GT Grand Challenges Team 13 Progress, Thought Process, Core Nodes, and Points of Intervention:
The process which has lead to the current state of our project all began with sticking sticky notes to a window. All members of our group signed up for the environmental topic, but we used this method to brainstorm all sorts of ideas. A lot of the problems were ones that were personally important to individual members of the group. We arranged our problem ideas by importance and interest, and ended up agreeing to go with the problem that we thought would have the biggest impact on the world if solved, which was coral reef deterioration. Coral reefs affect almost all marine life that lives near the coast. Without them, most of that marine life would die. While this would of course be terrible for the culture of places near coral reefs, it would also kill many important industries such as fishing and tourism. This seemed like it would have a noticeable impact on lots of people. We also all had individual reasons that this issue was important to us. For example, I live on the coast of Florida and have witnessed the effects of reef deterioration firsthand.
The next step for us was to collect more information about our problem. We started by researching the various things that are actually hurting the coral reefs. Among these were overfishing, various types of pollution, dredging, mining, and coral harvesting. We then researched the external reasons that each of these processes takes place. We researched the economic and cultural needs of people living near coral reefs and how these needs end up hurting the reefs through these processes. We then started looking into any legal policies that may exist that help or hurt the reefs. This lead us to research the government entities that are tasked with protecting the reefs at both the federal and state level for the U.S. as well as several international governments such as that of Australia.
Now that we were seeing the many different and complicated governments and policies that affected reefs all around the world, we began to consider narrowing our scope. We also knew from our research of the deterioration processes that different reefs around the world are affected by different problems, so we thought it would make sense to narrow our efforts to one specific place on earth to have more of an impact. We first decided to narrow our scope to the United States’ reefs, which would consist of those in Florida and Hawaii. We wanted to do this since we live in the United States and would be more familiar with the government agencies and policies here, we would be more impacted by any changes, and we are geographically closer. We then further narrowed our scope to just Florida’s reefs, since Floridian and Hawaiian reefs are still vastly different. We chose Florida over Hawaii since we’re much closer geographically, and I even have a house there.
With our scope clearly defined, we began working on our system map, shown above. To begin our system map, we put our problem in the central bubble and branched out to different core areas of the problem. These core areas covered all sorts of things, from the causes of the problem to the government agencies trying to fix it. From these core areas, we branched out even further, digging deeper into and finding more details about each specific area. In the process of doing so, we uncovered several factors that were previously unseen to us. For example, we uncovered the connection between pollution, marine life, and bleaching. The connection is that pollution kills marine life, removing them from the ocean and preventing them from eating the algae off of the coral which leads to bleaching, so pollution indirectly leads to coral bleaching. Several other connections such as this one were made with the help of the system map, as well as identifying a very important stakeholder called Mission Blue. Some of our Core Nodes and Stakeholders are noted below.
PROBLEM STATEMENT: Pollution, overfishing, physical destruction, and coral harvesting cause the deterioration of coral reefs in the Florida Keys. Such deterioration simultaneously generates malignant physical and economic effects on the American natural environment and economy, respectively. As a group, we seek to understand these root causes and demonstrate how the situation in Florida is paradigmatic of a larger problem around the globe.
CORE NODE EXAMPLES:
- Social Trends in Florida: The culture of Florida is very much influenced by the state’s close proximity to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. A 2010 study yielded results that indicated that the counties of highest population density in the state were those in direct contact with the water. (Source: https://www.bebr.ufl.edu/population/website-article/measuring-population-density-counties-florida) This comes as no surprise, as Florida is known for being both a retirement spot for workers across the country and a consistent favorite for beach vacations. Such an increase in population can cause an increase in pollution, but correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Nevertheless, mass human activity near the coastline is a possible factor influencing the rate at which coral reef are deteriorating and the extent to which pollution is affecting Floridian reef ecosystems.
- Research Institutions and Surveillance Experts: Some of the most major core nodes we included on our systems map existed within the various governmental and private institutions that work in imaging, surveillance, and assessment. Such institutions include:
- NASA: Though it may not seem as though NASA is a major player in tackling the problem of coral reef destruction, they are a vital entity involved with imaging and tracking the destruction of coral reefs in Florida and across the world. Their CORAL program embodies the cutting edge nature of governmental research endeavors, as it utilizes novel technologies to aid in assessing the presence and risk of coral reef systems. The most important device utilized is dubbed PRISM, for Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer. In describing PRISM’s work, the NASA website states, “[PRISM] can see objects about five feet by five feet square (less than two meters by two meters square) from its airborne perch five miles (eight kilometers) overhead. PRISM will fly in a Gulfstream IV airplane, collecting large swaths of data that will allow scientists to distinguish among coral, algae and sand — important information for assessing reef condition — without having to go underwater in each location.” (Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/five-things-about-coral-and-coral) The following image depicts the coral reef systems PRISM discovered off the coast of Florida in May 2017.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has, in recent history, aided in efforts to tackle coral reef deterioration in Florida and in key areas throughout the country. As a federal entity, it represents the US government’s dedication to preserving the US’s coastal resources (often found in reef ecosystems). It was established as recently as 1998, and it is currently focusing on one core point of intervention: excess nutrient and sediment runoff. In describing their work, the USDA website states, “As an agency in the USDA, NRCS is a member of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and the Coral Reef Task Force Steering Committee focusing its efforts on the reduction of land based sources of pollution, including sediments and nutrients, in support of the Task Force’s mission to protect and enhance coral reef ecosystems.” (Source: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/climatechange/research/?cid=stelprdb1048124) Rather than intervene directly, however, the USDA NRCS plays an “advisory” role to local agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (one of our project’s most important stakeholders). The USDA “has the expertise and field offices to provide technical assistance on conservation practices that address Local Action Strategies designed to mitigate impacts on coral reef ecosystems.” (Source: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/climatechange/research/?cid=stelprdb1048124)
POINTS OF INTERVENTION:
This is perhaps the most important area of our research, as it gives us the primary concerns around which we can ultimately shape our solution (in the future). After assessing what the various aforementioned organizations have done to mitigate the problem of coral reef deterioration in the Florida Keys and around the world, we have discovered several key “areas of interest” that greatly influence the problem itself and its effects on both the environment and the economy (the two areas mentioned in our problem statement).
Social Intervention: As noted in our Core Nodes and Stakeholder Analysis (See future article), we have already noticed several examples of federal and non-profit organizations that have enacted social programs in an attempt to quell the human impact on coral reefs along the coast of Florida. NOAA is one such example of an entity that has reached out to the community through social means. Several of their programs are conducted in partnership with local organizations such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to spread awareness among Floridian residents. With recent upticks in population along the Floridian coastlines, however, these programs may need to be rearranged to better fit a larger audience (this will be a major topic of our stakeholder interview with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection). Some of the most notable NOAA-sponsored FDEP programs include the Coral Reef Ambassador Program and the Skip the Straw Initiative. Both of these programs involve voluntary pledges on behalf of Floridian residents and specialize in giving practical advice to divers (in preventing contamination of coral reef ecosystems) and consumers of plastic straws, respectively. The effectiveness of these programs will be a key factor in our stakeholder interviews, as an effective social program may need to be scaled up and incentivized in order to truly create noticeable change. On the two organizations’ websites, little quantitative data is given to back the claim that such programs have been effective in the past. Sources:
Federal Action: One of the most major governmental entities involved in the problem of Coral Reef Deterioration within the Florida Keys is the United States Coral Reef Task Force, a committee under the jurisdiction of NOAA. The USCRTF’s website indicates that the first actionable plan for dealing with coral reef deterioration was only created in 2000, and it was founded upon 13 key principles that stressed the importance of observation, education, and direct federal action. One of their main goals highlighted in their plan for coral reef restoration encompassed “protecting 20% of U.S. coral reefs as marine reserves by 2010.” (Source: https://www.coralreef.gov/goals.html) A February 2009 report indicated that “Nearly 100% of the 6,116 square kilometers of mapped coral reef ecosystem (defined below) in this segment of the Florida reef tract is within MPAs [Marine Protected Areas] and 7% is within No-take MPAs [areas where no resources can be taken].” (Source: https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/habitat_assessment/florida.pdf) In other areas across the US, (i.e. Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, etc.) the percentages of protected areas far exceeded the 20% goal. (Source: https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/habitat_assessment/national_summary.pdf) Thus, the USCRTF has already proven itself to be an effective force in achieving its goals. However, there are several key federal areas that still can be augmented to maximize the output of federal intervention. Firstly, the USCRTF’s founding mandate requires it and NOAA (its parent organization) to report to Congress biannually. With recent upticks in population, this may not be frequent enough to deal with the growing problem of reef deterioration. The most recent convention of the USCRTF, scheduled for this past March, was even cancelled as a result of COVID-19. (Source: https://www.coralreef.gov/). Also, though the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2019 (proposed by Floridian Senator Marco Rubio) helped revive and continue the USCRTF (as well as provide federal requirements for state action plans), it limited federal funding for coral reef protection programs to $500,000 per state, annually. (Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2429/text)
Curtailing Overfishing: Due to the overfishing in coral reefs, specifically near Hawaii, new regulations have been put in place by the NOAA to curb irresponsible practices and limit fishing within the reefs. The special coral reef ecosystem fishing permit is now required to fish within Marine Protected Areas or fish for species on the list of Potentially Harvested Coral Reef Taxa. This permit expires after 1 year of issuance, and permit holders are required to submit a logbook to NOAA fisheries within 30 days of harvesting any coral (Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/special-coral-reef-ecosystem-fishing-permit-and-transshipment-requirements).All regulations that apply to fishing within coral reefs are found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Part 665, Subparts B, C, D, and E.
Within Florida, certain species that are vital to reef ecosystems are protected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, including stony corals, fire corals, and the octocorals Gorgonia flabellum, G. ventalina (common sea-fans), and Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin). These are illegal to harvest or remove within the state. Additionally, harvesting any live-rock that have living species attached is illegal unless it is within a licensed aquaculture area.
On September 26, 2019, the NOAA released a proposal to amend Fishery Management Plan protect 13 more coral reef hotspots in the Gulf of Mexico, including the West Florida Wall. The law would prohibit the deployment of bottom-tending fishing gear, such as bottom long-line, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot or trap, and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels.
