Scrum For Coral

Would you mess with these coral conservationists? Hells no!

Thought I'd post a few snaps of Rich, Anja, and Bryan from our San Francisco Program team sporting the colors of Fiji's Kubulau District rugby team. We just received a box with both shirts and duffle bags that were part of a Coral Reef Alliance microgrant to the district. We're hoping that the new shirts, emblazoned with both the marine protected area and CORAL logos, will help raise the profile of the MPA, create a sense of pride and identity for some of the young men of the 11 Kubulau villages, and perhaps provide some leverage to help stem reports of fish poaching by villagers who feel the MPA--and partnering in conservation efforts--has not yet demonstrated enough tangible benefits.

We already have reports of renewed buy-in from village leaders, and the team played a prestigious Fiji-wide match in their new uniforms. I think they look great and it demonstrates some of the many different avenues we could explore in community-based conservation.

No, Tell Me What You Really Think

I could use your help. We have been fortunate here at the CORAL headquarters to have been approached by a video production company that's offered us their pro bono services in developing a promotional video spot, primarily to be used in fundraising and awareness raising. This is a first for us and we are certainly no experts in this sort of strategic messaging. What you see above is their first pass, beta version of the spot.

I've watched it a few times now and it doesn't really speak to me or make me jump out of my seat. I'd welcome any and all feedback of what you think. But please, no comments about my shiny head. Due to genetics beyond my control there's nothing I can do about that.

Also, it's a little grainy because it's been super-compressed to fit on YouTube, but I can assure you the final product will be widescreen and high definition.

Thanking you in advance!

Crafting Coral Cuddly

I have a colleague who firmly believes that our job in coral reef conservation would be a lot easier if we weren't dealing with faceless, amorphous bags of carbonate depositing jelly but instead had a cute, almost cuddly iconic organism which we were working to conserve. Case in point, look at the traction forest conservationists made with the adorable, Give a hoot, Don't pollute, Woodsey the Owl. Woodsey spoke not just for owls, but for trees, ants, termites, skunks, brown trout, slime molds, and presumably symbiotic mycorrhizae as well.

The world of marine conservation is not without its exemplars of effective, cuddly marketing to capture that ever elusive emotional connection to the natural world. Consider, for example, what SeaWorld has done for whale conservation.

In Hawaii, conservationists have attempted to capture interest and empathy with giant, walking, cardboard trigger fish:

Even cute shark mascots have been employed by conservationists to add a sympathetic face to otherwise aloof sharks in order to combat the incredibly devastating practice of shark finning:

But for coral conservationists, how do you make this...

...appear cute, cuddly, and deserving of your attention and support?

Which is not to say that some have not tried. In his book, Hawaiian Coral Reef Ecology, my friend and colleague Dave Gulko offered readers a cute coral character named "Super Stomach." Though I think "Captain Polyp" might have been a better name. Can you imagine the confusion that name might have caused among gastroenterologists?


In Indonesia, the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project (COREMAP) created the cartoon character Si Umbu, (image to the left) short for Terumbu Karang (coral reef). Si Umbu took the form of a happy child with shaggy hair that was supposed to resemble the coral Montipora digitata. His body and hands take the form of Acropora aspera, while his legs are supposed to look like Leptoria phrygia. Got that kids?

The Si Umbu propaganda states that "Si Umbu is always smiling, symbolizing healthy and happy reefs in a clean environment." Having spent some time among Indonesia's troubled coral reefs, I'm gathering that Si Umbu's rosey disposition is more of an idealized outlook rather than reality-based. Either that or Si Umbu is on maximum doses of Prozac. And in case you're worried that Si Umbu may be lonely, fear not. Plans are underway to launch a new female character, Reefa, who will join Si Umbu in several comic strip adventures.

It appears that COREMAP has been experimenting in coral mascots for some time. I was able to locate another attempt at anthropomorphic coral on a few of their websites. This second mascot (succinctly called "Maskot") appears to be a little less mobile than Si Umbu, so the creators were smart to add a fishy friend to keep him (her? it?) company.

Finally, in celebration of International Year of the Reef 2008, Japan has pulled out all the stops in creating a coral mascot everyone could love. Seen here (left) and in the collection of characters at the top of this post, the playful (might I suggest mischievous) boy with the coral-do is primed to capture the attention of young and old during international IYOR celebrations. While the mascot was referred to by name at the IYOR launch in DC, I can't for the life of me remember... so let's call him coral head for now. Whatever his name, he has that Pokemon, cutsie thing going on and I can't imagine it will be long before coral-head will be emblazoned on children's bento boxes, backpacks, and collectible trading cards across Japan and beyond. There are plans to introduce new coral head characters over the year to keep the IYOR excitement going.

Will any of this translate into greater understanding of coral reef threats and ultimately effective conservation? I think it's too early to tell. But if such marketing has the potential to bring coral reefs to the table in the broader understanding of critical environmental issues then I'm willing to forgo skepticism.

SeaWeb Launches Too Precious To Wear Campaign

Look at the material in the above image. It's lustrous. It's exquisite. It's red and pink coral--the harvested raw material for high-end jewelry and delicate, carved artifacts. It's also a seriously threatened species. If you recall some of my posts from last summer, shouts of joy quickly turned into cries of frustration when red and pink coral (known by the genus Corallium) was first granted trade protection at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, and then suddenly stripped of its protection thanks to an eleventh-hour, closed-door filibuster by nations complicit in the coral trade. What's a conservationist to do?

If you're like me, you get behind SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear campaign and help build increased awareness around this important issue. While I was in DC last week for a week of coral conservation meetings, SeaWeb launched its Too Precious To Wear campaign in New York City. Aided by the celebrity power of Julia Louis-Dreyfus (she'll always be Elaine to me!) and leading fashion and home designers, SeaWeb kicked-off this ambitious campaign to raise awareness of corals and the threats to their survival and show how the fashion and design industries, as well as consumers, can safeguard these imperiled marine species.

SeaWeb secured the financial support and commitment of The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to begin the process of changing perceptions and attitudes. Just as similar campaigns raised public awareness about the trade in ivory and fur (which had drastic implication for the survival of critically endangered elephants and fur species such as tigers) and effectively eliminated the international trade in these products, Too Precious To Wear targets high-end jewelry manufacturers and consumers through educational messaging that provides sustainable alternatives to critically depleted red and pink corals.

While I certainly had my hands full in DC with meetings, I wish I could have made the New York launch. But thanks to a little serendipity, I got to experience it vicariously at last Friday's International Year of the Reef mini-symposium at the Mexican Cultural Institute. There, I finally had the chance to meet SeaWeb's Corals Program Manager, Liz Neeley. Liz was fresh from the New York launch and presented an overview of the campaign for attendees. As an aside, she was also looking fierce in a room full of coral conservationists who tend to be a bit couture challenged.

One aspect of the campaign Liz described that I find particularly creative is that SeaWeb has successfully partnered with companies committed to providing faux-coral or coral-inspired alternatives to the real thing. One such company, Chantecaille Beaute, produces a coral-inspired compact (pictured above) that's not only stunning (stunning in price, too), but a portion of the proceeds go towards programs to aid in the preservation of coral reefs against the detrimental effects of global warming. Talk about Making it work!

Do I have a problem with weaning people's cravings for coral jewelry or trinkets from the genuine article onto imitations? Shouldn't an informed public not covet threatened species in the first place? I guess I take a pragmatic approach. If a campaign like Too Precious To Wear can not only educate but--more importantly--change consumer demand then I'm all for it. I suspect we'll always find inspiration from the natural world. If creative minds can satisfy our cravings for natural designs with intelligent, sustainable alternatives that preserve that which inspired us in the first place, then it's a no-brainer.

That's A Moray Monday

With Christopher Taylor happily distracted from morays with his recent Scleritome Week on his blog, I can reposition MBSL&S as your one-stop-shopping destination for moray trivia. (I hope Chris knew I was kidding when I called him a Kiwi git last week. I love Kiwi's, particularly in salads and dressed with a little balsamic vinegar.)

This week's moray is a threatening looking fellow. And its common name doesn't help with public relations.

Longfang Viper Moray
Enchelycore canina or also Echelynassa canina

This snaggle-tooth eel occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate seas--from the central and western Pacific, to tropical eastern Pacific. The Enchelycore genera consists of a group of eels with large, arched mouths and numerous needle-like teeth--often with fang-like (canine) teeth. The Longfang Viper is typically scaleless in appearance, and has a recorded maximum length of approximately 3 meters, making it both scary-looking and big.

Adult specimens are typical benthic dwellers, generally found in shallow water among rocks and coral heads. It inhabits areas with strong surge such as outer reef flats and reef fronts. Like most moray's they are more active at night and hide in holes and crevices during the day. While vicious in appearance, they are reclusive and will likely bite only if provoked. The Longfang Viper moray feeds mainly on crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fishes. In regions where they occur, they are widely used as food, but a few large specimens may be ciguatoxic.

The Viper Moray's most notable feature is its arching jaws that exhibit a nasty looking set of teeth even when their mouths remain shut. My favorite quote from an online fish database is, "This eels dentition deserves respect." Well said. Their stocky bodies vary from dark brown to maroon and occasionally display a light mottled pattern. However, their menacing mouths easily set them apart from other species. The Viper moray's posterior nostrils (located in front of, and above the eye), are large and surrounded by a fleshy rim.

DC In 45 Minutes

I had 45 minutes free on my last day in DC last Friday, so rather than nap in Georgetown (which is what I needed) I caught a $15.00 cab over to The Mall to soak in that capital vibe. It was a beautiful, cold late afternoon and I had a chance to stroll The Mall in relative solitude. I guess the cold and rush hour kept tourists at bey. I got to hop back to the Smithsonian for a light-speed swing through the Dinos again and the Rocks and Minerals Hall, out the back door to climb the steps of the National Archives, cruise down Constitution Ave. to the Capital, then back up The Mall to the Washington Monument. Stuff I haven't done since I was but a child. Thought I'd share some snaps.

Year Of The Reef Gets An Official Launch

I know I'm a couple of days late on this post, but I wanted to be sure to comment on the official launch of International Year of the Reef (IYOR) at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC last Friday, January 25. Following welcoming remarks by Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, a mini-symposium was conducted where guest speakers outlined international activities to highlight and celebrate IYOR throughout the next year. Yours truly presented a flashback of our activities during the first IYOR in 1997 as well as a forecast of the next 12 months of coral reef conservation activities that will link to public education and outreach.

Want to find out how to celebrate IYOR where you live? Then click over to the awesome IYOR 2008 website to find a calendar of events and ways to get involved. And while there, be sure to pause a moment to mentally thank the incredible efforts of Francis Staub, IYOR 2008 coordinator for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Thanks for all your work, Francis!

On other IYOR fronts, Angelo Villagomez sent me this photo from Saipan of himself (looking great in a CORAL shirt) while posing with CNMI Division of Environmental Quality Manager Fran Castro--Point of Contact for the US Coral Reef Initiative--with CNMI Lt. Governor Tim Villagomez on the day that 2008 was declared the International Year of the Reef in the CNMI.


And from Hawaii, CORAL Field Manager Liz Foote sent this photo of Kuhea Paracuelles, Environmental Coordinator with the Office of the Mayor, and Maui Ocean Center's Kate Zolezzi from the Maui County IYOR launch. Liz was there as well and got to showcase a brand new set of educational signage which CORAL helped design and fund and will soon be installed at snorkel destinations and hotels throughout the island.

Dispatches From An ICRI Meeting

Home again, home again after a week in DC for meetings. As I'm certain many of you have asked yourself, "I wonder what goes on at an ICRI General Meeting," I thought I'd provide a much needed service and give you a peek inside the inner sanctum of international coral conservation.

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among governments, international organizations, and non-government organizations with the purpose of preserving coral reefs and related ecosystems. ICRI was announced at the First Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 1994, and at the high level segment of the Intersessional Meeting of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development in April 1995. ICRI was originally initiated by the governments of Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Additional partners from governments, United Nations organizations, multilateral development banks, environmental and developmental NGOs, and the private sector have subsequently joined the original founders and are currently collaborating in the Initiative.

The organization I work for has been an ICRI member from the very start. Although ICRI is an informal and voluntary partnership where decisions are made by consensus, it still follows guidelines of procedure that look and feel very much like typical committee structure. ICRI has a rotating secretariat, a collaboration between a developed and developing coral nation with coral interests, and meetings are overseen by co-chairs from this secretariat. Until 2009, the ICRI secretariat is the governments of the USA and Mexico. There are delegations in attendance from departments of state or other relevant government departments as well as environmental NGO representatives and multilateral organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Bank is also an ICRI member as it funds numerous coral reef conservation projects globally. Observers, that is non-members, are welcome to attend the ICRI meetings and represent NGOs, private sector, funders, or any other interested party.

When you get this many nations in attendance in one room and things are bound to get bureaucratic. And ICRI is no exception. Sure, all members sit around a collection of tables facing one another. We all have microphones and can comment on any part of the proceedings. Yet while conservation is the order of the day, it would be disingenuous to suggest that politics and personalities were not part of the order of business. The governmental delegations call a lot of the shots, with a decided volume of discussion emanating from the "power" nations--USA, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico. That's not to say that delegations from Indonesia, Palau, Netherlands Antilles, and other coral interests are lesser participants. On the contrary. But there's a certain, "Take it or leave it" feeling one gets when, say, the US contingent makes it comments. And while the NGOs probably collectively outspend all the nations combined on conservation, the comments I observed at this meeting tended to be more recommendations, advice, or support to national plans.

Like many large, intergovernmental efforts ICRI appears to be more potential than actuality. There are some very impressive outcomes that have resulted from this body (a global coral reef monitoring network, an international action network that links many different organizations, scientists, and tools, and a network to prioritize coral conservation in the Indian Ocean) but with this many nations around the table and in the face of such overwhelming coral threats it is baffling that funding for conservation remains a top-level problem among the nations in attendance. Still, that ICRI exists and continues (even with some dysfunction) is encouraging. I suspect that the next couple of years will be telling as to the efficacy and future of this international effort. The coral reef crisis has never been more severe and small island nations depending on healthy coral reefs will (and should) become the dominant voices at meetings like ICRI as they represent the front lines of crisis. How ICRI will respond, and what actions may result, could potentially determine the futures of reefs and the local communities that depend upon them.

Night At The Museum

I'm back on East Coast Time again and in DC for the annual meeting of the International Coral Reef Inititiative, or ICRI for short. There's a week full of meetings, discussions, break-out sessions, and planning for International Year of the Reef as well as an opportunity to meet friends and colleagues in the coral conservation world. Today's only event was a reception under the great rotunda of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. There, in the shadow of the big stuffed elephant and in the presence of the Hope Diamond, coral conservationists gathered from around the world for yummy cheesy nibbly things, good wine, and great conversation. It's so great and re-energizing to be surrounded by this many talented and dedicated conservations all working towards the same objectives.

I don't think I've ever changed into evening attire so quickly. I arrived late afternoon (rush hour), hit the taxi stand, urged the driver to make good time, checked in at my Georgetown hotel, and then bolted to my room to strip, dress, and flag yet another taxi to the Mall.

Bonus points to the Smithsonian for leaving their dinosaur and ancient oceans wing open for us. I got to tour sights I haven't seen since I was a kid. A few of my favorite pics are attached here. We also heard word that the great Ocean Hall, a new wing at the Natural History Museum touted to be the best museum exhibition on the ocean ever seen, is on schedule for a Summer 2008 opening. I can't wait to see this new exhibit as it will be featuring an innovative suspended or "floating specimen" display of many marine organisms in the collection.

That's A Moray Monday: The Scooped Edition

No pretty pics of eels posed naturally in stunning reef settings this week. It's all about formalin-fixed specimens under harsh lighting since this Moray Monday showcases Gymnothorax baranesi, a newly discovered moray species from the Red Sea. It's a species so fresh off the taxonomic presses that it doesn't even yet boast a common name. As far as I know of, there aren't even any easily accessible images of this fish in the wild.

Jason at Cephalopodcast tipped me off to the news last week and I figured I'd get around to featuring the eel on the next Moray Monday. But science blogging is a cut-throat enterprise folks and not a place for laggards. Christopher Taylor of the blog Catalog of Organisms carpe'd his dium and posted a blog report on the discovery on his blog last Friday. While I had hoped to regard Christopher as a blogger friend, he will unfortunately be now known as the Kiwi git who scooped me. Only kidding, Christopher. Sort of.

Seriously though, Christopher provides a great description and link to the monograph of the holotype (pictured in the face close-up and somewhat curled specimen). The image of the species (below) is of a described paratype. The newly discovered species is known only from the northern parts of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aquaba region.

I've Been Cloverfelt!

Cloverfielded? I saw the movie! In the face of all the hype, this flick still delivered. The creature wasn't what a lot of speculation (including mine) surmised. But that's just fine since it was still an entertaining, if not somewhat seasickness-inducing romp. Minor spoiler alert for the rest of the post.

Phil over at Bad Astronomy provides an excellent review (and I agree with all his nit-picking). The only nit I might also pick is how a seriously injured main character near the finale is somehow able to outrun the other characters. But this is not a movie to attempt to hold the creators to reality.

As to the beast(s), the big monster sort of resembled a bigger, crawling Rancor from Return of the Jedi. I still don't know from whence this monster came--no clear evidence that I could discern from the film as to whether it came from the ocean, from space, or somewhere else. The little critters/parasites/offspring had this Uropygid meets creatures from Starship Troopers thing going on. I'll look forward to the DVD release to be able to see more.

2008 Science Blogging Conference Swag Score

A van shuttle, two planes, a bad airport sandwich, six tiny packs of peanuts, and about 3600 miles later I'm back in San Francisco after the 2008 Science Blogging Conference. I've got a little less than 24 hours to relax, unpack, spend some quality time with my man, before repacking and boarding yet another plane to head right back east to DC for a week of meetings. Yeah, I know I should have stayed there. But the DC gig fell into my lap kind of late and I couldn't piece together a new fare that didn't cost an arm and a leg. So it is what it is.

Before I unwind, I wanted to be sure to share some of my favorites from the conference swag grab. That's right, it's not just celebrities who score gift bags at events. And while there were no complimentary week vacations in Telluride or sauna packages for two in these bags, our particular brand of swag appealed to the inner blog geek. Case in point, regard my much coveted freebies (last image at bottom of post) from Karen James at The Beagle Project. So thanks all you Science Blog sponsors for the great take-aways. I even did my part to contribute some CORAL swag to the masses as well. Here's a small sample of some of my plunder:

I always need airport reading!
Something tells me Bora chose the color.
Yet more reading.
Batteries not included.
Free trade. Free mug.
I think this is a death ray.
No, I won't sell you my lolly.

Can You Tell I Haven't Seen Snow In A While?

Then again, this is supposed to be North Carolina. I'm (hopefully) headed home today from the 2008 Science Blogging Conference. So far, my flights are on schedule. But before I start packing, here are a few snaps from outside the hotel. It's frigid outside, so you'll excuse me if the camera is blurry from shivering.

Salted Sidewalks
How much you wanna bet people don't own ice scrapers here?
Mr. Buns chilling his buns.