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ABOUT CORAL TALES THE STORY  Please note that this exhibit is currently in formation. Forty percent of the world's reefs are dead or severely stressed. Relative to the space they occupy, reefs are being destroyed five times faster than rainforests. "Death by a thousand cuts" is an apt way to think of coral afflictions. The assaults - almost all human caused - include bleaching due to rising temperatures and acidification from fossil fuel emissions; pollution; oil drilling; over, dredge and blast fishing; boating; and coastal development and erosion. Powerful hurricanes can also destroy reefs. Reefs can and occasionally do recover, sometimes on their own but far more predictably if incorporated in a Marine Protected Area that local populations support and enforce. Why should we care? Reefs are home to 25% of marine life though they cover less than 1% of earth's surface. There may be as many as 9 million species of flora and fauna in reefs, of which fewer than 10 percent have even been identified. Without reefs, the fishing industry, a livelihood for millions and an important food source for half a billion people, would be threatened, Tourism linked to diving and snorkeling on reefs provides the major income for at least a half-dozen underdeveloped countries. Reefs are a shoreline's first defense against rising sea levels and storms. Coral reefs have furnished the molecular footprint for drugs used to treat cancer, AIDS, ulcers, and cardiovascular diseases. But science has barely had time to knock at the door because prior to the invention of Scuba in the mid-20th century, the world of corals was basically unstudied. At the current rate of destruction, the next generation of scientists may never even know what questions they should have asked. As part of our planetary ecosystem, coral reefs are tiny powerhouses, with far-reaching impact. As they are out of sight, they are generally out of mind. Double Exposure's Coral Tales will quite literally bring coral reefs to light. ADVISORY BOARD , John Englander, author, consultant, lecturer on climate change and ocean impacts - www.johnenglander.net Les Kaufman, Associate Professor, Biology, Marine Program at Boston University - www.bu.edu/biology/people/faculty/kaufman Randi Rotjan, Associate Research Scientist, New England Aquarium - www.rotjanlab.org |