Last month, Dr. Rob Toonen, a scientist working at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, visited Maui to give a presentation for the spring session of Ocean Awareness Training in Lahaina and Kihei.
In an effort to get the word out about the significance of his research and its implications for marine conservation in Hawai'i, two volunteers, Kathy Corcoran and Eden Zang, each wrote articles and commentary about the presentation.
Kathy's piece, "Rob Toonen: Current marine research supports kupuna teachings," was printed in the May 12th issue of the Lahaina News, and Eden's is posted below.
For reference and context, you can check out Dr. Toonen's slide presentation HERE.
Connectivity: What is it and why should we care?
By Eden Zang
Our world ocean is in an all time vulnerable state. When you think of marine conservation what comes to mind? Save the Whales, the great garbage patch, oil spills, ocean acidification, overfishing? Often times we focus on one topic at a time hoping that if we can fix that one piece it will help the issue on a whole. While it certainly helps to have a concentrated effort on particular issues in support of the overall resiliency of the system, often times we are just treating the symptoms. What are the core issues facing the degradation of our oceans?
Dr. Rob Toonen of Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, spoke at Ocean Awareness Training, on Monday April 25th and Tuesday April 26 night about connectivity and why we should care. His interest and research has focused on larval ecology and connectivity of marine invertebrates. A significant finding of his was related to breeding populations of coral reef invertebrates. For example, if a population of a particular species is on Kauai and there was the same genetic population found on Maui, if for some reason the population on Maui was wiped out, the population could still go on if the population on Kauai was able to effectively disperse to Maui (source sink dynamics). What he and his team discovered is that there are several species that are genetically different on each island (i.e. opihi), indicating a lack of successful dispersal, so if Maui’s population of opihi was wiped out it is unlikely they could repopulate within any reasonable human timeframe. So here is where connectivity comes in. With effective management and community support, we have seen Marine Protected Areas work. They often create a scenario where the animals become plentiful and larger in size thus creating more biomass and an overflow into unprotected areas where individuals can then harvest them. But pointing to the research of Toonen, this may be where these animals live but it may not be where they came from as larvae. Thus, we need to protect the breeding grounds as well. Scientists are now beginning to define boundaries for protected areas based on ecosystem dynamics rather than solely on individual species . The need to create these boundaries came from examining our current management of these resources. Increased management supported by community buy-in, coupled with policy change at the local, national and worldwide level are imperative if we don’t want to lose precious animals and eco-systems. By taking ecological factors into account and protecting whole ecosystems, we create a healthy area of abundance that will ensure future generations will have not only a sustainable food source, but a beautiful place to live, work and play. I also want to point out that marine ecosystems aren’t just affected by what we protect or do in the water. What we do on land has a significant effect on marine ecosystems. The traditional Hawaiian system of ahupua’a was based on the fact they knew what they did at the top of the mountain affected the bottom into the ocean. To effect change we must look at the holistically at our ecosystems. A huge concern for scientists today is ocean acidification, an outcome of climate change. One of the most significant findings in recent years is that more acidic oceans can significantly affect the development and ultimately wipe out populations of animals that produce calcium carbonate shells and skeletons like mollusks such as opihi, formanifera (plankton that are a major part of the marine food web) and reef-building corals (Zimmer 2010, Daniels 2010). Coral reefs are already under several stressors. Ocean acidification could be the final blow. So what does this have to do with what we do on land? Well let’s examine renewable energy. What do solar panels and wind farms have to do with the oceans? Clean energy is of utmost importance to our oceans health. The main cause of ocean acidification is an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 can get into our air by driving cars or drilling for so-called clean energy sources like natural gas. But as author Ann Perry points out, “The primary culprit in human-induced global warming is carbon dioxide, which is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.” Global warming or climate change is having a significant effect on our oceans. Therefore, whether you live on Maui, in North Dakota, or Europe, your actions to reduce your carbon footprint can help reef ecosystems worldwide.
When it comes to conservation issues, policy change or management of marine areas, it can seem overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like we “the little guy” can’t make a difference. But it’s the small everyday changes and decisions that we make as individuals that WILL make a difference. My previous career was in nonprofit fundraising. I told people “Every dollar counts, because your dollar, combined with my dollar, combined with the dollar from the person down the street, that’s how we make a difference.” The thought here is that the sum is greater than all its parts. This method was a successful fundraising model for our organization for decades and the last year I was there we raised over 47. 4 million dollars in the annual campaign for our local county. And it started with just a dollar. We can effect change by combining all our small efforts. It starts now with just one change, “I pledge to unplug all my electronic devices when I leave the house for the day”. It starts with one phone call to our senators. Whatever we do, it needs to start now.
I encourage you to advocate for the issues you feel are important. Write to your legislators; they respond when enough of their constituents are coming forward with a united voice. Talk with our local Department of Land and Natural Resources officials to see how they are looking towards the future to implement ecosystem-based management. Talk to your HR department about how they can make your workplace more green and tell your co-workers to do the same. Write a letter to your local paper. The more people talking about an issue the more likely it is to get attention. We must articulate our views respectfully, with facts, passion, and without aggression and our point will get across.
Research like that of Rob Toonen is powerful but without action from the public it may never be used to protect these important eco-systems or our future. Let’s not let the hard work of the Toonen lab go to waste! Reference: (coming soon)
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