This weeks lecture from Dr. Loren McClenachan was an enlightening, yet frightening, talk about the newly discovered decline in marine ecosystem health. McClenachan worked in the Florida Keys researching the history of the marine ecosystem in the area. Her goal was to create a timeline of how the reefs and surrounding ocean has deteriorated over a relatively short period of time. Dr. McClenachan’s work is remarkable because she uses stark visuals in addition to facts and figures to communicate her message. She presented three aspects of the Florida Keys marine ecosystem and painted a holistic picture of how the ocean is progressively getting unhealthier. First, McClenachan talked about the decreasing size of trophy fishes. Second, she discussed the importance of coral reefs. Lastly, she exposed the damaging nature of boom-bust fisheries, and the sponge industry in particular.
One of the take home points that I gathered from Dr. McClenachan’s talk was that we need to acknowledge the rapidly shifting nature of our environment. We need to raise awareness through more studies like Dr. McClenachan’s. More specifically, we need to stop the shifting baseline syndrome and expose the large level of destruction that we are causing to the environment. In addition, we need to acknowledge that we have a such a small historical record that only extends to the 1950s. Even in this short amount of time, we see such a stark difference between the past and the present. We can’t forget the once pristine nature of our environment, and we can’t forget the large ecosystem services we miss out on when we destroy the Earth. Dr. McClenachan is a perfect example of the importance of history and research in influencing future and present policy. By creating these comparisons, McClenachan is able to force the view to visualize the deterioration of our environment. McClenachan advocated and embodies the intersectionality of progress, that we can’t move forward without considering and studying all aspects of an issue. Her work is a good union of history and science, showing that even cutting edge work can involve past information.
As with many other environmentally themed lectures, we see this doomsday mantra that resonates throughout the presentation. Dr. McClenachan included hope in her talk. She referenced the Goliath Grouper and how we can save species and habitats if we really commit to this cause.
The Dr. McClenachan’s talk made me think about how restoration and preventative measures has not happened thus far. I wonder how nothing has really changed in the way we think about ocean conservation and exploration. Even after understanding how important the ocean is to the numerous communities that live on the coasts, not to mention the important ecosystem services it provides to us all. Loren McClenachan’s work and similar studies are what must to continue in order to accurately and effectively communicate the devastating effects of pollution, fishing, and other anthropogenic causes of climate change.