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Autumn 2012

›› ›› The Newsletter of the Coral Alliance

Uniting Communities to Save Coral Reefs Green from Gray The Alliance (CORAL) unites and empowers communities to save coral reefs. The plan to recycle Maui’s wastewater We help the people who live near reefs protect their fragile resources by providing he relationship between , the injected underground. Unfortunately, the means to develop local projects that Tland, and the on the most iconic that gray water is now leaching into the save coral reefs and benefit communities. stretch of Hawaii’s second-largest ocean, where its nutrients are serving as has grown murky. So have the waters super-food for reef-smothering . around Maui’s wondrous coral reefs. A 2012 University of Hawaii study con- on our property, and all of them thrive on Treated wastewater from hotels, resi- firms the seepage and paints a graphic R1 water,” says Lance Gilliland, Director of dences, and other establishments that picture for one reef and the people who for the Honua Kai & line the expansive Ka‘anapali coastline play near it. The study concluded that Spa. “Irrigating this way is the right thing to on Maui’s western shore is making its “. . . wastewater effluent flows through do for our reefs, community, and business. way onto the reef, Maui’s ecological and the coral reef at Kahekili into the surface Without the reef, there is no business.” economic epicenter. waters, where most of the recreational Through a program launched this fall That’s why we’ve entered the sustain- users are active.” as part of the larger multi-partner Ridge able water business. CORAL’s two-year to Reef Initiative, CORAL is providing a program to actively assist hotels in suite of tools to help other West Maui changing their practices and concep- THE hotels follow suit. tions about wastewater could ultimately The same nutrient-laden wastewater “Scientists and other community help keep tens of millions of gallons of that does harm to reefs works wonders members agree that reefs will benefit treated wastewater and its algae-fueling on landscaping. That fact wasn’t lost substantially as more hotels initiate waste- nutrients off the reef annually—and put it on the architects of Maui’s newest water reclamation efforts,” says Liz Foote, to much better use elsewhere. attractions, the Honua Kai Resort & CORAL’s Hawaii Field Manager. “And Spa and the golf courses managed fortunately, hotels that use reclaimed by the Ka‘anapali Beach Resort water benefit too. They protect the natural THE PROBLEM Association. Both companies have built resources that people come to Hawaii to Wastewater in Maui first follows a their infrastructures to tap into a Maui see. Plus, they save money by significantly conventional route to a water treatment County pipeline that reroutes treated reducing their use of more expensive po- facility. There, its pathogens, but not wastewater (officially designated “R1” table [drinking] water and costly its nutrients, are removed. That treated water) away from injection wells and (since the reclaimed water is already rich wastewater—often called gray water—is back toward businesses that produced with nutrients). It’s a win-win situation.” then routed to coastal injection wells, the wastewater in the first place. While this is a long-term project for where, as the name suggests, it is “We have thirty-eight acres, with millions CORAL, our two-year goal is to divert of dollars in ornamental and native plants two-hundred thousand gallons of treated wastewater to hotel irrigation systems each day. Annually, that would reduce the amount of gray water pumped into injection wells, en route to the reefs, by seventy-three million gallons. Those numbers only hint at the pos- sible scope of relief to Hawaii’s majestic reefs, since the initial two-year phase of the plan includes only about ten percent of West Maui’s hotels. “It’s a program that could serve as a blueprint throughout the Hawaiian Maui’s Honua Kai Resort & Spa uses reclaimed water to irrigate its thirty-eight acres , and beyond,” says CORAL Photo courtesy of Honua Kai Resort & Spa Executive Director Dr. Michael Webster.

AUTUMN 2012 Giant manta in the /2013 CORAL calendar Photo courtesy of Josef Litt THE (CORAL) “Uniting Communities to Save Coral Reefs” CORAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS James R. Tolonen, Board Chair C. Elizabeth Wagner, Secretary H. William Jesse, Jr., Treasurer Linda Cain Paula Hayes Nancy Knowlton Breaking News from Elizabeth Ulmer CORAL STAFF CORAL’s Project Sites Executive Director Michael Webster Conservation Programs Director Rick MacPherson Mesoamerica Director of Finance and Administration Mexico: Coral reefs continue to make Reserve dive tag program. • A recent Christine Reyes news in Mexico, thanks to a partnership issue of magazine featured Development Director between CORAL and USA Today Cancun. In CORAL’s work with the Kubulau community Sarah Freiermuth recent months, the newspaper has published to protect the Namena Marine Reserve. The Assistant Director of Conservation Programs stories on subjects ranging from responsible article, “Anchors Away,” chronicles CORAL’s Jason Vasques marine tourism to how is history and contains tips for divers to Conservation Grants Manager affecting reefs. • Through the efforts of our minimize their impact while visiting Namena Kate Trevelyan-Hall Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) and other coral reef sites. Accountant partners—the Riviera Maya Hotel Association Anne Shelley and Amigos de Sian Ka’an—the reef now has INDONESIA: Thanks to funding from Conservation Programs Associate some new friends. Twenty-one additional The Save Our Foundation, CORAL and Coral Reef CSI Coordinator hotels, as well as the Ministry of Tourism of coordinated a multitude of partners to Candace Leong Quintana Roo, have officially joined produce a ten-minute film highlighting Membership Assistant with MARTI to advance our sustainability the powerful link between healthy Simone Sheridan initiatives. populations, healthy coral reefs, and Communications healthy human communities in Indonesia. and Development Assistant Honduras: It’s official: all twenty- We’re excited to let you know that the Joseph Clerici seven square kilometers (just over sixteen film is now available online. Check it out Regional Managers square miles) of Cordelia Banks have been through our YouTube channel link at Kenneth Johnson (Mesoamerica) designated by the Honduran government as www.coral.org. Naneng Setiasih (Coral Triangle) a “Site of Wildlife Importance.” This legislation Field Managers granting protections to Cordelia Banks was U.S. States & Liz Foote (Hawaii) cause for celebration at CORAL and our part- Jenny Myton (Honduras) Territories Molly Powers Tora (Fiji) ner organizations: Roatan Marine Park, World Wildlife Foundation, The Conservancy, Hawaii: The fiftieth state planted its Field Representatives Sirilo “Didi” Dulunaqio (Fiji) and Healthy Reefs Initiative. There also was forty-eighth “Respecting Coral Reefs” Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico) revelry in Roatan, where islanders threw a sign on Sept. 27 on Maui. Liz Foote, Riyan Heri Pamungkas (Indonesia) parade to commemorate the government’s CORAL’s Hawaii Field Manager, was part Pamela Ortega (Honduras) action. Read more in this issue’s “Taking a of a team that developed the content to Kara Osada-D’Avella (Hawaii) Political Dive.” • CORAL’s Honduras Field educate locals and visitors about proper Manoa Rasigatale (Fiji Shark Project) Arthur Sokimi (Fiji) Manager, Jenny Myton, and her husband, Ian reef etiquette. Stay tuned for news on the Julia Stewart (Hawaii) Drysdale, spoke about coral reef conservation installation of the “historic” fiftieth sign. • at TEDx Tegucigalpa in July. Like the TED In 2009, Hawaii established the Kahekeli presentations from which it sprang, the TEDx Herbivore Fisheries Management Area circuit celebrates big thinkers on big subjects. (KHFMA) on Maui’s Ka‘anapali coastline. Read more in the October issue of E-Current The idea: if you increase the number at www.coral.org/ecurrent. of algae eaters (herbivores), you will Copyright © 2012 by the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) Editor: Brian Higgins decrease the amount of algae covering Designer: Damien Scogin {[email protected]} the reef. On July 28, Maui residents Contributing Authors: Sarah Freiermuth, Brian Higgins, and Alexa Bach-McElrone Indo-Pacific turned out for the third anniversary Front Banner Photo: Josef Litt Fiji: So far in 2012, the Kubulau Resource celebration of the KHFMA, which is CORAL Current is published quarterly by the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), an IRS 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Management Committee has granted nearly co-managed by CORAL. Read more in the Copies of our audited financial statement are available at $9,000 in scholarships to eighteen students, September issue of E-Current at www.coral.org or by phone request. thanks to revenue from the Namena Marine www.coral.org/ecurrent. For comments, questions, or contributions to CORAL Current, please email us at [email protected].

AUTUMN 2012 The Wanderers How nature restocks coral reef fisheries More than 1,500 species of fish populate the , seen here paralleling , Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

No-take marine reserves can be a hard “Networks of marine sell to fishermen. But, according to a hooked along reserve borders. recent study, fishermen should be some But some scientists think that the reserves on coral reefs of the first stakeholders on board. benefits of spillover might be small when are a central strategy for compared to the benefits of protecting ensuring food security for rench fishery scientist Marcel Herubel brood stock. In theory, large adults in millions of people in the Ffirst introduced the concept of the reserves can produce an exceptionally marine reserve—an area closed to all forms large number of baby fish that swim or region . . .” of fishing—in 1912. While his idea didn’t drift away and end up miles from the Dr. Garry Russ, co-author catch on until the 1980s, the marine reserve reserve. Once these babies grow up, is now a critical tool for conserving marine they can support thriving fisheries. But for Dr. Garry Russ, co-author on the study, and sustaining local livelihoods. fish that people like to catch, this kind of concludes that “networks of marine The direct benefits of marine reserves fishery benefit has never been proven. reserves on coral reefs are a central are well documented: properly designed Until now. strategy for ensuring food security for reserves allow marine species to flourish in In June, a team of twelve scientists—led millions of people in the Coral Triangle terms of abundance, biomass, and diversity by Hugo Harrison and Dr. Geoffrey Jones region, just to the north of Australia. This within their boundaries. But a 2012 study at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral study in the Keppel Islands, for the first offers compelling evidence that fishing Reef Studies in Australia—published a time, demonstrates that reserve networks grounds adjacent to marine reserves are groundbreaking study in Current Biology. can contribute substantially to the long- benefiting as well. The team used DNA fingerprinting term sustainability of coral reef fisheries, While we see marine reserves according technology to tag and track baby coral and thus to food security and livelihoods to their political and legal boundaries, trout (Plectropomus macula) and stripey in the region.” fish—not surprisingly—do not. Fish spread snapper (), two To read the full study, please visit out beyond reserve boundaries to nearby commercially and recreationally targeted http://bit.ly/QJjeUL. areas open to fishing. Scientists have been species, in the Keppel Island group on able to document this “spillover effect” by the Great Barrier Reef. logging record catches and mammoth fish It turns out that marine reserves really CORAL in the Coral Triangle can restock exploited fish populations on CORAL is supporting Syiah Kuala surrounding reefs. University’s Department of Maritime “We’ve known for some time that if you Affairs and Fisheries in its efforts close an area of reef to fishing, both fish to establish marine managed areas numbers and sizes within the reserve in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in the increase,” explains Dr. Jones. heart of the Coral Triangle. Twenty “But the fate of the offspring of fish in people attended a recent CORAL- the reserves has been a long-standing sponsored workshop aimed at mystery. Now we can clearly show that sharing ideas about the benefits of Stripey snapper (Lutjanus carponotatus) was one of the wandering the benefits of reserves spread beyond species tracked in the landmark study on the Great Barrier Reef marine managed areas and the con- reserve boundaries, providing a baby Photo courtesy of FishBase cepts behind regulations intended bonus to fisheries.” to enhance reef resiliency.

AUTUMN 2012 Small Island, Big Mission

usiness travelers often think of the We also invited participants to apply to BPhilippines in terms of metro Manila, us for financial backing for their projects. the bustling commercial heart of a coun- And that’s just what Dean did, reaping try with more than 100 million residents. the benefits of a CORAL microgrant Leisure travelers know another program that over the years has dis- Philippines, a nation of islands sur- seminated hundreds of thousands of rounding twenty-six thousand square dollars to local conservation initiatives. kilometers (more than sixteen thousand With his $5,000 award, he trained a host square miles) of coral reef. of islanders to recognize and accurately It is on one of these islands, Siquijor, report on Siquijor. that a new CORAL-supported program “Being an avid diver, I’ve experienced has been launched to protect the coun- firsthand how important our reef is to try’s critically important coral reefs. Ten Filipino fishermen,” Dean notes. “I know residents and nine government officials how greatly if would affect all of us if have formed a watchdog group charged these reefs were destroyed.” with monitoring and responding to local Dean’s implementation of the program coral bleaching events. in Siquijor is helping to fill a void in the Siquijor resident Dean Apistar, a coral monitoring of the Philippines, where reef conservationist, came up with the estimates of reef mortality rates from project after attending a Reef Resilience bleaching have ranged wildly, from ten to to Climate Change workshop in , sixty percent. Bali in 2011. During the workshop, “Coral bleaching is worldwide and we jointly developed and led by CORAL, need people to collect that data,” said Indonesia, and The Nature Naneng Setiash, Coral Triangle Regional Dean Apistar took the knowledge he acquired in Conservancy, Dean and nine other at- Manager for CORAL, who heads the Reef CORAL’s Bali workshop to train a coral bleaching tendees were empowered to deploy reef- Resilience to Climate Change workshop watchdog group on his home island in the Phillipines friendly programs in their communities. program from her Indonesian base. Photo courtesy of CORAL Staff

fficially speaking, the legislation that declared Cordelia Banks a “Site of Wildlife OImportance” was signed in the landlocked Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. But Taking a the legislators actually made their decision far removed from their offices. Last year, Jenny Myton, CORAL’s Honduras Field Manager, invited key government officials to visit Roatan. CORAL and our partners were seeking protections for Cordelia Political Banks and its healthy populations of endangered ( cervicornis), and she believed that the site would sell itself to these critical decision-makers—if only they could see it for themselves. Dive A delegation headed by José Antonio Galdames, the Vice-Minister for the National Institute of Forest Conservation and Development, Protected Areas, agreed to travel to Jenny and learn more about this unique spot off of Roatan’s coast. Before they could boat out to Cordelia and jump in the water, however, the group— with varying levels of swimming skills—took two weeks to learn how to and scuba dive. Eventually, all obtained their open water and advanced diver certifications. Sure enough, when the Vice-Minister and his six colleagues descended into Cordelia’s shallow waters, they became some of its biggest advocates. “You could see that they really got it,” Jenny said of the group’s eye-opening dive. “That experience did more for Cordelia than a hundred committee meetings in Tegucigalpa would have.” The legislation, signed in May, is a critical first step toward managing and safeguarding one of the most spectacular natural resources on the Mesoamerican Reef. CORAL and our partners in Honduras are now seeking similar protections for the reefs off the Top: Healthy staghorn (Acropora cervicornis), mainland city of Tela. endangered elsewhere, thrives on Cordelia Banks Bottom: Honduran Vice-Minister José Antonio “Despite having lived for many years in Roatan, I never had the opportunity to see Galdames (left, in white shirt) and CORAL’s Cordelia Banks,” Vice-Minister Galdames said. “It was through the perseverance of Jenny Myton (right, in white shirt) march in a Roatan Jenny and Ian Drysdale [Jenny’s husband and fellow reef expert] that I was finally . . . parade on June 2, commemorating landmark legislation for Cordelia Banks able to see how beautiful it was and, at the same time, recognize the serious problems Photos courtesy of CORAL Staff affecting our oceans.”

AUTUMN 2012 ICRS 2012 Zombie ? Not on Our Watch

ou can think of the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) as the Olympics Yfor coral reef advocates. Held every four years in a different international loca- tion, it welcomes top-notch coral reef scientists and conservationists from around the planet. ICRS 2012 was held, appropriately enough, in the Great Barrier Reef gateway city of , where northeast Australia gives way to the . Jason Vasques, CORAL’s Assistant Director of During the symposium, many discussions were held on the future of coral reefs. Conservation Programs, and Candace Leong, our Not coincidentally, that week The New York Times took the opportunity to publish Conservation Programs Associate and Coral Reef an op-ed weighing in on that topic. In the piece, Australia National University CSI Coordinator, mug it up in front of CORAL’s ecologist Roger Bradbury condemned coral reefs to doom, calling them “zombie popular lionfish poster at the ICRS in Australia .” Photo courtesy of CORAL Staff Executive Director Dr. Michael Webster, one of six CORAL staff members in attendance, was among many who voiced a more optimistic outlook for coral reefs coming out of the conference: MORE ZOMBIE

Typically, scientific conferences are about presenting the latest, coolest science for science’s sake. ICRS instead focused more on how the science being done REBUTTALS can inform conservation . This is encouraging news, because it confirms that we have literally thousands of the brightest scientific minds focused on find- ›› “Roger Bradbury’s apocalyptic vision for certain death of the world’s coral reefs ing ways to save our planet’s coral reefs. clearly runs contrary to the views of Don’t get me wrong. The threats to coral reefs, including climate change, over- most ecologists. Yet, while Bradbury is fishing, and poor water quality, are sobering. But I came back from ICRS optimistic almost certainly wrong on the science, that a zombie reef apocalypse is far from a certainty. For example: he is right about one thing: we place undue emphasis on research to predict ›› are resilient. If given time and good conditions, they can recover from the future of reef ecosystems . . . it disturbances and adapt quickly to changing conditions. In fact, some corals pales compared to the work needed to seem to be pre-adapted to high or low pH—conditions that are help reef-dependent countries, regions likely to become more common in the future. and communities build their capacity ›› Fish keep reefs healthy. Great strides are being made in understanding how to adapt to any shock or reefs shift from high to low coral cover, but one consistent theme is that fish that might affect them in the coming play an important role. For the first time, the details of that role are emerging decades.” and they promise to give clearer guidance on how reef fisheries can be truly Stephen J. Hall (WorldFish Center) sustainable—for people, for fish, and for the corals that build the reef. ›› “Though I disagree with Roger ›› Local conditions matter. Both local climate and local actions have a big Bradbury’s conclusion, I do believe he influence on the state of the reef. This means that reducing threats locally can did a great service by calling attention significantly improve coral reef health and that some reefs will be naturally to the dire plight of coral reefs buffered against changing environmental conditions. throughout the world.” Duane Silverstein (Seacology) Overall, the meeting reaffirmed CORAL’s approach and our resolve. For coral ›› “While the global picture of corals is reefs to thrive, we need to do everything that we can locally and regionally to gloomy in both the shallow and deep reduce stresses on the reef. This is CORAL’s strong suit, and we’re committed to seas, the overall evidence is strong finding ways to do it even smarter and faster. that marine protected areas protect not only corals, but the associated biological diversity that they For more of Michael’s comments, a video of CORAL Conservation Programs support—fishes, invertebrates, marine Director Rick MacPherson’s presentation at the symposium, and more, visit mammals, seabirds, and more.” www.coral.org/icrs2012. Sandra Brooke (Marine Conservation Institute)

AUTUMN 2012 THE CORAL REEF ALLIANCE Non-Profit 351 California Street, Suite 650 U.S. Postage Paid San Francisco, CA 94104 Redwood City, CA Permit No. 688 www.coral.org

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e nvi r o n men t a l b e n e f its s tatemen t of using post-consumer waste fiber vs. virgin fiber CORAL saved the following resources by using New Leaf Sakura Silk, made with 100% de-inked recycled fiber and 50% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free, and manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e® certified renewable energy certificates: greenhouse trees water energy solid waste gases

3 1,509 2 141 351 fully grown gallons million Btu pounds pounds

Calculations based on research by Environmental Defense Fund and other members of the Paper Task . www.newleafpaper.com

Log on to www.coral.org to sign up for E-Current, our free electronic newsletter. CORAL CURRENT The Newsletter of the Coral Reef Alliance

Underwater Extravaganza–All Year Round eaturing a giant (April), a curious blenny F(July), a haunting white-eyed moral eel (September), and a pair of neon-colored frogfish (October), CORAL’s 2013 calendar may be our most vivid yet. And when you hang it, you’re demonstrating your commitment to coral reef conservation. You should have received your copy if you’re a Friend of the Reef monthly donor or have made a one-time donation of $50 or more this year. But it’s still not too late to get one! To make a gift that entitles you to this fantastic benefit, please go to www.coral.org/calendar or mail your donation in the enclosed envelope. We’ll send a copy of the stunning calendar your way. As always, the images featured in our calendar were donated by many talented underwater photog- raphers, including winners of our bi-monthly photo contest. To learn how you can participate in the photo contest—and perhaps have your favorite reef shot featured in CORAL’s 2014 calendar—visit www.coral.org/resources/photo_contest. Cover photo by Josef Litt; foreground photo by Matt Grace

AUTUMN 2012