DAZZLING OCEANS: DR.

ENRIC SALA

17

OCEAN

CARE

BY DR . ENRIC SALA

WE CAN HAVE OUR FISH AND EAT THEM, TOO

The water was clean and clear, but there were no sharks or groupers in sight. The bottom was covered with little brown, green and red algae, and the few shes I could see were smaller than my mask. Sadly, that was the landscape of my childhood: the glimpse of a formerly rich world, now in decadence although I thought that was the norm. My fantasy world of colourful abundance was limited to television documentaries. Little did I know how much we had really lost until eight years later, when I became certi ed to scuba dive, and dived for the rst time at the Medes Islands, one kilometre offshore from the town of LEstartit, Spain. I can still remember the moment when I rst swam to the bottom

I had just nished watching a Jacques Cousteau documentary. The famous Calypso divers were in a stunning tropical location, diving with sharks in crystal clear water and interacting with a huge grouper. As soon as the show nished, I took my mask, snorkel and little blue ns, and ran to the sea. It was 1978, I was ten, and I was living in the Costa Brava with my family on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. I ran down a narrow path on the hill among thick blackberry bushes, until I reached a small cove with gnarled pines bent deep over orange granite rocks, like they were trying to kiss the sea. The shallow waters of the cove were the most delicate collage of turquoise and blues. I threw my t-shirt and sandals on the sand, and threw myself into the inviting waters.

Photograph courtesy of: National Geographic Society

16

SUMMER 2010

DAZZLING OCEANS: DR. ENRIC SALA OCEAN CARE

19

and saw my rst grouper, and my second, and my third. Schools of silver corvina with golden ns, staying still like a mobile on a windless day, and scorpion sh that blended so well with the rock that I thought it was part of it. Here nally was the sea that I had dreamt of while watching those Cousteau documentaries. Why was this place so different from the shallow coves of my childhood? The answer to my question is simple. We have taken too many sh out of the sea, at a rate faster than they can reproduce. Scienti c studies indicate that 90% of the large ocean predators sharks, tuna, sword sh, cod, groupers are gone because of over shing. If current trends continue, commercial sheries will collapse globally before 2050. But there are a handful of places that people have had the wisdom to set aside, where shing is not permitted, to allow marine life to recover. The Medes Islands is one of these marine reserves, the equivalent of national parks of the sea. It does not take rocket science to understand that, when not killed, sh take a longer time to die, they grow larger, and reproduce abundantly. Marine life increases in these reserves. After some years, sh become so abundant in the reserves and reproduce so much that they spill over, replenishing the populations around the reserves. This restoration of the marine ecosystem results in a bonanza for people, too. Divers want to go to these reserves and see these sh, including the large groupers that we thought did not exist except on television. This provides jobs for the local communities. The Medes Islands, for example, although only 94 hectares in size (less than a square kilometre) produce around six million euros per year in tourist revenue twenty times more than shing. In the Caribbean, half of all dives occur in marine protected areas

although these areas account for less than 4% of the coral reefs in the region. People are sending a clear signal that they want to visit places that are more natural. The spillover from these reserves also helps shermen, who catch more around the reserves than in places that have no reserves; because of that, their revenue also increases. In the Solomon Islands, for example, household income doubled in a local village thanks to the creation of a marine reserve. In the Philippines, a small reserve in Apo Island, only 22 hectares, was so successful that 300 other communities in the country decided to imitate Apo and create their own community-based reserves. Marine reserves like these are like our own personal savings accounts: they are a principal that we dont touch, which produces interest that we can enjoy. A world without reserves is like a debit account that everybody withdraws from, but nobody deposits into. Because the abundance of marine life inside the reserves increases over time for many years, this is like compound interest. It may seem counter-intuitive, but prohibiting shing in some areas helps us sh more elsewhere, and it creates jobs. We can have our sh and eat them, too. If marine reserves are such a no-brainer, one would think that the sea would be full of them. Far from it. While 12% of the land is protected in national parks or natural reserves, less than 1% of the sea has any kind of protection. Only a fraction of this 1% is fully protected in no-take marine reserves. However, scienti c studies suggest that at least 20% of the ocean must be protected. Why? Why has what seems like such a logical and proven, successful conservation-andbusiness model not been imitated everywhere? Why doesnt everybody living on the coast want a thriving savings account?

...we need a new philosophical approach to marine reserves that both powers and focuses the business opportunities of marine conservation.

Photograph courtesy of: National Geographic Society

18

SUMMER 2010

DAZZLING OCEANS: DR. ENRIC SALA OCEAN CARE

21

Photograph courtesy of: National Geographic Society

20

SUMMER 2010

DAZZLING OCEANS: DR. ENRIC SALA OCEAN CARE

23

There are three main reasons that explain the meager abundance of marine reserves. First, most people are not aware of what we are doing to the ocean, why it is crucial to human health itself, or what the solutions themselves are. Second, ocean governance is poorly structured for successful outcomes for the many: most coastal communities do not have the authority to manage their local resources and create their own reserves. Instead, they depend on top-down bureaucracies of varying complexity that foster inef cacy and corruption. Moreover, the high seas the waters beyond the national 200-mile exclusive economic zones belong to everybody and nobody, so there is no established mechanism to create international reserves and enforce them. Third, there is limited funding for implementing marine reserves, although in many cases the initial capital outlay needed is minimal. Most of the funding comes from governments, private foundations, or non-governmental organisations; but they have only so many resources, and cannot help establish the thousands of reserves that are needed worldwide. What are the solutions? First, we need to develop global awareness to inspire local and national leaders, businesses, and coastal communities, to create more marine reserves. Second, we need governments to commit to more marine-protected areas and to create the legislation that facilitates the creation of reserves. Finally, we need a new philosophical approach to marine reserves that both powers and focuses the business opportunities of marine conservation. Knowing that reserves produce ecological, social and economic returns, lets see them as

an investment. The bene ts of marine reserves far outweigh the costs. Furthermore, they are like an insurance policy against the global degradation of the marine environment. Reserves not only give us recreational opportunities and more sh, but also help restore marine ecosystems that are key for the health of the ocean. The sea harbours complex, diverse and wonderful ecosystems such as coral reefs, kelp forests and deep seamounts. They, and the species they contain, have a right to exist and we have the responsibility to prevent their destruction. You might be wondering how you can help. At National Geographic Society, we are developing a global partnership initiative to help restore the health and productivity of the ocean, with marine reserves as a key component. We will conduct scienti c expeditions, produce compelling media of the last wild ocean places, raise awareness on a global scale, and work with businesses, policymakers and non-governmental organisations to achieve the common goal of protecting at least 20% of the ocean by 2020. If you love the ocean and want to help, please contact us. There are many ways that, together, we can make a difference, and we will be happy to discuss with you how to make our common dream possible: to restore an ocean that is healthy and productive, for the bene t of humankind and life on the planet. You can be part of this legacy.

Photograph courtesy of: National Geographic Society

22

SUMMER 2010