ANNOUNCEMENT: Travel with Ocean Doctor to Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen!

Avalon Cuban Diving Centers
Cuba Conservancy
   

 Legal Educational Travel to Cuba for U.S. Citizens & Residents

For 13 years I have felt deeply privileged to spend much of my time in Cuba, working on research and conservation projects with some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, among the most spectacularly healthy reefs I have ever beheld. One region in particular, Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen, is so staggeringly pristine and healthy – in stark contrast to many of the other coral reef ecosystems around the world – that the region was recently featured on an award-winning segment of the CBS news program, 60 Minutes, hosted by Anderson Cooper.

Gardens of the Queen MapIn a world where many of the ocean’s corals and fish populations are in decline, the marine life of Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen – the largest no-take marine reserve in the Caribbean – is thriving. The massive and strikingly beautiful Gardens of the Queen National Park is located 60 miles off the southern coast of Cuba, an archipelago comprising a chain of 250 virgin coral and mangrove islands extending along 75 miles of turquoise waters.

Due to the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba, it has been virtually impossible for Americans to legally visit Cuba and the Gardens of the Queen for more than 50 years.

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RETURN to the Arctic Depths – An Ocean Doctor Special Presentation

In 2007, Greenpeace launched a groundbreaking expedition to explore the two largest underwater canyons in the world, in the heart of the Bering Sea. It was the first time manned […]

60 MINUTES “The Gardens of the Queen” Named Finalist at BLUE Ocean Film Festival 2012

60 MINUTES' "Gardens of the Queen" Named as Finalist in BLUE Ocean Film Festival 2012

60 MINUTES’ “Gardens of the Queen,” with Anderson Cooper named as Finalist in BLUE Ocean Film Festival 2012 (Image: CBS)

The 60 MINUTES presentation of “The Gardens of the Queen” with Anderson Cooper featuring Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina has been named a finalist in the BLUE Ocean Film Festival 2012, to be held September 24-30, 2012 in Monterey, California. Cooper and the 60 MINUTES team joined Dr. David E. Guggenheim, Senior Fellow and Director of the Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program at The Ocean Foundation and?Fabi?n Pina Amarg’s of the Cuban Center for Coastal Ecosystem Research, to explore this striking underwater ecosystem. Earlier this year, the 60 MINUTES segment, which originally aired in December 2011, won the 2012 Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in journalism.

“The Gardens of the Queen” will be screened at BLUE, with an introduction and discussion by Dr. Guggenheim, now in his 12th year working in Cuba, along with the 60 MINUTES producers (invited) and panel of experts focused on the significance of the piece as well as the important roles that marine protected areas play in protecting the world’s ocean ecosystems. Read more

VIDEO: Is it Getting Hot in Here? Considering Social Media’s Impact on Climate Change (Social Media Week 2012)

Is It Getting Hot In Here? Considering Social Media's Impact on Climate ChangeWatch the video…

Read more

Ecology Radio Debuts! The Ocean Doctor Interviews Dr. Sylvia A. Earle

Ecology Global NetworkIt’s new and it’s now LIVE! Ecology Radio is a new, hour-long Internet radio magazine featuring the latest, cutting-edge environmental topics. Each month, Dr. David E. Guggenheim, host of The Ocean Doctor Radio Show show, brings an ocean-related segment to Ecology Radio, debuting with a very special guest: “Her Deepness,” Dr. Sylvia A. Earle.

Dr. Sylvia A. Earle at the helm of the Deep Rover submersible (Photo: David E. Guggenheim)

Dr. Sylvia A. Earle at the helm of the Deep Rover submersible (Photo: David E. Guggenheim)

Ecology Radio is a service of the ECOLOGY Global Network, a service of ecology.com, the nexus of the Worldwide Web, international television, international radio and personal data delivery systems regarding all facets of ecology and the environment, all delivered on ecology.com with plans to expand to other media delivery platforms.

The ECOLOGY Global Network’s mission is to use the modern tools of information and communication to inform, educate and inspire the global community to respect, restore and protect our natural and human world, and to encourage all people to become stewards of the environment in which we live.

Ecology Radio

 

Ecology Global Network

A Fragile Empire: National Geographic Examines Threats to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

"A Fragile Empire" can be found in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine on newstands April 26

“A Fragile Empire” can be found in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine on newsstands April 26 (Photo: National Geographic)

Earlier this year, World Resources Institute released its “Reefs at Risk Revisited Report” (featured on The Ocean Doctor Radio Show) which spelled out a rather grim future for coral reefs due to both local and global threats, should we fail to take action. One of the bright spots in its report was Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which has fared better than many other reefs around the world and has in place strong protections and management practices. But even this massive and remote reef system isn’t immune from the impacts affecting coral reefs worldwide. In “A Fragile Empire” National Geographic Magazine (May 2011) writer Jennifer S. Holland explores the various factors that are threatening Australia’s monumental reef. From rising water temperatures, to bleaching, massive flooding and high levels of acidity, the reef is in danger of collapsing and the prospect for recovery is uncertain.

A warming climate is pushing corals against the upper limit of their thermal tolerance, evidenced by mass bleachings like the one in 1997-98. A 60-year decline in ocean phytoplankton — microscopic organisms that form the base of the food chain — may also be playing a role. Recent flooding in Australia washed enormous plumes of sediments and toxins far offshore to the reef tract. And now, thanks to increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, the oceans are becoming more and more acidic as more of this atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater. As the oceans become more acid, limiting the ability of organisms, like corals and shellfish, to build their limestone shells and skeletons.

Read more

Cuba: The Accidental Eden – Screening & Discussion at DC Environmental Film Festival

CUBA: THE ACCIDENTAL EDEN (USA, 2010, 60 min.)

Cuba may have been isolated politically and economically for the past 50 years, but its borders have remained open to wildlife for which Cuba’s undeveloped islands are an irresistible draw. While many islands in the Caribbean have poisoned or paved over their ecological riches on land and in the sea in pursuit of a growing tourist industry, Cuba’s wild landscapes have remained virtually untouched, creating a safe haven for rare and intriguing indigenous animals, as well as for hundreds of species of migrating birds and marine creatures. Coral reefs have benefited, too. Independent research has shown that Cuba’s corals are much healthier than others both in the Caribbean and around the world. Written and produced by Doug Schultz for PBS NATURE.

Discussion with David E. Guggenheim, who stars in the film, follows screening.

Ticket/Reservation Info: FREE. no reservations needed. Read more

Artificial Reefs: National Geographic Shows Us the Beauty, the Science & the Controversy

"From Relics to Reefs" can be found in the February 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands January 25, 2011

“From Relics to Reefs” can be found in the February 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands January 25, 2011

They’re favorites among divers and fishermen, they’re teeming with life, and they’re heralded as a way to rebuild dwindling fish populations. They’re also controversial. With the breathtaking imagery of renowned National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, the February 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine brings us deep into the heart of the artificial reefs found throughout our ocean waters. Read more