Underwater Eden: new book explores the Phoenix Island Protected Area

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) came into existence in 2006.  It was, at the time, the largest marine protected area in the world and was the result of a courageous step by the government of the Republic of Kiribati - a South Pacific nation consisting of what was once known as the Gilbert, Phoenix, and Line Islands.  With scientific support from Conservation International and other research institutions, like the New England Aquarium, an area of over 157,000 square miles was designated as a protected area, including eight islands, several major submerged reefs, hundreds of square miles of corals ecosystems and vast areas of open ocean protected from commercial fishing.  In 2010, PIPA was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and, while it has been surpassed in size by other marine protected areas, it still stands as a major success in forward-thinking ocean management.

But how did such a monumental step in marine ecology management come to pass?  How did the government of Kiribati come to this ground-breaking decision?  What did marine researchers find in assessing the area?  What makes PIPA so special in terms of sealife? And what are the plans for the future?  To answer these questions, many of the people involved in the development and study of PIPA have put pen to paper and a new book will be available in November, Underwater Eden: Saving the Last Coral Wilderness on Earth.

Edited by Greg Stone, PhD., chief ocean scientist at Conservation International, and David Obura, PhD., adjunct senior scientist with the New England Aquarium, Underwater Eden details the evolution of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area from the difficult political decision-making (the formation of PIPA would entail the loss of international commercial fishing licenses totaling in the millions of dollars), the initial scientific expeditions to catalog the various species of animal and plant life - from fish to seabirds to invasive insects, to the future plans to ensure not only the health and vibrancy of PIPA but the economic well-being of the Kiribati people.

The Kiribati people figure prominently in this book.  Their culture is one that has been forever tied to the sea.  While the ocean is an important key to their survival, they also understand that the ocean, too, must survive.  Both their fates are intertwined and their commitment to PIPA is both heart warming and encouraging.  If only the rest of the planet could see the oceans through the eyes of the Kiribati people.

Through words and striking pictures from top notch photographers like Brian Skerry, Paul Nicklen, and Cat Holloway, Underwater Eden presents the treasures of the Phoenix Islands that rest just beneath the waves.  From 2000 to 2009, four scientific expeditions set out to observe the variety of sealife and document the condition of the coral reefs.  Such studies established a baseline by which the health of the protected area could be monitored and assessed.  However, even in a pristine environment, there can be threats.  Early in PIPA's history, it was impacted by shark fishing poachers (who were ultimately apprehended) and by a coral bleaching event in 2002.  Fortunately, the shark population rebounded as did the coral reefs, serving as examples of nature's resiliency when given a chance to recover.

Greg Stone has often said that through the Phoenix Islands he is able to get a glimpse as to how the oceans were a thousand years ago.  And through Underwater Eden: Saving the Last Coral Wilderness on Earth, we are able to get our own glimpse as to just what he was talking about.  Full of personal first-hand accounts, interesting sidebars, and great photos, this is a book that will strengthen the resolve of dedicated ocean conservationists and enlighten those who do not yet understand the importance of marine protected areas.

You can pre-order Underwater Eden through Amazon in its hard copy edition, just in time for the holiday gift season.  It is very reasonably priced and, most importantly, all of the proceeds go to support the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.  In bringing the back story of one of the most significant steps taken in ocean conservation, this book also provides you with the opportunity to make a contribution to preserving an amazing coral wilderness which continues to serve as a model for critically-needed protected areas worldwide.

Available at Amazon.com. 

Peter Benchley Ocean Awards: ocean conservationists recognized at gala event

This past Friday, I attended the 5th Annual Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, held at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.  The awards are presented by Wendy Benchley and David Helvarg's Blue Frontier Campaign to honor those people who have made quantifiable contributions to ocean conservation.
         
"For all the challenges we face, people like those we honor tonight offer practical, common sense solutions to help assure abundant, healthy and sustainable coasts, oceans and the communities that depend on them." - Peter Benchley Ocean Awards
           
To many outside of the ocean conservation community, Peter Benchley is known as the author of JAWS which, over the passage of time, proved to be a two-edged sword for shark awareness.  Peter recognized that, while he wrote a novel based on known perceptions (and some misconceptions) of sharks at the time, much work needed to be done to take the public's initial awareness and fear of sharks and turn it into appreciation and protection. So, while the fame of JAWS would be forever with him, Peter became an ardent and passionate ocean and shark conservationist until he passed away in 2006.
             
The California Academy of Sciences, situated in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, served as a fitting place to hold the awards.  The Academy brings together several of San Francisco's great science museums and institutions, like the Steinhart Aquarium, in a setting that stresses the importance of science in solving many of the environmental and social problems facing the world today.  The evening started with the usual reception where you could meet recognized ocean conservation luminaries, catch up with colleagues, and make new acquaintances.  But this was more than just an ocean celebrity event.  As the crowd moved to the dining area and the award presentations began, you realized that while many of the award recipients were well known to the audience, they were unknown to most of the broader public.  Their hard work and successes were not motivated by fame and fortune - if there is such a thing in ocean conservation - but by an understanding that our futures are inextricably tied to a healthy blue planet.
            
A total of eight awards were presented in various categories including national stewardship, policy, science, media, and exploration.  Here are a few highlights:
              
President Anote Tong of the Republic of Kirabati received the award for Excellence in National Stewardship of the Ocean for his efforts in developing the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, at the time the world's largest marine protected area (150,000 square miles), situated in the Pacific Ocean.  President Tong worked with his government and his people to help realize the importance of PIPA to the long-term survival of Kiribati both environmentally and economically.  The UN recognized PIPA as a World Heritage Site and President Tong is working with other Pacific island nations to form a coalition of linked marine parks that would rival any in size to date.
            
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island received the award for Excellence in Policy for his work as a member of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, his efforts to establish the Senate Ocean Caucus, and his introduction of legislation for an Ocean Trust Fund.  As a policy maker in today's political climate where there are those who would like to not only stall any efforts on behalf of the oceans and the environment in general, but would prefer to undo much of the progress that has been made to date, it is a hard row to hoe for someone like Senator Whitehouse.  In his accepting remarks to the audience, he emphasized that perseverance will be needed in the face of some tough opposition ahead.
               
Underwater photographer Brian Skerry was awarded for his body of work that includes many photos and photo articles for National Geographic.  While his underwater work is spectacular, Brian realized an obligation to go beyond just pretty pictures and to show the whole truth - the beauty of what is worth saving and the tragedy of what is too often taking place.  With his work through National Geographic books and articles and his speaking engagements, Brian brings both enlightenment and a warning that the oceans contain incredible beauty which in many ways is under siege.
                  

Awards were also presented to Dr. Nancy Rabalias for her 30-years of research in the Gulf of Mexico's oxygen-depleted Dead Zone that threatens the Gulf ecology, commercial fishing, and tourism.  Dr. Geraldine Katz was recognized for her work as Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, working to reduce the pollution from port equipment, facilities and ships by 75% - way over the original mandate of 20% proposed by the San Pedro Bay ports' Clean Air Action Plan.  Google was recognized for its efforts in developing the Ocean layer component of its Google Earth interactive experience.  With a computer and Google Ocean, any citizen of the world can visit ocean locations, both above and below the surface, to learn more about a world that may be completely foreign to the them and, in the process, come to understand the importance of preserving and protecting it.
                     
The young and the old were recognized: a Hero of the Seas award was presented to posthumously to Peter Douglas who helped create the California Coastal Commission in 1972 and, as Executive Director from 1985 to 2011, faced off with developers, industrialists, and even governors to ensure that the California coast was healthy and safe from destructive development, making it the state treasure that it should always be for the people of California.  Sadly, Peter passed away this past April.
           
A true David and Goliath story, eleven-year old Ta'Kaiya Blaney, a native First Nations Canadian, was awarded the Christopher Benchley Youth Award, named for the Benchley's late son.  Ta'Kaiya has been taking on the big oil companies that are seeking to build tar-sands pipelines, refineries and shipping terminals in British Columbia.  Concerned with the fate of oil spills on the local sea otters she loves, she has focused her activism through song and has had considerable YouTube exposure for her song, Shallow Waters.  She has more songs on the way and is now working with Greenpeace and First Nations to continue her fight to protect her homeland ecology.
                

                  
It was a great evening to hear what is being accomplished by a wide range of people who all share a common passion for preserving the environment.  No one is naive; all understand the challenges ahead and all are prepared to work towards real change.
                   
"May we all have our spirits renewed and refreshed while we rededicate ourselves to the protection of our last great commons from sea to shining sea and across this great blue marble planet we call home."
                  
Photo Credits:
Top: Deb Castellana
Bottom: Jennifer Foulkes

Dr. Gregory Stone: understanding ocean conservation on the world stage

I first met Dr. Greg Stone some years back when he was heading up research and expeditions for Boston's New England Aquarium. I was there conducting a screening and meet-and-greet for my documentary, Island of the Great White Shark. We spent some time chatting about the oceans and he was kind enough to give me a copy of his book, Ice Island, about Antarctica's largest iceberg.

We next met when I corralled him to be on the shark conservation discussion panel for the inaugural BLUE Ocean Film Festival and Ocean Summit. Soon after that event, Greg took the position of Chief Scientist for Oceans with Conservation International. In that capacity he has been instrumental in working with the Kiribati government to establish the Phoenix Island Marine Reserve, the second largest marine reserve in the world.

Greg was kind enough to once again join the shark conservation panel I organized for the BLUE Ocean Film Festival this past August. His contributions were most insightful as he has not only an extensive grasp of the scientific issues surrounding many of our most pressing ocean conservation issues, but also has a mastery of the political, economic, and diplomatic realities that are crucial in making quantitative progress. We continue to stay in touch and I look forward to meeting up with him again soon, although he has lately been racking up frequent flyer miles like nobody's business. He's currently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which follows recent meetings in London, Washington D.C., and Australia. He heads back to his new home base in New Zealand when schedules permit.

Greg has been a featured presenter for TED.com and a new interview was just posted on Treehugger.com. Below are a few interview excerpts followed by the Ted.com presentation. Greg is someone who understands both the critical issues of marine conservation and how the world works. And with that, he gets things done.

"Part of Conservation International's (CI) work builds upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration. We empower societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature and our global biodiversity, for the well-being of people. That last part is key. We humans need healthy ocean ecosystems and abundant natural resources to thrive."

"The issue of profitability is less critical than the understanding and belief that sustainably
managing nature actually improves lives by providing new, diversified or more stable income opportunities. For example, if there are abundant fish and healthy coral reefs, eco-tourism and small-scale fisheries that depend on these resources are more likely to grow and succeed. If people see the livelihood benefits in responsible stewardship of ocean resources, they are more likely to become incentivized to support conservation."

"In order to save the oceans we need to begin to look at the issues in a collective way. In the past marine conservation has been issue driven and hasn't looked at the bigger picture. Now through marine reserves, marine protected areas, seascapes and now oceanscapes we can focus efforts on larger areas of ocean and can work with governments on collectively managing them. As we scale up in size, these areas will provide healthy habitats for diverse and abundant marine life, and also provide homes and income for millions of people."