical advisor to the LearningCommittee of the Fiji LMMA. “I havepersonal convictions to make thisprogram a success.

Over-fishing is real. But large-scaleMarine Protection Areas do not alwayswork in developing countries. Their sizeand scale are just not relevant and

governments do not have the budget tomanage large marine systems.

Villages need fish for their survival andlocking-up areas can do more harm thangood,” he said.

“Community-based systems, in whichareas are chosen in consultation withlocal communities, was the only way tomake an impact” he said.

Ms Cleofe said communities inMindanao, where coral blasting andover-fishing was common, had initiallyneeded government assistance becausethey were “poor, had limited educationand could not rise out of this problem”.

As a result of government help, annualincomes had risen from $US3,000 to$US6,900; and local fish species hadincreased in number from 36 to 74.

A senior consultant at The NatureConservancy, Alan T. White, said thePhilippines national government hadpreviously made it clear it did not havethe resources to monitor protected areas.

He praised the Philippines for nowcreating more than 1000 marinereserves under local governance.

Indonesia’s Mr Marlessy said hiscountry’s program had to be rolled outslowly because it relied on villagerssharing their experiences.

“Now we have 11 villages as part of theprogram and the LMMAs cover 110ha,”he said.

Response was generally positive becauseIndonesia’s coastal communities believedthat “coral is the house of the fish”.

“When the villagers see the fish gettingbigger, then the money for them atmarket increases,” he added. “Buildingtrust between villages is very importantfor the program to work.”

French scientists gather in Cairns

Anzac BiscuitsThe Anzac biscuit has long beenassociated with the Australian andNew Zealand Army Corps “theANZACs” established in World War Iand was the biscuit anxious mothersgave to their sons when they went offto war.

LamingtonsThe Lamington is so named for LordLamington, who served as Governorof Queensland from 1896 to 1901.This humble sponge cake dipped inchocolate and rolled in coconut ispopular amongst fund raisers forAustralian not-for-profit groups suchas schools, scouts, girl guides andchurches to such an extent that theyare commonly known as "Lamingtondrives”

DamperDamper is an iconic Australian dishprepared by swagmen, drovers,stockmen and everyday travelers. It’straditionally baked in the coals of acampfire with easily transportable andbasic ingredients of flour, water andsometimes milk if available on the dustydroving trails.

PavlovaThere is no doubt the Pavlova, ameringue-based dessert was namedafter the Russian ballet dancer AnnaPavlova. However, whilst the ANZACsbound Australia and New Zealand inwartime this delicious dessert hasdivided the nations for over 80 years.The Kiwis claim the recipe originated inNew Zealand in 1935 and the Aussieslay claim to "Meringue with Fruit Filling"in 1925. Who cares! It’s delicious.

Kangaroo Satay SticksThe kangaroo has been a source offood for indigenous Australians forthousands of years. It has a rich textureand is often marinated to bring out theflavours of this wild meat.

Glossary of Aussiefood served this week

Power of acting locally

Jovelyn Cleofe

The end of the Age of Aquarius?

We have arranged a live link with the Aquarius aquanautsbeginning the last Aquarius mission in Room MR3 at1300 today Friday 13 July 2012. Funding has ended on

all projects scheduled for 2012-13. Please attend this session andmake your comments to the press. Lots of press coverage might getthis reversed, who knows?

coralnews | friday 13 july 2012

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Connecting through coral scienceWe asked some of the Symposium delegates about their attendance at ICRS 2012 and what have been their personal highlights.

Sarah DaviesUniversity of Texas at Austin, USA

Here at ICRS 2012 Sarah has been ableto connect with people she has onlyever “met” via email. Sarah has mostenjoyed meeting everyone face-to-faceand talking about research that is notyet published.

Heung-Sik ParkKorea Ocean Research & DevelopmentInstitute, Korea

The last time Heung-Sik was in Cairnswas on his honeymoon! The presenta-tions he has listened to have reinforcedhis lifelong interest in coral reefs.

Jacques IdechongPalau International Coral Reef Center,Palau

Jacques has travelled all the way fromPalau and is one of the recipients of the

TNC Grants. Jacques has been activelysharing his work and research at ICRS2012 and says that meeting newpeople and seeking out collaboratorshas been vital for his future research.

Ole Morten SeternesUniversity of Tromso, Norway

It’s been truly interesting for Ole to seewhat’s going on out there in the field ofcoral science. Ole’s research interests layin the genome analysis of the cold-waterLophelia coral and related species.

Maha Khalil King Abdullah University of Science &Technology, Saudi Arabia

Maha was about to give her own oralpresentation on Coral recruitment aftera bleaching event in the Red Sea as herfavourite but instead decided that theone delivered by Glenn Almany fromthe ARC Centre of Excellence at JCUrated the highest.

Jessica MastermanKing Abdullah University of Science &Technology, Saudi Arabia

Jessica specifically studies the diet ofButterfly fish and has found thechemical ecology topics the mostinteresting. Jennifer Debose’spresentation on Insights into thechemical ecology of fish aggregationsover reefs has been her highlight so far.

Renato Vincius FerreiraUniversity of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Renato’s main area of research lies withcoral reef mapping focussing onmesophotic reefs. The biodiversitysymposia and presentation from MichaelLesser Mesophotic coral reefs: A globalmodel of structure and function hasbeen his favourite so far. This is his firstCoral Reef Symposium and hisexpectations were far exceeded - Renatois looking forward to the next one!

Sabine Jessen - 1507Simon Fraser University, Canada

Politics of marine protected areas andcomparing Canada, Australia and NewZealand occupies Sabine’s research time.Having just attended the GBRMPAsession on climate change incorporatedinto marine protected areas she isthoroughly enjoying the informationexchange and doing more researchwhilst at ICRS. Geoff Jones’ keynotepresentation was her program highlight.

Bemahafaly RandriamanantsoaWildlife Conservation Society,Madagascar

Coral bleaching is a major issue in hisnative homeland and ergo the scienceand research is critical to furtherunderstanding his own challenges inMadagascar's 3,934 km² coral reefs.Marine planning is very important andthe different management systemscritical to his future research.

Hunter Lenihan Bren School of Environmental ScienceAnd Management, University ofCalifornia Santa Barbara, USA

“One of the most inspiring talks I’veheard” says Hunter of Peter Kareiva’skeynote address. “I stood up andclapped when Peter said You havehope for your children. It’s good toknow there is some positivity andoptimism for the future generations.

“I stood up andclapped whenPeter said Youhave hope foryour children.”

“Thepresentations hehas listened tohave reinforced

his lifelonginterest in coral

reefs.”

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Starry, starry night