Ira Rubinoff Director
“Welcome to Tropicos online! We created this edition to celebrate the 2023 Our Ocean conference in Panama. Conference participants pledged $20 billion to expand and improve marine protected areas and biodiversity corridors in the region. STRI marine biologists will provide the best science to support decision makers and train the next generation of ocean leaders as we move forward. Enjoy!”
INTRODUCTION
Ricardo de Ycaza
Science and Conservation Coordinator, STRI
We are Committed!
On March 2-3, 2023, the Republic of Panama hosted the OOC. Panama's extensive coastlines are bathed by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and our history and culture are intricately ocean-linked. This event convened global ocean leaders to jointly tackle cross-cutting issues, focusing on six thematic action areas: marine protected areas, sustainable blue economies, climate change, maritime security, sustainable fisheries, and maritime pollution. The collective voices of scientists, politicians, tech developers, philanthropists, civil society, and other ocean actors from across the globe united to leverage the resources and political will to push forward a sustainable ocean agenda.
The human-ocean relationship spans millions of years; our interdependence increased throughout history. Today, we all depend on the ocean. No matter where we live or what we do, most of our everyday goods and services connect to the sea somehow.
We have historically viewed the ocean as a limitless resource, but with the human population at 8 billion, our actions threaten the ocean's essential functions, the survival of its inhabitants, and the goods and services it provides.
Scientific and technological advancements help us better understand the ocean and become more responsible, effective, and efficient stewards. However, securing a sustainable ocean future will take more than scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge technologies; only communication, collaboration, and cooperation can make this happen.
Since 2014, the Our Ocean Conference (OOC) has created a space for global ocean leaders from the public, private, and civil society sectors to unite, communicate, and chart cooperative and collaborative pathways forward. The characteristic setting the OOC apart from other meetings is its focus on bold, impactful commitments and accountability.
Each year, a different country hosts the OOC. The host takes on the task of tracking and reporting progress on previous commitments and capturing new pledges for positive ocean actions. Since its inception, the OOC has mobilized 1,800+ commitments worth over $108 billion and led to the protection of more than five million square miles of ocean space. These numbers grow with every conference. While the OOC is not the only tool required to secure our common goal of a sustainable and resilient ocean future, it is a meaningful step in the right direction.
On March 2-3, 2023, the Republic of Panama is hosting the OOC. Panama's extensive coastlines are bathed by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and our history and culture are intricately ocean linked. This event convenes global ocean leaders to jointly tackle cross-cutting issues, focusing on six thematic action areas: marine protected areas, sustainable blue economies, climate change, maritime security, sustainable fisheries, and marine pollution. The collective voices of scientists, politicians, tech developers, philanthropists, civil society, and other ocean actors from across the globe will unite to leverage the resources and political will required to push forward a sustainable ocean agenda.
Since the Smithsonian's first biological survey of Panama in 1910, its researchers have collaborated with local researchers and governments to provide scientific information for evidence-based policy and decision-making concerning the conservation and sustainable management of ecosystems and resources in Panama and other tropical regions of the world. Science informs Panama's pioneering creation of extensive marine protected areas and management strategies to decrease potentially negative impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
With collaborators and students from more than 50 nations worldwide, researchers hosted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute work together to ask how land and sea are connected, how coral reefs are resilient to changing climate, and how human pollutants impact ocean life. By carrying out its mission to increase and share knowledge about the past, present, and future of tropical ecosystems and their relevance to human welfare, STRI commits to delivering the science we need to ensure a positive, prosperous future for both people and the sea.
PANAMA'S THREE SEAS
Between 20 million and 3 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama formed, dividing a single tropical ocean into two parts. The Caribbean side became warmer, saltier, and deficient in nutrients—classical conditions for coral reef formation. On the Pacific side, seasonal upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water created a rich fishery in the Bay of Panama. Further to the west, upwelling does not occur, and Pacific waters are warmer.
* To learn more about Panama’s Caribbean, Gulf of Chiriqui and Gulf of Panama, click on the text in this interactive map.
PANAMA'S THREE SEAS
Between 20 million and 3 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama formed, dividing a single tropical ocean into two parts. The Caribbean side became warmer, saltier, and deficient in nutrients—classical conditions for coral reef formation. On the Pacific side, seasonal upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water created a rich fishery in the Bay of Panama. Further to the west, upwelling does not occur, and Pacific waters are warmer.
After almost 30 hours of sailing from Panama City, the M/V Argo, with six researchers and two science communicators on board, stopped near the fifth parallel: a few meters from the line that divides Panamanian and Colombian waters.
A long underwater mountain range shared by both countries rose from the sea floor, one of its peaks directly below the ship, at a depth of about 130 meters. The Colombian side of the seamount had been explored before, but the Panamanian side had not. The scientific expedition led by marine ecologist Héctor Guzmán from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and MigraMar, and with researchers from Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama, would be the first to do so.
In the style of French explorer Jacques Cousteau, Guzmán would descend twice a day in the DeepSee, a three-seater yellow submarine piloted by the crew of the Argo, reaching up to 350 meters deep—about ten times deeper than a technical dive. He would explore not only the seamount located on the fifth parallel, but also three other mounts linked by the same underwater mountain range that connects Panama with Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia. Known as the Cordillera de Coiba, this range is also the centerpiece of a marine protected area that the Government of Panama recently expanded to 68,000 km2, making it possible for the country to achieve the United Nations 2030 goal of protecting 30% of its oceans nine years ahead of the target date.
“Panama has taken a giant step forward and is leading the region in conservation issues”, said César Peñaherrera, PhD in quantitative marine sciences at MigraMar and one of the scientists on the expedition. “In less than seven years it has managed not only to create new marine protected areas, but to meet many of the goals of the global 30x30 initiative.”
Each day of the expedition, César Peñaherrera used his quantitative marine science skills to create maps showing the points explored with the BRUVS and the submarine, as well as the depths reached. Credit: César Peñaherrera | Graphics: Jorge Alemán
The data collected during the ten days at sea would help to better understand and protect the marine reserve designated by Mission Blue as a Hope Spot: a unique place that has been identified as critical to the health of the oceans.
Deep in the water, where the sun's glare no longer reaches and the blue sea turns black, the DeepSee turned on its headlights and began to explore the seamounts. Eleven dives on the two shallowest mounts detected during the expedition revealed an abundance of a yellow soft coral, which was collected and will be analyzed to determine if it is a new species. A diversity of fish, eels, sponges, sea cucumbers, crustaceans and starfish, among others, were also found. Several kilos of rock were collected to better understand their geological origin and to be able to compare the mount with Hannibal Bank, 200 miles north.
Pelagic species—such as sharks, sailfish, rays and turtles—were monitored at a depth of 10 meters by baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS), stainless steel structures with three video cameras and a container of chopped fish designed to attract them with their scent. Since seamounts are aggregation areas for migratory marine species, expectations were high to discover which animals were circulating around the Cordillera de Coiba.
The first sightings with the BRUVs did not take long. From the beginning, sharks were observed, including the rare thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) and a school of approximately 60 hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), a critically endangered species. Another big surprise was the appearance of a Masturus lanceolatus, or sharptail mola, towards the end of the expedition, as it is a fish that lives in oceans around the world, but is rarely detected. In total, some 900 hours of video were collected, including 360-degree videos, which will be analyzed in more detail later. Preliminarily, however, the findings suggest that this may be an important area for migratory marine species.
The submarine dives also surprised researchers on the last day of exploration: a site was detected with an abundance of prickly sharks (Echinorhinus cookei), a deep-sea species of which very little is known, as it is not easy to observe. The find was made on a seamount named by Guzmán in honor of the recently deceased marine explorer and Coiba National Park diver, Kevan Mantell.
“Our expedition was complex, its success depended on the extraordinary effort and teamwork of the scientific staff alongside the crew from the ship and submarine,” said Guzmán. “We achieved our initial goals, assessing migratory species and exploring never-before-seen seamounts that stand out in this great country yearning for science and discovery.”
Despite the exciting and eye-opening discoveries of this first scientific expedition to the Cordillera de Coiba, some moments were less hopeful. Throughout the trip it was common to observe trash floating on the high seas, especially plastic bottles. Several fishing lines were observed, stuck in the seamounts.
And finally, a small vessel was identified sailing close to the Argo during the midpoint of the expedition, which was shark finning in the marine protected area, a cruel and illegal practice prohibited in Panama and which threatens shark populations and the general health of the oceans. Coincidentally, on the days that vessel was close to the scientific expedition, the amount of marine fauna recorded on the BRUVS was drastically reduced. The implementation of the recently approved management plan for the Cordillera, which includes a satellite monitoring system, will be critical for ensuring this is a genuinely protected area.
This first scientific exploratory mission was made possible thanks to funding from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the STRI Advisory Board, the Collatos Family Foundation, the Hothem family, Joanna and Kelso Sutton, Re:wild, the Wyss Foundation and Mission Blue, as well as the efforts of scientists representing MigraMar, the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP), the University of Costa Rica and the Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR), Malpelo Foundation and the unconditional support of the crew of the M/V Argo of Undersea Hunter Group.
The scientists on board represented four countries with highly connected marine protected areas: Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. Understanding the biodiversity in the Cordillera de Coiba will benefit conservation efforts as a whole.
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY
Exploring the Seamounts of Panama
On YouTube's Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute channel
How do coral reefs cope with climate change? The Rohr Reef Resilience Project compares corals in stable environments with corals living with natural climate extremes to find out.
Climate change, warming waters, ocean acidification… Coral reefs have a lot to cope with. Their health and survival are essential for fish communities, seaweed, and microorganisms. But will they survive as conditions become more unstable?
A group of marine scientists ask how corals in the Tropical Eastern Pacific withstand drastic environmental changes, and consider whether the results can be used to protect corals elsewhere in the world.
The Rohr Reef Resilience Project, a four-year longterm monitoring project funded by private investor Mark Rohr, began with a proposal by STRI marine biologists David Kline, Matthieu Leray, Mark Torchin and Sean Connolly to study coral reefs in two different habitats in the Panama Pacific to see how well the two dominant coral species tolerate changing conditions.
“Environmental conditions in the Tropical Eastern Pacific are marginal for reef development: the ocean chemistry for corals to make skeletons is not there, and it is cold relative to other places,” explains Connolly. “But there is nutrient input in some areas due to seasonal coastal upwelling. So, we thought of this region as a natural laboratory for understanding how corals cope with change because of the difficult environment.”
Seasonal upwelling occurs when trade winds push away warm surface waters and cold waters from the ocean bottom surges up, bringing nutrients in the form of phytoplankton and zooplankton.
The Tropical Eastern Pacific region of Panama is ideal for studying the effects of the upwelling phenomenon. To the west, in the Gulf of Chiriquí, the area of Coiba National Park has no upwelling, due to the high mountain ranges of the mainland blocking trade winds; but in the east, in the Las Perlas Archipelago, upwelling happens when the winds push away the warm surface waters, making cold waters from the bottom of the ocean to surge up, bringing nutrients like phytoplankton and zooplankton to the surface. Graphic: Paulette Guardia
The project compares six sites in Panama: three in the Las Perlas archipelago in the Gulf of Panama, where there is seasonal upwelling; and three in Coiba National Park in the Gulf of Chiriquí, where there is no upwelling because mountain ranges block the winds. Researchers visit each site twice a year to analyze and collect samples during both upwelling and non-upwelling seasons.
“You have the same two species of corals subjected to two completely different conditions, and you can compare how they behave, adapt, etc., all in one place,” says STRI fellow Laura Marangoni, who specializes in coral physiology. “The hypothesis is that going through these severe changes would make them more robust.”
For the second annual visit to Coiba National Park, in September, Connolly and STRI fellows Marangoni, Andrew Sellers, Helio Quintero and Viviane Ali and intern Brooklyn Johnson visit one site a day, Bahia Canales, Bahia Uvas and Bahia Damas, to do surveys, collections and create photographic records of the reef ecosystems.
Connolly creates a photomosaic of each reef, taking photos of a transect of the reef surface and loading them into software that tries to align them to create a 3D model.
STRI staff scientist Sean Connolly sets up an underwater camera to take pictures at one-second intervals, then swims from one end of the coral reef transect to the next, as if he were mowing a lawn. He does this twice: once closer to the surface to capture more detail, and once higher up in the water to create a better model of the three-dimensional structure. A software pieces together the resulting thousands of pictures to create a photomosaic 3D model.
“We thought of this region as a natural laboratory for understanding how corals cope with change because of the difficult environment.”
Sean Connolly
With Quintero and Ali's help, Marangoni collects coral sections from permanently tagged colonies for physiological and biochemical analyses, and for experiments with stressful conditions, like extreme temperatures. She and Ali also collect plankton, part of the coral diet.
Sellers, Quintero and Johnson do fish surveys by recording the fishes in a section of the reef with GoPro cameras, collecting water samples and doing a manual fish census. Sellers also uses herbivory plates installed above the reef, a technique that Torchin's lab uses to study marine invasions (see invasions article in this issue), to observe how reef herbivores interact with the corals and algae.
Later, an ally project group arrives in the STRI Coibita research station: Florida State University (FSU) student and STRI fellow Diana Lopez, whose fieldwork resembles Marangoni's, but includes coral DNA sampling and measuring corals' photosynthetic efficiency; and FSU PhD candidate Nathan Spindel, who collects sea urchins for experiments and to dissect for analysis.
The groups are already analyzing collections and experimenting, although there are still two years of field work left in the project. “There is plenty of data to work with. How fast we can learn things depends on having enough people to do the work,” Connolly says.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Ocean space invaders
Text: Vanessa Crooks
Photo: Ana Endara
As a transit route between the two oceans, Panama is the ideal place for researchers to monitor the incidence of interoceanic invaders.
Around three million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama bridged North and South America, allowing a great biotic exchange of land species between the two continents. But at the same time, the Isthmus became a natural barrier between the Atlantic and Pacific, creating two separate oceanic ecosystems.
This barrier opened when the Panama Canal connected the Pacific and the Caribbean in 1914. Unlike a sea-level canal, the Panama Canal’s locks system is thoughtfully designed to prevent marine fish and invertebrates from crossing. The locks channel freshwater down from a higher-elevation lake at the center of the canal into each ocean.
However, even though ships dump their ballast water—the water they carry to stabilize them—before crossing, some species still manage to get from one ocean to another, whether by clinging to ships’ hulls, or because they can survive and/or breed in less-salty lake water.
Today, ships of all sizes traveling from one ocean to the other create an opportunity for species on either side to travel as well; and following the Canal’s expansion to allow larger ships to pass, even more non-native species may be getting through.
When a foreign species invades a new habitat, it can have dire consequences for the ecosystem, especially if the species encounters no natural predators or parasites to keep it under control. Researchers studying these unexpected exchanges want to find what those consequences might be.
“Panama provides amazing opportunities to test key ideas about marine invasions by studying two very different oceans at the same latitude,” says STRI staff scientist Mark Torchin, who specializes in marine ecology and invasion biology.
“It is surprising that we don't see more successful marine invasions move across the Isthmus,” Torchin adds. “Some of those introduced species we find on the mainland are also out on the reefs in the islands, but only when predators are absent.”
But if these invasions continue, they could have unknown environmental consequences. Every new species can throw off an ecosystem’s balance, by disrupting the food chain or affecting the health of the ecosystem and the organisms within it.
To monitor the incidence of invasive species in the Canal and other parts of the Isthmus, researchers suspend PVC plates or panels underwater to be colonized by marine animals. These plates, which resemble patio tiles, are left in place for three months and then removed to analyze and identify the adhered species as native, non-native or of unknown origin.
Some of the panels are surrounded by mesh cages; algae and invertebrate larvae still get in and settle on the plates but are protected from predators. Scientists can then compare how these organisms proliferate when they are exposed to predators and when they are not, to predict what would happen in a coral reef if some of these invaders had no natural predators or if the number of predators decreases due to overfishing. Predators are key for controlling species’ populations.
Beyond monitoring the ability of a freshwater canal to act as a barrier between oceans, marine researchers also ask how environmental conditions relate to the incidence of marine invasions and the rate of predation, to understand what limits the distribution and abundance of non-native species in the Tropics compared to colder regions. “If we can understand that, then we can potentially mitigate their impact,” adds Torchin.
STRI research manager Carmen Schloeder places a PVC settlement plates underwater at coral reefs. These plates are installed for three months to allow for marine invertebrates to adhere at the bottom, whilst algae settle on top.
STRI staff scientist Mark Torchin specializes in marine ecology, invasion biology and disease ecology.
The settlement plates, which look like patio tiles, become a smorgasbord of the marine life; tunicates, barnacles, mollusks, anemones, sponges, etc., that can usually be found growing on the underside of piers, boats, ships, and other surfaces. These creatures fight for space to thrive on the surface of the plates, especially if they manage to attach themselves to a plate covered by a mesh cage, protected from predators. Credit: Carmen Schloeder and Andrew Sellers
We have depended on healthy oceans for centuries, and now the health of the ocean depends on us. From sustainable artisanal fishing to responsible tourism to community-based conservation, humans assume an essential, and wide-ranging role in protecting the ocean, and a half-a-dozen marine conservation organizations in Panama support these efforts.
Small-scale and sustainable fishing practices have been overtaken by mass undiscriminating fishing, putting a strain on fish populations, and pushing species to the brink of extinction. Marine transportation keeps growing to cope with global demands, turning the oceans into superhighways and disrupting the lives of marine mammals and other species. Small coastal communities struggle to preserve disappearing mangroves and coral reefs.
Now more than ever we recognize humans as both the problem and the solution and acknowledge that coastal people are the most vulnerable if we do nothing.
Three entities in Panama join forces with communities in the Pacific and the Atlantic to get to the root of each problem and find solutions that protect ecosystems and people.
MarViva, a non-profit in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia dedicated to promoting the conservation and sustainable use of marine coastal resources in the tropical Pacific, works with small fishing communities in the Gulf of Chiriquí to encourage their sustainable participation in commercial activity while they continue to maintain good, low-impact artisanal fishing practices and cultivate responsible consumer habits.
By organizing into associations, fishers become business owners who bring their products directly to market instead of depending on retailers to buy and sell what they catch. They improve their quality of life by taking control of their products, prices, and capital, generating employment and other income opportunities, especially in the eco-tourism industry.
“We're here to teach them what they need to know to be fully self-sustaining, and then they're in charge,” says Vicente Del Cid, manager for responsible production and consumption in Panama. Through the Federation of Artisanal Fishers in the Influence Area of Coiba National Park (FEPACOIBA), the associations have access to training, provided by MarViva and financed by the European Union, in business management, customer service, technology, and even gender equality; an important goal of this project is to achieve equity between men and women in decision-making positions.
Meanwhile in Bocas del Toro, a province on Panama's Atlantic coast, Panacetacea, an NGO dedicated to the protection of cetaceans and marine mammals, offers tour boat operators training workshops on safe and responsible whale- and dolphin-watching tourism. Humpback whales visit the Pacific shores of Panama each year between June and October, while dolphins inhabit the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and are an important to tourism and therefore to the local economy.
The organization also collaborates with organizations like Islas Secas Foundation to promote environmental education and the importance of conservation in Panama, through outreach for schoolchildren and public talks.
“Each community member has the responsibility, within their means, to preserve ocean ecosystems:” says Betzi Pérez-Ortega, STRI fellow and president of Panacetacea in Panama who studies dolphin populations in the area, “from boaters maintaining their boat engines to prevent oil from leaking to nature guides making sure that visitors keep beaches clean.”
Also in Bocas del Toro, the School for Field Studies in Panama (SFS) offers programs for university students on environmental policy, tropical coast ecology and resource management, supported on four pillars: research, teaching, community engagement and community-based conservation work.
Marine biologist Cinda Scott, who works with the SFS, wants to foster a connection with local communities as an essential part of the conservation work, encouraging students and researchers to actively work with and for the local people to find out what needs to be researched that would have the greatest impact in the area.
“Before, there wasn't much talk about parachute science or ocean equity,” she explains. “We want students to understand the ecology, but also how people interact with the natural environment, and how policies developed in Panama protect natural spaces and the people that live in those regions.”
A current project focuses on mangrove ecosystems and their social and cultural value to locals, beyond their role of protecting shorelines and coral reefs. “People say, 'mangroves are us, they are our life'. Bocas without mangroves would be devastating,” Cinda explains. “But MPAs here don't include the complex mangrove habitats, so what are we actually protecting if we don't include their biodiversity?”
Mission Blue Foundation recently declared Bocas del Toro a Hope Spot, a place identified as critical to the health of the ocean; SFS has since been working with the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) to promote and streamline sustainable tourism in Bocas, reducing pressure on natural spaces. “As a community we need to safeguard nature for the future,” Cinda says. “We can't have tourism if there's nothing here to see.”
GUEST COLUMN
Ana K. Spalding
Currently Director of the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative and the corresponding Center at STRI. Assistant professor at Oregon State University when this was written.
A new narrative for the ocean
In 2021 I wrote a blog post about Governance for the Anthropocene Ocean in which I identified key challenges and opportunities for the ocean and the communities who depend on it. In light of the Our Ocean Conference, held in Panama City in March, 2023, I have revisited these ideas to bring attention to one opportunity: the opportunity to redefine ocean narratives.
It is no secret that people and the sea are in crisis. Converging climate, public health, socioeconomic, and environmental justice crises have led to rapidly changing environmental conditions and increasingly vulnerable human communities across the globe. Scientists have alerted us to these threats, and growing reports about mental health, rising costs of energy, food insecurity, etc., are testament to growing socioeconomic problems. In the context of the ocean, while there is certainly much to learn from science in terms of its ability to help us identify the problems associated with changing ocean conditions, science alone cannot solve these problems. This leads me to think about the role of policy and management approaches in support of healthy ocean spaces and resources.
On the people side, international, regional, national, and local level policies aimed at improving socioeconomic conditions (e.g., development) are in place; although not always effective. International agencies realized the inextricable links between environment and development over fifty years ago (CITE); and dedicated ocean governance approaches ensued. However, the challenges of ocean governance center around 1. challenges in accountability towards achieving global targets and voluntary commitments to conservation; 2. a focus on management based on political-geographic boundaries instead of cross-cutting issues, such as climate change, that don’t respect or understand political boundaries; and 3. Lack of Comprehensive and Meaningful Action and Practice for Equity Considerations.
Strategically linking scientific knowledge and discoveries with a genuine concern for the human condition provides us with a unique opportunity at this time: to redefine ocean narratives. An especially critical narrative to center that around is representation and elevation of voices of a diverse ocean community. Representation matters! And whose story and whose needs and contributions are reflected in those stories is critical to informing and shaping policies.
Like science; will inclusion, itself, solve the challenges of ocean governance? Probably not. But it gives us a chance to try new things, to address questions of the appropriate balance between nature and people in making decisions about resource use and allocation. This linked socio-ecological approach, one that is grounded in inclusive approaches, requires not just interdisciplinary research, but also calls for the diversification of those doing the science, for the inclusion of local communities in decision-making processes, for the consideration of diverse perspectives in resource allocation and distribution, and for a wholistic approach to how we define and assess adaptation and resilience to a rapidly changing world.
A new, interdisciplinary and inclusive, narrative for the ocean opens up doors to adopting a collective approach towards achieving the ocean we want. The ocean is vast. The ocean is resilient. The ocean is diverse. It's time we consider the people who depend on it as also vast, resilient, and diverse. It was a pleasure to be able to engage in these conversations with environmental leaders, philanthropists, scientists, and representatives of coastal communities during the Our Ocean Conference in Panama in 2023.
Lifetimes
A single coral genome may persist for 5,000 years, making coral colonies one of the longest-lived animals on Earth. But coral reefs are made up of millions of tiny animals called polyps that may only live from 4-12 years and are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature and to pollution. On average—in the world—people live to be between about 70-75 years old. Our limited lifespan makes it difficult for us to perceive long-term environmental change. Marine biologists Nancy Knowlton and Jeremy Jackson, both emeritus marine biologists at STRI, began to study coral reefs 50 years ago—and both often speak out to warn of the changes they have seen and to celebrate the positive steps taken to counter reef decline.
What is pristine?
Jeremy Jackson's TED talk “How we wrecked the ocean” has been viewed more than half a million times. He worked with Hollywood filmmakers, especially Randy Olson, to produce media showing that what was considered a big fish in the first half of this century would now be gigantic in comparison to what fishers consider a big fish today. He asks us to remember that what we consider pristine, the natural state of the environment, is not likely to represent what healthy environments with little or no human intervention would look like. His work inspires staff scientist Aaron O’Dea and his group of paleobiologists to look for fossil evidence showing what Caribbean reefs looked like before human influence. Jeremy has also been a strong proponent of Marine Protected Areas: protecting entire ecosystems. This can be done via legislation and does not depend on individual actions, like eating less seafood. Acting on this idea, STRI staff scientist Héctor Guzmán contributes his research findings and coordinates players from countries around the region to place as much of the sea as possible into the category of Marine Protected Areas.
Jeremy’s book
Jeremy’s book with science journalist Steve Chapple, ‘Breakpoint, Tending to America’s Environmental Crises’, is the story of their trip along the Mississippi River and visits to California, New York and Florida to better understand how people and nature interact and how environmental crises take shape.
Why be optimistic?
Despite her personal experience of the decline and death of coral reefs in Jamaica where she had studied coral reefs and snapping shrimp, Nancy, working at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History at Sant Chair in Marine Sciences, pushed for the Smithsonian to celebrate Earth Optimism, changing the narrative from doom to hope, action, and mobilizing a global community to take immediate steps to improve environmental health. The Smithsonian held the first Earth Optimism Summit in 2017 and, in 2022 celebrated Earth Optimism on the National Mall. Nancy also started #OceanOptimism in 2014 to showcase ocean conservation success stories on Twitter. Both Nancy and Jeremy were chosen as members of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Citizens of the Sea
Nancy, a National Geographic Explorer, wrote “Citizens of the Sea” to celebrate the completion of a world-wide census of sea life. It is beautifully illustrated by National Geographic photographers.
Javier Jara
Javier Jara, assistant scientific coordinator at Naos Marine and Molecular Laboratories and expert diver, co-authored many of Knowlton’s papers.