Coral Reef Health

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is not good, but what is the answer to the problem?
 
I have tried to find the number of divers extant, but have been unsuccessful. However many the actual number, I am sure it is significant enough to form a fairly powerful lobby. How do we affect change?

1) Boycott the companies whose practices are contributing to the degredation of our marine environment.

2) Raise money for the stabilization of precarious situations, the rejuvenation of the almost gone, and the recultivation of those areas already gone. I would love to know how many divers dive those reefs...if we all contibuted $10 a year, how much would that be?

3) Raise awareness by raising our voices!

4) Raise the stakes on bouyancy control-better training and more stringent application of the standards before issuing C-cards. Although I doubt that diver impact is a significant cause...but who knows?

Ken
 
good suggestions however it seems to me that divers are not the largest problem. Overall it seems that pollution from many different soures is more of a problem.

Isn't PADI's project AWARE already addressing these issues? If so, is this enough or is it it something that is falling short of goals or expectations?
 
Everyone is aware of the problem: we're sh##ing in our own nest, bigtime. The vast majority of us are unwilling or unable to do anything about it.

It's not possible to live without making an impact, so decide what kind of impact you want to make. It's not just the guy with a leaky septic tank in the Keys - are you willing to abandon your lawn, throw your car keys away, go to bed when it gets dark or dig a pit toilet?

Too many people, too small planet.

Steven
 
essentially we share the same thought. To end the problem the needs to be an end to human activity as we know it. Something more closely related to Neanderthal man would would probably work. Of course that wou pretty much put an end to diving:wink:

More seriously though, I'm not sure there is a workable solution to many of these problems. Something needs to be done but just what that something is I have no idea.
 
The problem is people, but we can't just get rid of all the people, can we??!! :eek:ut: PADI's AWARE project does try an address the issues but my exsperiance with them was no one was doing anything they were just talking about it.
-A.J.
:blfish:
 
I don't know about you guys, but I was not aware of AWARE until I was there, and even since becoming a donor, there is still little AWARENESS!

Where does the money go?

Sometimes an important stand is an unpopular one. If all the cert agencies made a $10 per year contribution for ecological conservation mandatory, we might make a dent. However, people will scream about it. There is another thread with a diver absolutely incensed over the $10 per year contribution to reef preservation which they just implemented in the Keys.

Ken
 
An unpopular stand is unpopular because it is unreasonable or even outright theft.

Mandatory "contribution"? The two words do not belong next to each other; they are each other's antithesis.

If I dive in a cave, why should I pay for "ecological madness", or more commonly, environmentalist whack-jobs?

If I dive in open water, why should I be FORCED to support someone ELSE's idea of what is necessary?

How about those of you who want to make your point do so by persuasion, rather than force?

Naw, that would be too democratic. Its far easier to just take what you want, regardless of the justification - if any - that is available.
 
the $10 for reef preservation? Who gets the money after its been collected? Does anyone account for the spending of this money? What projects are the monies going to fund and is there reasonable expectation of achieving meaningful results?

I wouldn't have an objection to the $10 but this is the first I've heard of it. It might irk me to find out about it when I got to the boat.

Maybe some of the Florida folks could find out some details for us?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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