In a recent Deep Sea News blog post, author and graduate student Alex Warneke, takes a close look at the inspiring illustrations of the marine world. Alex interviews Amadeo Bachar, a biological illustrations with a Masters Certificate in Scientific Illustration. An excerpt of the blog post appears below:

“They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” As cliche as it is, that phrase could not resonate more clearly for this visual learner than when I am flipping through a 10 lb. biology textbook full of thousands of words. I can read through pages and pages describing some ecological process or critter life cycle and be completely bogged down until, I hit the magical beacon of hope that brings it all together. An illustration. The same holds true for magazines, aquarium signage, field guides and I.D. books. Sometimes (dare I say usually)… the picture can tell you so much more. If done properly, it can completely transform a difficult idea into a simple and easily communicated concept.

Often, as scientists, I think we take these helpful diagrams for granted. Where do they even come from?! My first thought was little science minions, like Despicable Me status, locked up in some room at the publishing company being forced to draw out figure after textbook figure. But, that seemed to simple and obvious a conclusion. So I went looking and I found one. Not a minion (though that would be awesome), but a scientific illustrator.

For more information on Amadeo’s work as an artist and illustrator, please visit www.abachar.com

Amadeo Bachar is a freelance science illustrator and fine artist. He teaches digital illustration at the Science Illustration program at California State University, Monterey Bay. I actually met Amadeo a couple years back at a Fishing Expo and was so struck by the detail of his artwork that I knew he would be the perfect person to talk to when it came to learning more about the unique art that is biological illustration.”

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To read the full interview, see Alex Warneke’s Deep Sea News blog post here.
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Check out Amadeo’s science illustration skills in action in the following video:

The post From Coast to Canvas: The Art of Biological Illustration appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Being a classical ballet dancer for fourteen years allows me to confidently say that there is no feeling quite like dancing. It allows you to be bigger, to be out of your body, and feel emotions you’ve never experienced. The only thing that has ever made me feel quite as good as ballet, is the ocean. I naively use to think that the connection I had with ballet and the sea was unique. What I have discovered, and continue to discover, has proved me wrong.

This summer, before starting college, I met my first “dancer turned scientist.” Jillian Sawyna originally went to Marymount Manhattan College to major in Dance, and is now studying Marine Biology at Nova Southeastern University and is a dive master in Fort Lauderdale. A few months later, I was introduced to yet another dancer-scientist, Christine Beggs, the founder of Project Blue Hope, who coincidentally also started at Marymount Manhattan College as a dance major, before transferring to Goucher College to do her Bachelor’s in Biology and minor in Dance. Christine is now completing her Master’s in Marine Affairs and Policy. Then I began to look around me. An alumnus from my home ballet studio, Abbey Kay, apprentice with Sarasota ballet; and one of the ten-year-old students at International Dance Academy, Bridget Affanato, also seemed to have a special affinity with the ocean. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon an article about Sylvie Giullem that I realized there had to be something more at play.

Guillem, a supporter of Sea Shepherd says, “I have always been attracted to passionate people. The people at Sea Shepherd are passionate. Somebody asked me: ‘Why bother with fish?’ First of all, whales aren’t fish! Let’s not forget that the sea, the oceans, are like vital organs and people still don’t give a toss!” She continues, “For me, it’s a fight that has real value. If we keep on destroying fish, there won’t be any left. If the oceans die, we all die. It’s as simple as that. People ask, ‘Why not worry about saving children?’ But we make the mistake of thinking humans are at the center of everything, when we’re only part of the whole. We’re doing terrible damage. This is a fight against money and power, but also against people’s ignorance.” Needless to say, as a dancer myself, I found this all mind-blowing, and I began to see a clearer connection between ballet and the ocean.

Sure, you could call wanting to save the ocean a pure matter of intelligence, but I believe it goes beyond that. I have always said that ballet dancers, and artists, are more passionate and compassionate than the average person. Biologically speaking, I have wondered if dancers have higher levels of epinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins; allowing them to feel things more deeply. The same could be said for other serious athletes, as these chemicals are released during exercise. While that is only speculation, I can say that in order to dedicate your life to an art form you need to be so in love with it; you’re almost addicted. Dancers are acutely aware of their body and their surroundings, and just as Sylvie Guillem recognized, our oceans are like vital organs.

Ballet, and art, have a way of allowing our most innermost thoughts to become outward expressions. Dancing on stage I usually had one of two goals. Depending on the type of dance, I would either attempt to project my soul outward, or allow the audience to see inward into me. The emotions produced while dancing, especially on stage might be comparable to a runner’s high. It is a euphoric rush, while instantaneously calming. The only other thing that has been able to produce the same effect has been the ocean. The deep connection humans have with the ocean could essentially be due to where we came from. Evolutionarily, all life emerged from the ocean, and even when developing in the womb we are surrounded by water. The human body itself is more than 60% water, so it would seem only natural to have an affinity with the ocean. The reason I believe that dancers have a special connection with the ocean, is that water allows them to experience the same sort of freedom of movement that dancing does.

Leaping through the air or pirouetting, balanced only on the very tip of your toes, is the closest you can get to defying gravity on Earth, but sink below the surface of the sea and the effects of gravity lift away even further. There is absolute freedom when in the ocean, and the therapeutic benefits are also vast.

Abbey Kay, apprentice at Sarasota Ballet, says, “When you get to the professional level of this art form it consumes your mind and so many aspects of your life. The amount of stress and pressure ballerinas put on their self is very high.” While for most people it wouldn’t be worth it, Abbey says, “Ballet is like medicine. My body needs it. After a long period of time without it, my body craves it. But just as the ocean can cause damage, so can ballet. Having a place to free your mind and relax your body is imperative. The ocean is that place for me. They [ballet and the ocean] both have so many different “personalities” or qualities. They can be delicate, serene, or even romantic. Yet they can also be very powerful, full of rage, and even destructive. It’s amazing how the ocean can be a source of healing, but also cause widespread damage. But just because the ocean isn’t always peaceful, we wouldn’t want a world without it. That’s how I feel about ballet. I don’t know what I would do without either one of these things in my life.”

Bridget Affanato, who is ten years old, says her two favorite things are ballet and the ocean. She, like Abbey, can see similarities in their paces and recognizes the importance of the ocean in her life. “Both are similar because they can both be slow and gentle, but they can also be fast and rough. People should definitely pay more attention to the ocean because if people don’t start caring about it then it will get polluted and the sea animals will die,” says Affanato. Even at such a young age, the understanding of a need for conservation is very much present.

You may be saying “so what?” to all of this. And for someone not intrigued already by ballet, that is an understandable position. However, it brings about the possibility of inspiring conservation efforts in a whole new way. If dancers, artists, and athletes become passionate about issues such as ocean conservation they can reach audiences that scientists would never be able to. Musicians who already bring tears to people’s eyes can move people to care about dolphin killings in Japan. Dancers who bring people to the edge of their seats and give them chills can do a piece that leaves us inspired to live more sustainably. Artists, with the right photograph or painting, can say exactly what needs to be said about the current state of our seas without any words. And athletes that get their fans shouting in excitement can get those same fans to stop buying plastic water bottles. We live in an exciting time where social media can reach thousands of people in less than a minute, so using a medium like art to save our planet doesn’t seem like too crazy of an idea to me.

Author Alice Schreiber is in her freshman year as an Undergraduate, double majoring in Marine Affairs and Policy and Anthropology at the University of Miami’s RSMAS. Though primarily a ballet dancer, during high school, Alice started sailing and scuba diving. Seeing the degree to which the ocean needed help, she knew for certain that marine science and conservation was what she would dedicate her life to. Alice’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post Dance and Marine Conservation… There’s a Connection? appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

 Jellyfish are hypnotic: in any aquarium, most people stare transfixed at their soothing movements. However, unlike most people, Kit Parker wasn’t merely entranced:

“I saw the jellyfish display and it hit me like a thunderbolt,” he says. “I thought: I know I can build that.” To do so, he recruited John Dabiri, a bioengineer who studies biological propulsion at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. “I grabbed him and said, ‘John, I think I can build a jellyfish.’ He didn’t know who I was, but I was pretty excited and waving my arms, and I think he was afraid to say no.”

Eventually, after Jenna Narwath, a graduate student at Caltech, mapped every gene in a juveline moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) to understand how they swim, their group of researchers successfully reverse engineered an artificial jellyfish. Made using muscle cells from a rat’s heart and silicone, this artificial medusoid looks like a flower, and when placed in an electric field, pulses exactly like its biological counterpart. This can eventually be used to test drugs that would affect the human heart, as it is basically a perfect imitation of a cardiac pump.

Biomimicry is a new discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems (Benyus, 2005). Researching only biomimicry examples related to the marine realm, I was still overwhelmed by the plethora of innovations and inspirational ideas. The applications of these inventions cover a vast range of disciplines, ranging from efficient energy extraction to more effective medicine.

The former, for example, can be improved by carefully studying one of the largest mammals on earth, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae): despite being over 40 feet long and weighing nearly 80,000 pounds, these whales swim in circles so tight they create nets of bubbles only 5 feet across, using this to corral and catch krill. This astonishing dexterity, is due to the large irregular bumps along the leading edges of their flippers, called tubercules. These tubercules prevent the sheets of water from breaking into turbulent vortices, instead maintaining the waters evenness and speed, allowing the humpbacks to turn at sharp anglers around tight corners, even at fairly low speeds. Wind tunnel tests of model humpback fins with and without tubercules have demonstrated the aerodynamic improvements tubercules make, such as an 8% improvement in lift and 32% reduction in drag, as well as allowing for a 40% increase in angle of attack over smooth flippers before stalling (Benyus, 2009).

A company called WhalePower is using this research to improve the efficiency of their wind turbines, which  also has enormous potential to improve the safety and performance of airplanes, fans, and more.

Another example of unusual ocean inspiration is mussel goo and its implications in the field of medicine. A gel based on the secretions that allow the mussel to cling to rocks, piers and boat hulls was co-invented by Assistant Professor Christian Kastrup at the University of British Columbia. It can be painted onto blood vessels, forming a protective barrier with potentially life-saving implications, strengthening weakened vessels and preventing ruptures of blood vessel plaque. When a plaque ruptures, the resulting clot can block blood flow to the heart (triggering a heart attack) or to the brain (triggering a stroke). Mice treated with a combination of the gel and an anti-inflammatory steroid had more stable plaque than a control group of untreated mice (Kastrup, 2012).

But how does ocean biomimicry pertain to marine research? One answer to this question exists in the form of a new device created by Associate Professor Miao Jianmin from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and his team. Working in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), they sought to mimic a string of ‘feelers’ found on the bodies of the Blind Cave Fish (Astyanax mexicanus). By using a combination of water pressure and computer vision technology, they created a miniscule, low-powered sensor (measuring 1.8mm x 1.8mm) which can be used to give users a 3-D image of nearby objects and map its surroundings. This overcomes the current limitations of most cameras, which cannot see in dark or murky waters. It also supersedes limitations of sonars, whose sound waves pose harm to some marine animals.  The possible applications of this fish-inspired sensor are enormous. The sensor can potentially replace the expensive ‘eyes and ears’ on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), submarines and boats that currently rely on cameras and sonars to gather information about the environment around them.

Marine animals can be used to refine pre-existing tools, such as AUVs, that revolutionized the field of ocean research. This, in turn, can then be used to explore previously inaccessible habitats beneath the ocean’s surface, hopefully inspiring more innovations in a never-ending positive feedback loop.

As humans, we are a resourceful species. We observe our surroundings and manipulate them to our advantage. This is a naturally anthropocentric stance, which brings to mind issues such as rainforest destruction, oil extraction and overfishing. This strikes me as unfortunate because sometimes we utilize our surroundings without ruining them. In fact, we have the power to preserve our surrondings and can seek to emulate the natural world. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and probably the easiest way to truly live sustainably.

References

Yong, Ed. “Artificial Jellyfish Built from Rat Cells.” Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 22 July 2012. Web. <http://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-rat-cells-1.11046>.

Nature Newsteam. “Artificial Jellyfish Made from Rat Heart.” YouTube. YouTube, 22 July 2012. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gfC3eVjmpfo>.

Benyus, Janine. “What Is Biomimicry?” Biomimicry Institute – What Is Biomimicry?Biomimicry Institute, 2007. Web. 2013<http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/what-is-biomimicry.html>.

Benyus, Janine. “Energy.” Biomimicry Institute – Energy. Biomimicry Institute, 2009. Web.<http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/case-studies/case-studies/energy.html>

Christian, Kastrup. “Mussel Goo Inspires Blood Vessel Glue.” Biomimicry News. N.p., 14 Dec. 2012. Web <http://www.biomimicrynews.com/research/Mussel_goo_inspires_blood_vessel_glue.asp>.

Kok, Lester. “‘Sense-ational’ Invention Helps Underwater Vessels Navigate with Ease.” Biomimicry News. N.p., 15 Dec. 2012. Web. <http://www.biomimicrynews.com/research/Sense-ational_invention_helps_underwater_vessels_navigate_with_ease.asp>

Author Annam Raza is currently in her fourth year at the University of California-San Diego, pursuing a Bachelor’s in Environmental Systems- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, with a focus on Marine Biology. Moving between the two places she now calls home, Dubai and California, over the course of her education made her truly appreciate the difference in marine habitats, as well as making her realize the importance of their biodiversity. She hopes to always be able to live near the sea. Annam’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post Unusual Inspiration: Ocean Biomimicry appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

The world is filled with so much beauty, and as human beings, we are constantly on a quest to find it. We can see it around us in nature, but we can also see, increasingly so, things mangling natural beauty. Even within human beings, their strength and beauty has an undercurrent of fragility on some level. Nothing in this world is unbreakable.

In this ongoing project, I will be exploring the Earth’s delicate and fragile aspects as well as its magnificent ones. It is my hope that these images will inspire and not discourage because every single caring individual can bring about change.

These photograms are an attempt to convey, in the simplest of ways, the true fragility of our oceans. While scuba diving, we embark downward into the sea excited to discover the ocean’s brilliance as well as neat things left behind by people who were there before us. However, upon closer inspection, forgotten objects tend to be the same things that are destroying the beauty we came to see.

This was my experience the first time I went diving. It was also a huge motivational push for me to dedicate my life to the sea. What were so striking to me on my first dive were not the vivid colors of coral or vibrant fish, but the graveyard of beer cans scattering the ocean floor: the remnants of a party more sobering than I’ve ever seen.

With each successive dive, I have not become disheartened, but rather, more vigilant; each time I surface it will be with a handful of fishing line, netting, or even beer cans. And with each fistful of garbage, I know that I made a bit of a difference, even if it was only the size of my hands.

*All photograms were made with objects found while on the beach or diving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Eleuthera, Bahamas.

*A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.

Author Alice Schreiber is in her freshman year as an Undergraduate, double majoring in Marine Affairs and Policy and Anthropology at the University of Miami’s RSMAS. Though primarily a ballet dancer, during high school, Alice started sailing and scuba diving. Seeing the degree to which the ocean needed help, she knew for certain that marine science and conservation was what she would dedicate her life to. Alice’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post A Simple Start for Change appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

I recently listened to a Diane Rehm NPR interview with Gregory Stone, Chief Ocean Scientist at Conservation International and the Senior Vice-President of Exploration and Conservation at the New England Aquarium. Stone is also co-editor of “Underwater Eden: Saving the Last Coral Wilderness On Earth.”  In his book, he explores the story behind the creation of the Phoenix Islands Marine Protected Area in the Republic of Kiribati. What I heard during the interview was truly inspiring, not only have the Phoenix Islands remained relatively untouched due to their remote location and lack of tourism but the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) is a model working inside the economic framework of the country, creating a successful Marine Protected Area where conservation and economic stability are both accounted for.

About the Phoenix Islands:

The Phoenix Islands are part of the Republic of Kirabati, Micronesia located in the Pacific Ocean on the equator halfway between Hawaii and Fiji.  Due to its remoteness, the Phoenix Islands have remained pristine and are considered one of the last intact and untouched coral ecosystems; hence the name for Gregory Stone’s book, “Underwater Eden: Saving the Last Coral Wilderness On Earth.” What struck Stone as especially unbelievable was that the Phoenix Island corals recovered after the 2002 El Niño bleaching event and continue to flourish today. Coral reefs suffer from many stressors including ocean warming, coastal development, such as runoff and pollution, and overfishing (Rehm, 2013). The recovery seen around the Phoenix Islands is testimony to the fact that the oceans are resilient. However they do need to be protected. With one stressor, such as ocean warming, the coral reefs were able to recover, however add five or six threats (runoff, warming, overfishing, dive tourism, AND hurricanes) to the mix and you’ve got massive coral die offs and little to no recovery (Madin, 2013).

Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) Background:

The Phoenix Island MPA was created over a long period of time with joint scientific research and discussions under Anote Tang, the Kiribati president and in coordination with Conservation International and the New England Aquarium.

The original MPA idea was created using three main principals:

• 1) Enduring ideas that would transcend Anote Tang’s presidency.
• 2) Education for the people of Kiribati.
• 3) And it was crucial to pass the plan through parliament.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area or PIPA was officially created in March 2006 at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Brazil.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is the most extensive marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean with an area spanning 157,626 sq. miles. It includes:

• 30 seamounts
• 8 atolls
• 2 submerged reefs
• 500 known fish species, 120 types of coral, and 18 marine mammal species

In 2010 PIPA was added to the UNESCO world heritage site list.

PIPA is also the first protected area to include deepwater ecosystems; depths reach down to 16,400 feet in some areas.

Management & Economics:

What makes the Pheonix Islands Protected Area unique besides it’s lavish biodiversity and coral reef health? Well, the PIPA model works within the economic framework of country (Rehm, 2013). Not only does it allow for both subsistence fishing and sustainable development but the model also established an endowment system. Why is this important?

Island states control the tuna fishery but don’t have the boats or capability to catch the fish themselves. Therefore, they issue permits to countries with the capacity (such as the USA, Japan, & Korea), which in turn give the Republic of Kiribati a small amount of money for the right to fish. With the money for fishing licenses being a major source of revenue for the Republic of Kiribati, how could the creation and management of a marine protected area be successful without the republic taking on economic losses?

An endowment system! In partnership with the Global Conservation Fund and the New England Aquarium, the Kiribati government established the Phoenix Island Protected Area Trust. This trust is like a reverse fishing license. In limiting access to fisheries, the trust covers the PIPA’s ever-increasing management costs while also reimbursing the Kiribati government for lost fishing license revenue (Global Conservation Fund).

Tourism:

Another unique component of the Phoenix Islands MPA is its tourism industry, or lack there of. Currently, these islands cannot be accessed unless you own a boat, hire a charter, or have a plane to fly there. There are no hotels, operators or any of the other logistics needed for a tourism industry (Rehm, 2013). The Kiribati government is working with partners to get increase access to the islands and work towards a sustainable tourism industry, which will probably remain boat-based (Global Conservation Fund, 2013).

The Future:

In August 2012, together with 15 island leaders and the help of Conservation International, President Anote Tong submitted a plan to create the Pacific Oceanscape, an area that spans 8% of all oceans. This plan outlines a commitment to make a network of marine protected areas throughout the Pacific Oceanscape based on the Phoenix Islands Model (Global Marine, 2013).

Below you can find a short video titled “Field Chronicles: The Pacific Oceanscape”, which explains a little bit more about the Pacific Oceanscape.

Conclusion:

The Phoenix Islands, of the Republic of Kirabati, exhibit a pristine coral environment and a successful Marine Protected Area model.  Due to its commitment to conserving the marine ecosystems around the islands and keeping the economic well-being of the islands intact, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area is a inspiring example of how MPAs can truly be successful.  Now the question becomes, will the Phoenix Islands model and the Oceanscape commitment be able to serve as successful baselines for other Marine Protected Areas throughout the world? We’re ever hopeful!

References:

Rehm, Diane, narr. ” Gregory Stone: “Underwater Eden: Saving The Last Coral Wilderness On Earth”.” The Diane Rehm Show. NPR, 14 Jan 2013. web. 28 Jan 2013. <http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-01-14/gregory-stone-underwater-eden-saving-last-coral-wilderness-earth>.

Madin, Kate. “Voyage to the Remote Phoenix Islands.” Oceanus. 16 Oct 2009: n. page. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=61046>.

Stone, Greg. “Aquarium Global Explorers: The Phoenix Islands Expedition.” blue. Jan 2010: 8-9. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.neaq.org/conservation_and_research/blue_lifestyle/blue_magazine.php>.

“Pacific Oceanscape.” Global Marine. Conservation International, n.d. Web. 28 Jan 2013.<http://www.conservation.org/global/marine/initiatives/oceanscapes/pages/pacific.asp>.

“Phoenix Islands.” National Geographic Travel. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 28 Jan 2013. <http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/phoenix-islands/>.

“Phoenix Islands Protected Area.” Global Conservation Fund. Conservation International, n.d. Web. 28 Jan 2013. <http://www.conservation.org/global/gcf/portfolio/asia_pacific/Pages/phoenix_islands.asp>.

“PIPA Fact Sheet.” Phoenix Islands Protected Area. Phoenix Islands Protected Area, n.d. Web. 28 Jan 2013. <http://www.phoenixislands.org/>.

Author Shawn McMahon is an Environmental Geosciences major dreaming of running a program that educates youth about environmental science through outdoor adventure and sports. He has been an ocean enthusiast since his grade school field trip to the Florida Keys. Shawn hopes to continue learning and fostering awareness about the ocean and all of its diverse environments. Shawn’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post Blue Hope in the Pacific Ocean appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Marine biology is an organic combination of both art and science.

The ocean is a pulsing, breathing work of art; always shifting forms but never losing its beauty. Wide expanses of blue; translucent jellyfish floating in the water; colorful coral reefs with neon fish flashing by; the sinister shadow of a shark cutting through the waves – all of these visuals dazzle our eyes as the science of the ocean fades into a work of art. For those that cannot access the ocean through scuba, watching a marine documentary, even an amateur one, is always an equally arresting treat. Oftentimes I don’t even pay enough attention to the science because I’m too fascinating by the visuals.

On one end of the spectrum, ocean science research papers inherently strip the subject matter of any art. It’s a process of aggressive distillation to convey only the cold, hard evidence. I find myself wading through the technical jargon, reading and re-reading sections just to glean the basic premise and central concepts. The academic jargon of such writing excludes the uninitiated academics, whose desire to understand the ocean is stifled by terminology.

How can art and science, two seemingly opposing subjects, be reconciled then? It seems to me that the art versus science argument is just another form of the nature versus nurture argument. Yet, although art and science seem like opposites, they have one very important thing in common, which Edward Tufte in his book ‘Beautiful Evidence,’ says best:

Science and art have in common intense seeing, the wide-eyed observation that generates empirical information…seeing turns into showing…empirical observations turn into explanations and evidence (Tufte, 2006).”

Edward Tufte is a statistician and professor emeritus of political science, statistics and computer science at Yale University. A pioneer in the field of data visualization, which is the perfect combination of the seemingly opposite subjects of art and science, he has written several books about the subject. ‘Beauiful Evidence’ is a collection of some of the most exciting examples in the data visualization genre, “teasing the sublime from the seemingly mundane world of charts, graphs and tables (Review of Beautiful Evidence, Business Week, Best Innovation and Design Books for 2006).” The examples highlighted are primarily in the form of infographics.

What exactly is an infographic?

“Infographics are those cool poster-like images you see floating around the web. It is usually a collection of data presented in visual form (McCue, 2013).”

By manipulating data, infographics create a visual map that consists of compressed knowledge. This unveils not only the existence of hidden relationships, but also their scales. By combining data from various sources, previously concealed patterns come to the forefront and central concepts are easily conveyed.

A good example of this is the degradation of coral reefs. Several papers have been written about the subject. For example, the paper Confronting the Coral Reef Crisis, by Bellwood et al., published by Nature magazine in 2004. In a second 2007 study, entitled Regional Decline of Coral Cover in the Indo-Pacific: Timing, Extent, and Subregional Comparisons by Bruno and Selig, a meta-analyses of coral reef survey data from 2667 reefs across the Indo-Pacific performed between 1968 and 2004 resulted in the following chart:

Figure 1: Coral cover in ten Indo-Pacific subregions in each of three periods. Plotted values are means +/- 1 SE and values above each bar are the subregional sample sizes. *=no data available (Bruno and Selig, 2007)

A new paper in Coral Reefs, entitled Assessing loss of coral cover on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef over two decades, with implications for longer-term trends by Sweatman et al., 2011, has a more current graphical representation of the loss of coral reef cover:

Taken out of context, these graphs are merely supporting images in long dense papers, demonstrating the alienating nature of science. In contrast to this, a tourism blog about the Phillipines has an infographic that graphically demonstrates the degradation of global coral reefs on a timescale. This image also manages to include the dates harmful fishing procedures were introduced, as well as a shocking statistic about viable coral reefs worldwide in the form of a picturesque pie chart. This data is presented in a beautifully illustrated way. It’s the sort of picture you look at more than once, absorbing more information each time:

This is simply one example. For an impressive demonstration of data visualization, I recommend the TED talk by David McCandless:

References

R. Tufte, Edward. Beautiful Evidence. Graphics Pr; 1St Edition edition (July 2006)

McCue, TJ. “Why Infographics Rule.” Forbes. 8 January 2013.

Bellwood et all, 2004, Confronting the Coral Reef Crisis. Nature <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v429/n6994/pdf/nature02691.pdf>

Bruno and Selig, 2007, Regional Decline of Coral Cover in the Indo-Pacific: Timing, Extent, and Subregional Comparisons. Plos One <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000711>

Sweatman et all, 2011, Assessing loss of coral cover on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef over two decades, with implications for longer-term trends. Coral Reefs <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00338-010-0715-1>

“Officially Phillipines.” 2010. Officially Phillipines. <http://old.officiallyphilippines.com/>

“Plunder of Phillipines Coral Reefs.” 2012. Officially Phillipines. Visual.ly. <http://visual.ly/node/15060>

McCandless, David. “The Beauty of Data Visualization.” TED talks. August 2010. <http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization.html>

Author Annam Raza is currently in her fourth year at the University of California-San Diego, pursuing a Bachelor’s in Environmental Systems- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, with a focus on Marine Biology. Moving between the two places she now calls home, Dubai and California, over the course of her education made her truly appreciate the difference in marine habitats, as well as making her realize the importance of their biodiversity. She hopes to always be able to live near the sea. Annam’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post Beautiful Evidence: Data Visualization for Marine Conservation appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Sitting in the park, I watch a winded jogger breathlessly guzzle down the last of their Gatorade and toss the plastic bottle into the waste bin. Sighing, I walked deftly over to bin, picked out the Gatorade bottle and tucked it into my bag to recycle at home. Try as I might, I sadly cannot be the rescuer of every recyclable product that’s dumped into the trash. But I’ve often reflected on ways that our trash could be re-purposed.

80% of everyday waste materials can be recycled, broken down and reused (MNN, 2013). Unfortunately, these waste materials are not always recycled. Often, waste that can be recycled ends up in a landfill, buried, burned or in the ocean. In fact, 55% of waste gets buried in landfills while only 33% gets recycled (Kulpinski, 2013). A large percentage of trash that does not end up recycled or in a landfill congregates in the ocean and floats in massive patches, such as in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This floating sea of plastic bottles, bags and debris continuously swirls on the surface of the ocean, stretching for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean (MNN, 2013). 80% of the litter that attributes to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land, while free floating fish-nets is to blame for 10%. The rest of the litter comes from boaters, oil rigs, and cargo ships (MNN, 2013). Most of this litter is plastic because the rest biodegrades before joining the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in its continual spinning mass of trash.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a convergence zone, propelled by the North Pacific Gyre. Basically, all trash dumped within the vicinity of the gyre takes a six to seven year journey spinning about the garbage patch (MNN, 2013). A famous debris spill that added to the garbage patch occurred in 1992. This was the first time scientists were able to track a mass garbage spill to the garbage patch. 28,000 rubber ducks fell overboard in the Pacific Ocean and traveled within the means of the North Pacific Gyre. The ducks still continue to turn up on beaches around the world to this day (MNN, 2013).  

This massive floating wasteland is an outcome of decades of poor human waste disposal and generates countless problems for our future. First, plastic is not biodegradable. Instead, with enough sunlight, the garbage can photo-degrade to microscopic levels, eventually entering the food chain (MNN, 2013). Seabirds, such as the albatross, often mistake plastic for fish eggs and die from consuming the plastic pieces. Additionally, plastic-fishing nets can entangle and kill seals, sea turtles and many other marine creatures. Plastics also absorb pollutants such as PCBs from the water, which may eventually be ingested by surrounding marine life.

Increasingly, there has been interest in finding ways to re-purpose trash into something of value; giving it a second life. There are many innovative ways to dispose of trash that do not include burying, burning or dumping it in the ocean. For example, eco-construction, construction that is friendly to the environment, using recyclable materials and energy efficient, is being explored and utilized as an option of environmentally-friendly recycling. Examples of eco-construction include green building, energy-efficient building, and water conservation. All aspects of eco-construction embrace reducing our waste and increasing our re-use, or giving trash a second purpose. By reducing our waste, we reduce the amount of garbage that piles up in landfills and the amount of plastic that floats in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As a result of our past trash negligence, more organizations promoting eco-construction and trash awareness are being created around the world. By endorsing environmentally and economically-friendly ways to recycle, these organizations are changing the way we view trash.

The dedicated individuals at Hug It Forward are one such organization that is saving the environment, and having fun while doing it. Sarah Sterling, a volunteer at Hug It Forward, shares with PBH insights regarding the eco-construction movement:

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Sarah:Hug It Forward (HIF) is a certified US non-profit that is based in San Diego but does all of its work primarily in Guatemala. The type of work that we do would be categorized under “eco construction” since we work with rural communities in Guatemala, and now El Salvador, to build classrooms using plastic bottles filled with inorganic trash instead of bricks or cinder blocks.

In most developing countries, there isn’t really a formalized system of trash collection and recycling programs are almost unheard of. So what do people do with their trash? The concept of inorganic trash is fairly new to many developing countries where before they only had to worry about tossing a banana peel in the street and it would dissolve on its own. Now they have been bombarded by soda bottles, cans and plastic bags which need to be processed in a certain way in order to dispose of them. What HIF does is empower communities to find a different way to not just dispose of their trash in a landfill but recycle it and reuse it for something that will benefit their community as a whole. Overall, each classroom can use up to over 2 tons of trash just from the bottles and the trash stuffed in them. I built a smaller version of a HIF classroom in my community in El Salvador and we used over 2,200 bottles and over 400,000 plastic bags for a 6m by 6m classroom. When you multiply that number to include a 2nd or 3rd classroom, imagine the environmental impact that will have on not just one community, but the global environment as a whole.

Our projects empower communities to take ahold of a dire situation, like the lack of classroom space, and turn it into a community effort that will allow present and future generations to realize that they are capable of anything when they come together for a communally beneficial project. All of the communities we work in are rural and undeserved with many children not being able to even finish 6th grade, let alone go on to high school or college, and this is mostly because of lack of classroom space. Communities are in charge of soliciting and running their own bottle projects and HIF helps with technical support and 25-100% of the funding depending on the community situation and need. Even in cases where HIF funds 100% of the project’s materials, all un-skilled labor comes from the community itself, so the bottle schools are not seen as a donation, but as collaborative projects the community can feel proud of.

They are also in charge of building the classroom and filling the bottles. This empowers communities and makes them take ownership of their project. If a community is given something for free, research shows that they will value it less than if they have to work in order for the project to happen.
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PBH: How did this idea come about and how does it work?

Sarah: The idea came from a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala who was already trying to build a classroom (in a different way than we use now) out of plastic bottles and trash but she had run out of funds. She contacted Zach (an HIF member) and the HIF guys came down to assess her project. We helped not only with funding but also with the manual labor to finish the project. After that, they were inspired to evolve the idea and turn it into what it is today.
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PBH: What’s next for Hug it Forward? Do you have plans to expand its benefits to cleaning up other environments?

Sarah: We are currently just focusing on getting to more communities by the completion (coming soon!) of our hard copy of the bottle school manual. Right now we have a bottle school manual wiki on our website. Our goal for the future is to be able to empower and enable people in any country on the Earth to build their own classrooms using our technique with very little help from us, thus expanding our reach and increasing the amount of projects world wide.
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PBH: How has working with Serve the World Today helped Hug It Forward’s mission? Are there any other organizations with which you are affiliated?

Sarah: Serve the World Today (our partner organization) enables us to use 100% of donations towards our bottle classrooms. It also helps people who may have never been out of the country to come to Guatemala and experience a whole new culture and country.

We have recently become affiliated with an amazing networking organization called Omprakash, which connects volunteers with grassroots health, education and environmental projects around the world.
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PBH: Do you think building school out of trash can really make people analyze how much they consume and the amount of trash they produce?

Sarah: Without a doubt, absolutely. In my community, I saw how much it hit people to realize how much trash they were putting into their local environment simply by having to collect it. Everyone kept exclaiming to me “Sarah, we have run out of trash and there are still so many bottles to fill.” People do get the concept when it is put into a literal, in their face situation like having to stuff bottles. We also try and do environmental education in the communities where we work so that people learn the difference between different types of trash and what to do with each type.
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PBH: What does being a part of Hug It Forward mean to you?

Sarah: Being a part of HIF is like being part of a big family. HIF is a special organization in that we all really care about what we do, why we do it and we care about each other as people. I am also really proud to be able to help HIF do the work that they do because I personally have seen the impact so I know firsthand that what we are doing is important in so many ways and does actually make a huge difference.

Hug It Forward is changing the world by uniting people over the appreciation of the environment. By building schools and greenhouses in Guatamela from bottles, constructing garden walls and creating recycled art, the organization is inspiring others to think outside the box and reconsider the value of the things they throw in the trash.

Voluntourism, volunteer travel for a charitable cause, is also a great way to get involved in the eco-construction movement. Hug It Forward is a shining example of how communities can come together to fulfill a local-scale project that can be used a model for other areas. Eco-construction is an innovative way to re-purpose trash. My hope is that the next time you have a plastic bottle in your hand, you’ll take an extra moment to reflect on how one’s man trash can become another man’s treasure and help prevent our ocean from being littered with more Great Garbage Patches.

References

“What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch? .” Mother Nature Network (MNN). MNN Holdings, 24 02 2010. Web. 10 Jan 2013. <http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch>.

Kulpinski, Dan. “Nationalgeographic.com.” Human Footprint: Where Does All the Stuff Go? . National Geographic. Web. 10 Jan 2013. <http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/human-footprint/trash-talk.html>.

Author Lindsay Gordon is currently in her junior year as an Undergraduate studying Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Science. She also studies Economics. Lindsay has always been a promoter of environmental conservation, especially in regards to the ocean. She has a strong passion for saving our oceans and spreading the conservation effort through education and outreach. Lindsay’s Posts →

Chief Editor Christine Beggs is the founder of Project Blue Hope, a site dedicated to spreading her wish for a “Future of Blue.” Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation, Christine is passionate about communicating ocean sciences. Christine’s Posts →

The post Eco Construction: Building Schools with Marine Debris appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Constantly seeking shining examples of individuals and organizations rebuilding our world, I am continually amazed by the level of passion and fervor of young conservationists. In an increasingly polluted world, the younger generation seems to operate with a sense of urgency. Coupled with a mindset full of possibilities, passionate youth, such as siblings Olivia and Carter at One More Generation (OMG), are determined to find solutions to complex problems, such as ocean degradation and biodiversity loss. Teaching others, especially kids, to love and care for the environment is a vital part of spreading conservation, and the non-profit OMG is dedicated to this mission, as well as saving endangered species for at least one more generation… and beyond.

OMG founders, 10 and 11 year old Olivia and Carter Ries, recount how deeply affected they were during their time volunteering in the Gulf Coast oil clean-up efforts. Upon returning to Georgia, they created the Plastic Awareness Coalition, uniting several organizations to help counter-act this misuse and damage. In hopes to expand their opportunities to educate, they developed a Plastic and Recycling Awareness Curriculum. The curriculum is used, in and out of schools, teaching the next generation how they can bring about change.

The misuse and improper disposal of plastic is a major threat to the ocean and marine life. A number of national policies, as well as international laws, now forbid dumping of harmful materials into the ocean, but plastic pollution is another issue altogether. In this interview post, Olivia and Carter speak about inspiring the next generation to create positive change for the environment:
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PBH: Why the name One More Generation?

Carter: We learned that a lot of species might actually become extinct in our lifetime. We knew we had to act. Our goal is to help all endangered species survive One More Generation… and beyond, so our next generation can enjoy their presence. We do this by raising awareness and offering educational outreach programs teaching everyone how dire the situation is and how we must get involved.
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PBH: Why is it important for everyone to care about the ocean? Folks who live in the Midwest obviously don’t live near the ocean, it easier for them to just worry about the land. Why should they care about oil spills or plastic pollution in our oceans?

Carter: Everything and everyone is affected by improperly disposed plastic. The plastic is carried off by the wind and rain and eventually settles into our oceans. Plastic only breaks apart by the mixture of the suns UV rays and saltwater. The breakdown causes the plastic to become a type of magnet, attracting impurities in the water, increasing its toxicity. With time, these toxic pieces of trash break up into smaller pieces looking more like potential food for the several species. Larger species, not actively or directly ingesting plastic, are most certainly ingesting smaller creatures that have already ingested plastic. These larger species are popular entrees consumed by us. Over 100,000 marine mammals and over one million seabirds die each year from plastic ingestion or entanglement. Everyone, no matter where you live, is responsible for the damage. We’re the only ones who have the ability to change what we’ve done.
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PBH: Your organization has created a curriculum to educate, not only adults, but educate kids as well. Why is it important for kids to learn about conservation and environmentalism?

Olivia: The void in proper education/knowledge towards plastic and recycling was created from the lack of knowledge and education in older generations.

We’ve often noticed students taking our week-long Plastic and Recycling Awareness Curriculum are eager to pass their knowledge along to their families, friends and communities. We teach getting away from single use plastic bags and using reusable stainless steel/aluminum water bottles. Both of these ideas will immensely cut down the plastic pollution created everyday.

Younger generations operate with a sense of urgency towards the pollution in our environment. Their mindset is full of possibilities, as opposed to one of being restricted by hurdles and opposition.
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PBH: How difficult has it been getting school and organizations to agree to helping out and using the curriculum? If it has been difficult, what are the biggest reasons for the difficulties?

Carter: Generating interest in schools wishing to implement our Plastic and Recycling Awareness Curriculum is easy. 100% of every school and or community organization we speak with wants the full week-long program implemented.

The biggest hurdle we face is funding. Due to budget cuts in schools, PTO and PTAs are paying portions of the funds needed. The community needs to seek out assistance from local businesses to supplement the costs that may be lacking.

Our program is a comprehensive week-long curriculum, with a daily one-hour educational program that meets National Standards for Science teaching. Teachers then have the opportunity to complete several annually required segments. Right now we are working towards grant funding that will help schools fund the use of the curriculum.
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PBH: Conservation is ever-changing and there is so much ground to cover. How do you want to see your organization grow and continue to make a difference?

Olivia: Plastic pollution has been affecting the earth for the past 40 years. Today we are seeing more and more of the toxic side effects of plastics. We now realize that the way we have been using plastics must change. Education is key to finding potential solutions. We are adamant about staying current with new findings. Staying current, lets us tweak our programs and educational opportunities.
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PBH: With the Plastic Awareness Coalition, you realized the need to work with like-minded organizations. The need to connect to others and their passions is vital to growth. In your experience, what are the best ways organizations can communicate their passions in order to achieve better connections and growth?

Carter: The Plastic Awareness Coalition is one of the most important initiatives we created. We realized One More Generations lacked expertise and recognition needed to get our communities attention. We needed other reputable organizations to give us much more needed credibility.

Originally, we rushed into communities and attempted to get meetings with local mayors and council-members. This expediency only produced blank stares and ‘Who are you, again?’

The coalition allows us instant access to some of the best minds in the industry. The coalition opened so many more doors for us. Members are constantly sharing information and making recommendations for solutions and ideas for change.
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PBH: The GreenWell initiative seeks to provide zoos with more sustainably grown and healthier food options for the animals. With overfishing present in so many fisheries, has One More Generation worked on initiatives or worked with other organizations to obtain the same results for aquariums and other aquatic animal centers?

Olivia: Though many centers provide a valuable education, we aren’t strong believers of animal captivity. The goal is to provide tasty, healthy and sustainably grown meals for these animals. We want to make their time as pleasurable as possible. Currently, we are working on programs designed to meet the needs of zoos, nature centers, animal rescue centers and aquariums. We want to encourage kids everywhere to grow select produce and foods to be given to the centers in their area.
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PBH: What’s the best way to keep up with what your organization is doing and how people can help you out?

Olivia: We recommend our fans ‘like’ us on FaceBook and ‘follow’ us on Twitter, as well as looking at our website. We update all of these whenever we can. We really want to encourage any organizations and individuals, interested in supporting our efforts, to talk to us. We really hope to see our environmental education programs and endangered species outreach programs made available to communities across the country.
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PBH: What’s your best advice on how others can start making a difference in their communities?

Carter: Olivia and I had been adopting Cheetah’s from South Africa for years and when we realized that Cheetah’s and many other species could become extinct in the wild; we knew we had to act. You need to decide where your passions lie. Volunteering is an excellent way to figure that out. You may never know where your passion will take you, but you will certainly never find out if you don’t get involved in something.
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Carter and Olivia’s passion serves as an inspiring testament to the influence of young conservationists. It is the growth and expansion of such dedication that sows the seeds of hope for future generations.

So what will I tell the next Chicken Little that rambles on about the skying fall? I’ll share with them OMG’s story about rebuilding the world and I hope you will too.
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- Author: Anthony Gills
- Chief Editor: Christine Beggs

The post One More Generation: A Call to Change Our Plastic World appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I founded Project Blue Hope in 2011 with Mead’s words at the heart of my online endeavors in marine conservation. Uncertain how such a group of thoughtful, committed citizens would change the world, I had unwavering faith that if I could just start gathering such a group of individuals that something powerful would happen.

I never would have imagined that PBH would take me to far away places like the Galapagos and play an integral role in my Master’s degree thesis in Marine Affairs and Policy at the Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (RSMAS). For my next adventure, I’ll travel to the Isabela Oceanographic Institute (IOI) in the Galapagos over the next year, assisting in the re-branding of this non-profit with an entire web 2.0 revamp, creation of online multimedia materials and launch of novel online fundraising mechanisms. IOI fosters conservation through education to enhance social well-being within the Isabela Island village of Puerto Villamil. It achieves this by increasing the environmental literacy necessary for non-industry level, land-based tourism ventures, expanding revenue streams within this depressed fishing community. Expanding outreach for IOI will better enable them to provide the Puerto Villamil community with essential medical, cultural and educational services. And with the help of the PBH community, we can highlight and support IOI’s grassroots conservation efforts.

If you read PBH’s blog, it’s likely that you’re already passionate about ocean conservation. A new way to support environmental organizations, causes and endeavors is through crowdfunding (aka micro-patronage) via sites like Crowdrise, Kickstarter, and RocketHub. Instead of looking for large contributions from a wealthy patron or grants from the government, organizations can now use the power of social media and online communities to gather small contributions from lots of people – to directly fund projects they’re passionate about. With crowdfunding, we can directly fund conservation projects and ventures we care about – either by donating $10-20 ourselves or by helping to spread the word about the fundraising campaign through our own social networks.

Gone are the days of blindly donating to an organization in the hope the money goes to good use. Crowdfunding allows us to be a part of the conservation project we’re funding and gives us precision control over how our donations will be utilized. As I launch crowdfunding campaigns for local conservation projects within the Puerto Villamil community in the Galapagos, I’ll be relying on you, the PBH community, to help me in this endeavor by spreading the word. This will be our chance to actively influence conservation, either directly or through community education, in the environmentally-sensitive region of Galapagos. With a large enough support network, we can make an impact with donations as small as $5-10 each.
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Where exactly am I headed?

The Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean lie 605 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Isabela Island possesses the largest body of land in all the archipelago and houses 6 major volcanoes with lava flows emanating from them. The main area of the population inhabiting the island are located in Puerto Villamil, Southern coastline and houses around 2,500 residents. The area is surrounded by many lagoons, flamingoes and common stilts. The people of Puerto Villamil make their living principally by artisanal fishing and tourism.

Treasured for their biodiversity, the Galapagos Islands are threatened by increases in human population, tourism, overfishing, and the introduction of invasive species (MacDonald, 1997). As an isolated tropical archipelago, the plant and animal species of the islands are characterized by considerable endemism. In recognition of the islands’ biodiversity, the Ecuadorian government established the Galapagos National Park in 1959.

At the time of the Park’s establishment, the inhabitants of Isabela Island primarily worked on highland farms known as fincas. A lucrative boom in the lobster fishery in the early 1980’s, however, attracted finca workers to migrate down from the highlands and concentrate in the coastal village of Puerto Villamil.

When the Galapagos archipelago was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 and the Galapagos Marine Reserve was established in 1986, tourism became fixed as the primary revenue source for Ecuador’s economy (Edwards, 2001). The Galapagos Marine Park imposed increasingly restrictive regulations; however, they were not well enforced (Meltzoff, 2012). Following a rapid decline in the lobster fishery, Isabela’s fishers turned to the harvesting of sea cucumbers or pepinos from 1993 to 2003. During the lucrative pepino export market, many Puerto Villamil fishers habitually spent large amounts of money, and even borrowed funds to purchase bigger homes and boats (Meltzoff, 2012). By 2004 the pepino fisheries had crashed, leaving Isabeleños without the skills required to launch prosperous land-based tourism ventures. In debt, with their homes held as collateral, some Isabeleños have turned to shark finning for income. An illegal practice in the Galapagos, once fins are smuggled to the mainland of Ecuador, they can be sold legally on the market (Jacquet et al., 2008).

Approximately 2,500 people live in the community of Puerto Villamil, and it is the only settlement remaining on Isabela Island where life still revolves around fishing. Residents are beginning to view local small-scale tourism, as opposed to foreign-owned cruise tourism, as their only realistic source of future income (Meltzoff, 2012). There is a clear need to stimulate socioeconomic alternatives within the community of Puerto Villamil, while promoting the small business skills and environmental knowledge required for profitable small-scale tourism operations.

The Isabela Oceanographic Institute (IOI)

The Isabela Oceanographic Institute (IOI) on Isabela Island in the Galapagos is a non-profit educational facility established within the Puerto Villamil community to help address the need for socio-economic stimulation. By providing services that the community needs to handle income fluctuations from fisheries booms, IOI aims to facilitate the local dreams for small-scale, land-based tourism businesses (Meltzoff, 2012).

IOI works with the local municipality to offer small business and computer skills classes to the Pueto Villamil community, as well as to provide American teachers of English for the local high school. Island schools lack the resources to handle rapidly expanding populations, and teachers require improved training about biodiversity and ecological issues (Stepath, 2009). IOI strives to fill these gaps in the education, conservation and development sectors, supporting an ecologically and financially stable economy within the Galapagos.

IOI’s work directly benefits the local community, but their ability to conduct operations in Puerto Villamil depends solely on funding through the University of Miami’s study abroad program, UGalapagos. Profits from the UGalapagos semester-long program are funneled back into the local village, as students support local stores, restaurants and touring operations. Diversification of funding sources, however, would enable IOI to be more resilient in the event of a study abroad program cancellation and allow the organization to continually provide reliable conservation and education programs for the Puerto Villamil community.

What’s my mission?

Raising money for a worthy cause can be difficult, but there are now online initiatives that allow friends to contribute directly to organizations and receive rewards for their donations. This technique, known as crowdfunding, is an innovative form of virtual fundraising through online micro-donations and has been successfully utilized by numerous environmental NGOs. One such crowdfunding platform is Crowdrise.com, where project owners can set up an online fundraising campaign by uploading a video and description of their initiative. Launching crowdfunding campaigns for small-scale IOI projects will serve to diversify their funding sources and stimulate interest in the work IOI undertakes in Isabela. Crowdfunding can help directly support the needs of the Isabela community.

The purpose of my thesis study is to expand online outreach for IOI, in order to stimulate recognition and support of IOI’s work within the Puerto Villamil community. Additionally, I’ll be managing the complete re-branding of this non-profit, helping IOI gain a virtual following to form the basis for testing crowdfunding as a fundraising tool for local community projects.

Why is this important?

IOI’s work in Puerto Villamil is significant because it is aiding a community in need. IOI helps to reduce unsustainable practices, such as shark finning, by promoting environmental literacy and providing socio-economic alternatives to residents.

My efforts to expand online outreach will increase the recognition and support for IOI. Diversification of funding sources, through crowdfunding, will also enable IOI to be more resilient in the event of a study abroad program cancellation. IOI’s efforts directly aid the development Puerto Villamil.

Crowdfunding for IOI to foster the development of sustainable, local ecotourism ventures and other small-scale projects will improve management of resources on Isabela Island, and also may serve as a model for similar projects or organizations in other coastal communities.

What’s next?

Videos, blog posts, pictures and status updates from the beautiful Galapagos archipelago are just a few of the things you can expect  from PBH over the next year.

If you want to follow and be a part of PBH’s endeavors to support conservation through education in Isabela, like our Facebook page and following us on Twitter, @ProjectBlueHope. Over the next year, I’ll show you how we can actively influence conservation and fund projects we believe in for as little as $5-10 a person. Join me for the journey and help spread the word.

If you don’t want to miss any of this…

Then be sure to follow us!

References      

Edwards, S. 1991. The demand for Galapagos vacations: Estimation and application to conservation. Coastal Management 19:155-169.

Epler, B. 2007. Tourism, the Economy and Population Growth and Conservation in Galapagos. Puerto Ayora. Presentada a la Fundación Charles Darwin. 1-75.

Henderson, S., Zurita, P., et al. 2005. Conservation Incentive Agreements in the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Feasibility Study for the Reduction of Fishing Pressure. Conservation International 1-17.

MacDonald, T. 1997. Conflict in the Galapagos Islands: Analysis and Recommendations for Management. Puerto Ayora, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University 1-25.

Meltzoff, S. 2012. Listening to Sea Lions. Chapter 7: Wild West Galapagos: Isabela’s Fishing Community Angles for Some Tourism Pie. AltaMira Press. 264-323.

Stepath, C.M. 2007. Environmental education in the Galápagos: 2007 report to the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Wallace, G. 1993. Visitor management: Lessons from Galapagos National Park. In Ecotourism: A guide for planners and managers. The Ecotourism Society 1:55-81

Watkins, G. and F. Cruz. 2007. GALAPAGOS AT RISK: A Socioeconomic Analysis. Charles Darwin Foundation 1-18.

Wight, P. A. 1993. Sustainable Ecotourism: Balancing Economic, Environmental and Social Goals within an Ethical Framework. Journal of Tourism Studies. 4 (2): 54-66.

The post Crowdfunding for Conservation & Education in the Galapagos appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.

Covering over 70% of our planet, the seas hold 97% of the planet’s water and produce more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. The ocean is the support system for planet Earth and mankind. From estuaries and rivers to drinking water and rain, everyone is connected to water.

The Waterlust Project, a new student-led effort at the University of Miami (UM)’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), aims to re-ignite our common connections to water. Partnering with GoPro, an industry leader in sports cameras, Waterlust challenges scientists to communicate their work creatively through film and hopes to inspire people to really think about their relationship with the environment.

Only public since February 24^th, 2011, Waterlust is attracting plenty of attention. Their first video was viewed over 60,000 times in the first week alone. Check out some of the awesome Waterlust videos below and subscribe to their YouTube channel to stay in the loop about new video releases:

RSMAS graduate student Patrick Rynne tells us more about The Waterlust Project in a recent interview with Project Blue Hope:
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PBH: What is The Waterlust Project and why is it important?

Patrick: Waterlust to me is an experiment to bring perspectives together. I think regardless of your background, whether you study the environment as a career or enjoy it recreationally, that we all WANT the environment to be healthy and thriving. The hard part is how to inspire people to think about things in their every day lives. What we’re trying to accomplish with Waterlust is to help get the ball rolling in the right direction….get people engaged and thinking about things.
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PBH: What’s your own relationship with water?

Patrick: I’ve been having a love affair with the ocean for pretty much my whole life. I look at it as my home. Regardless of where I am in the world, if I’m by the water I’m home. It started when my folks would take my sisters and I sailing as little kids, which then turned into us sailing and racing our own little boats. Then I started surfing….and by then it was over, I was totally hooked. Now I spend most of my free time kitesurfing which is the best of everything all in one experience!
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PBH: What was your inspiration for Waterlust? How did you become first become involved in film?

Patrick: I had started making videos about kiting back a couple years ago. Basically the motivation was to spread the stoke and help inspire people that didn’t know much the sport. That was my first taste of shooting and editing videos. It was really fun work and people seemed to enjoy them, so I kept making them. At some point I realized that I could focus my filming efforts in one direction and do some good with it…that’s when Waterlust was born.
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PBH: Why choose to partner with GoPro and how did you form that connection?

Patrick: I first used a GoPro a couple years back and I was blown away by the simplicity of the camera and the quality of the video. I’m by no means a classic photographer and dealing with complicated cameras is not on my list of priorities. I want easy stuff that anybody can use. When Waterlust was first getting going it was tough to get the attention of corporate sponsors like GoPro. They’re super busy folks over there and they get loads of requests a day, so it was tricky. But eventually I was able to get their attention and like I said before, everybody wants this kinda stuff. Good caused-based internet content that is engaging and entertaining. It’s just a matter of getting us all on the same page and moving forward.
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PBH: What do you envision The Waterlust Project achieving? What are the project’s main goals?

Patrick: Our main goal is super simple but also incredibly bold. We want to inspire as many people as possible. Right now our audience size is around 40,000 – 80,000 for each film we release. We want that to grow into the hundreds of thousands and eventually into the millions. We’re not doing this to make money or anything like that, we just want to inspire people….that’s it.
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PBH: What’s on the horizon for Waterlust? Are there some developing projects and videos that you’re particularly excited about?

Patrick: We have about 5 projects happening simultaneously right now. We have video coming out this month about kitesurfing on this ancient wooden surfboard design called an Alaia. That was a super fun project because we actually built our own boards and are now riding them. It’s so gratifying and easier to do than most people think. I’m excited about that film because I hope it will inspire our audience to get out there and start building wooden boards. Besides that we have 2 campaign video series (a bunch of short films) about sharks conservation and environmental impact that I think will be pretty incredible. I won’t say any more about them though, you’ll have to wait and see!
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PBH: How can we stay in the loop about project developments?

Patrick: The best way is Facebook or Twitter. We post everyday and share videos, pictures, articles that we love. If you follow Waterlust on either of these, you’re pretty much guaranteed to see at least one very cool thing each day.
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PBH: As a marine scientist, what do you feel are the main challenges to getting people to care about the your work and the ocean in general?

Patrick: Honestly, I think that most people want to care, but a combination of running their own lives and not knowing what to do make the entry barriers to being proactive pretty daunting. I think people tend to forget that we’re all pretty busy….everybody in the world is hustling to make ends meet and navigate through the personal challenges that surround their lives. It’s not easy! I think that being an “environmentalist” or whatever you want to call it is something of a luxury because to do it, it means that the other aspects of your life are more or less in order. What I mean is, if you can’t put food on the table for your kids you’re probably not going to be worrying about how many plastic bags you consume each week. So my main goal as somebody who is pretty darn lucky to have the ability to study the oceans as a career, is to try and make the information I learn easy to follow, interesting, and inspiring to the general public while also trying to share my passion for things and help inspire other people to get equally fired up. I think I have a responsibility to do that….
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PBH: How can ocean scientists better communicate their work to the world?

Patrick: One of my side missions with Waterlust is to break down the invisible barrier I’ve noticed within the scientific community that separates the “hard core” scientists with the “popularizing” scientists. What I think has happened is this. Imagine you have a group of scientists that are all trying to build careers. They’re all competing for grants and trying to survive. Some of the scientists might be really good at the nitty gritty stuff….doing the technical work and churning out papers. I’ll call them the hard core scientists. Meanwhile you have other people that maybe aren’t quite as good at the technical stuff, but they’re super passionate and talented at communicating their work to the public and engaging students etc…I’ll call them the popularizing scientists. Both skill sets, the technical abilities surrounding your research and personality to communicate it and make it engaging are very important. What I think has happened in the past 50 years or so is that the two groups have become separated and that their is resentment between them. I think the hard core scientists criticize the popularizing scientists for “selling out” and trying to use entertainment as the vessel that funds their work, not the quality of the work itself. I think the popularizing scientists resent the hard core group because they don’t feel like they get the respect they deserve. So here is this destructive dichotomy that serves no purpose whatsoever.

The fact is that we should all be doing BOTH. Our work should not only be technically sound, but we should also be communicating it to the public. Graduate students this day in age should be focusing on using social media and other creative outlets to share their work with the world. My advice is to make it personal…sure the journal articles need to be dry and unbiased, but your websites, youtube films, and other forms of expression can be self-expressive and creative. Use them as an outlet, and blend your personal story in with your work.
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PBH: What does water mean to you?

Patrick: Home...
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PBH: What’s your advice for aspiring filmmakers and marine conservationists out there?

Patrick: Get a camera and start shooting. Buy a Mac computer to all your creative stuff on, it’ll make your life a hell of a lot easier (I should be getting a % for all the people I push to Apple). Find stuff that you like and figure out why you like it. Start creating content and share it with people who you know have good taste. Ask for feedback, beg for feedback. Be happy when you get critiques….they help you improve. If I send something to a friend and all they say in response is “I like it”….I won’t be sending stuff to them again. Feedback is key. Show your work to people outside your bubble. Make friends outside your bubble. Take your life outside your bubble even if it doesn’t feel natural….you might find some inspiring stuff out there that you would have never found otherwise.
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With a growing following, Waterlust is inspiring audiences to consider their own relationships with water. Seeing is believing and Waterlust reminds us that people of all different backgrounds still share a common connection with the environment.

The post Exploring Our Relationships with Water appeared first on Project Blue Hope | Marine Conservation & Social Entrepreneurship.