Fish diet heats up marine biodiversity hotspot
Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Professor Joshua Cinner, has been awarded one of the world’s top prizes for marine conservation.
Professor Cinner, a Chief Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, is one of five distinguished scientists from around the world to receive a prestigious Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation this year.
The Pew Fellowship supports research to improve ocean conservation and management. Fellows receive $150,000 USD for a three-year project to address critical challenges facing the world’s oceans.
Professor Cinner’s research combines social science and ecology to improve coral reef management and better understand how people interact with the environment.
“I study how social, economic, and institutional conditions influence people’s environmental behaviour; the ways they perceive and use the environment, and the ways that they can collectively organise to manage the environment,” says Professor Cinner.
He says it’s an honour to be selected for the Fellowship.
“This will allow me to pursue a project that I hope will change how we approach marine conservation,” he says.
“Typically we have tended to look for the most pristine places then lock them away from human use. That model really conceptualises people as the problem. However my project seeks to make people an integral part of the solution.”
As part of the Fellowship, Professor Cinner will conduct a world-first study of coral reef ‘bright spots’, places where communities have successfully managed their reefs.
“The world’s coral reefs are rapidly degrading and their decline is severely diminishing the well-being of the coastal communities that depend on them for food and income,” says Professor Cinner.
“Coral reef ‘bright spots’ are areas that are doing better than expected, given the conditions they are exposed to, such as poverty and access to markets. They are places that have successfully confronted the coral reef crisis despite high pressure and are places we need to learn from.”
“I want to examine the social, economic and political conditions that make bright spots possible, and formulate policies for more sustainable reef governance elsewhere in the world,” Professor Cinner says.
Contact
Professor Joshua Cinner – joshua.cinner@jcu.edu.au + 1 808 388-3963
(Professor Cinner is currently travelling in the United States. He is the Mountain Standard Time (MST) time zone. Please be aware of the time difference when contacting him)
For information on the Pew Fellowship – http://www.pewmarinefellows.org/
Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
Scientists say stable seafood consumption amongst the world’s poorer coastal communities is linked to how local habitat characteristics influence fishing at different times of the year. In the co
An international group of scientists is predicting markedly different outcomes for different species of coral reef fishes under climate change – and have made substantial progress on picking the ‘
New research has found as climate change causes the world’s oceans to warm, baby sharks are born smaller, exhausted, undernourished and into environments that are already difficult for them to survi
Abstract: The vast majority of reef fishes have a life history consisting of a pelagic larval phase of typically 20 to 60 days, followed by larval settlement where they remain through their juvenile a
Abstract: Social networks have been and remain important across the Pacific Islands, and beyond, for building and maintaining social-ecological resilience. However, there is little quantitative infor
Abstract: The global conservation community is comprised of a range of organisations, processes, and professionals. Given the diversity of these actors, and the complexity of the systems that conser
Abstract: Seasons create a rhythm in nature and, by extension, in the lives of people who depend directly on natural resources. However, our understanding of how seasons affect the ways that people
Abstract: Oceanic shark populations have declined 77% over the past 60 years as a result of overexploitation in fisheries. However, sustainable shark management is limited to a few developed nations
Abstract: Vertigo3 is a new class of small, fast and agile ‘true-flight’ underwater glider, purposely designed for robotic, artificial intelligence-assisted broadscale marine surveys, and capable
Abstract: Recurrent marine heat waves are leading to widespread coral bleaching, transforming the structure and function of tropical coral reefs. Past bleaching events have highlighted large variatio
Abstract: Shallow-water tropical seascapes typically include a range of habitat types such as coral reefs, mangroves, macroalgal and seagrass beds. These habitats can occur in close proximity and are
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au