Saving the World's Coral Reefs

Sometimes building a network of coral reef advocates means getting wet—and on Maui recently, this meant that even the mayor dove in. This spring, field managers Liz Foote and Wesley Crile, along with partners from the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative and the Division of Aquatic Resources, are holding a series of “snorkel tours” for local decision makers and other stakeholders. The first one was held at—and in—the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area. Before taking to the water, Liz spoke to the group about CORAL’s work with resorts to promote water conservation and support the county’s efforts to expand wastewater reuse infrastructure. A greater network of recycled wastewater pipes will ultimately improve local reef health and conserve potable water supplies.

On the tour, participants saw reef conditions ranging from dead zones to healthy coral with a school of grazing surgeonfishes, a hopeful sign of recovery. Says Liz, “The mayor, who arrived barefoot with his mask and fins in a bucket, and who is an avid waterman, was eagerly engaged and interested in exploring solutions together. He is supportive of holistic watershed-based conservation strategies in line with the Hawaiian concept of ahupua‘a management.” Ahupua’a refers to the traditional Hawaiian concept of managing land and other natural resources from the mountains to the sea.

CORAL’s Hawai‘i staff is also working with the 15-year old founder of ReefQuest, Dylan Vecchione, to build a “network” of coral reef images by taking overlapping photos of Maui reefs that will be used in ReefQuest’s online educational tool, the “Virtual Reef.” The Virtual Reef uses Microsoft’s Photosynth technology to create a three-dimensional rendering of the reef that can be used to monitor reef health over time (monitoring will take place on a biennial basis). Liz says she will use it in workshops and lesson plans for teachers as well as for speaking to decision makers. “It’s a great way for people who cannot or do not want to get in the water to see a reef,” she says.