Breaking Through Barriers for Participatory Marine Conservation

Marine scientists and influential members of the diving community are realizing that ecology, like politics, is local and we need to be more proactive to promote conservation where we live and wherever we go in the marine world. Scientists can no longer simply pursue pure “loading dock” science because ocean degradation is accelerating and soon there may be little or nothing to study. This is especially acute in the tropics where fragile terrestrial and marine landscapes are coming under increasing anthropogenic pressures. Clearly it is in everyone’s best interests to do what we can to protect and restore tropical ecosystems.

We work to create a growing community of eco-divers and land-based members who are actively involved in local watershed and coral reef cleanup dives, international outreach expeditions, and watershed awareness. Our operating principle is based on the concept that people feel connected when they get involved in a cause they are passionate about. The transcending simplicity of active participation, working together for a cause beyond an immediate goal, empowers people to change the world. Our activities strive to inspire K-12 and beyond to become stewards of the ocean, which translates to the planet. We will describe three active projects in Bali, Belize, and Hawaii that blend science and sociology. This fusion of scientific and sport diving for reef conservation based on the tenets that:

1. Local actions can help prevent losses from local threats, which builds resilience to larger scale stress.

2. The action plan must be guided by good scientific knowledge and the Precautionary Principle.

3. There must be clear solutions that are economically viable without depleting the “resource”.

4. The knowledge must be shared with locals who can effect real sociological changes.

5. Cultural sustainability means that “progress” cannot destroy culture and intergenerational equity.

6. Allow the ecological infrastructure to function in a near-intact condition.