Join renowned coral reef ecosystem experts, Drs. Nancy Knowlton and Jeremy Jackson, along with Ocean Doctor founder and president, Dr. David E. Guggenheim, for a film presentation and discussion about the fate of coral reefs in the Caribbean. A major 2014 report authored by Jackson and a team he led reveals a 50 percent decline in corals across the Caribbean since 1970. The situation is dire, but there are reasons for hope. One of them: Cuba where its coral reefs remain healthy and resilient. The panel will share other reasons for hope as well.
FROM DESPAIR TO REPAIR (USA, 2015, 8 min.) Dr. Jeremy Jackson and Dr. Nancy Knowlton fell in love with each other and coral reefs 40 years ago. In this short film, they discuss the plight of the Caribbean coral reefs. Today those reefs are a pale shadow of their former selves in most locations, due primarily to overfishing, pollution and overpopulation. Given that Caribbean coral reefs generate more than $3 billion annually from tourism and fisheries and that millions of ocean species depend upon them, this is a tragedy that must be reversed. The film is a complement to a report, “Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012,” released by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) in partnership with the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). Directed and produced by Sandy Cannon-Brown.
GARDENS OF THE QUEEN (USA, 2011, 12 min.) In a world of coral reefs dead and dying, Cuba’s coral reefs remain astonishingly healthy, especially in an area known as “Gardens of the Queen,” Cuba’s first marine protected area, now a National Park and one of the world’s most pristine and vibrant coral reefs. Join us for a screening of the Edward R. Murrow Award-winning segment of 60 MINUTES, taking you on an underwater adventure off the Cuban coast to visit Gardens of the Queen, where Anderson Cooper scuba dives with Dr. David E. Guggenheim , Founder and President, Ocean Doctor.
Discussion follows screening with:
- Dr. Nancy Knowlton, Sant Chair for Marine Science, Smithsonian Institution
- Dr. Jeremy Jackson, Marine Scientist/Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Dr. David E. Guggenheim, Founder & President, Ocean Doctor
Saturday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.
FREE. Reservations encouraged.
National Museum of Natural History, Johnson IMAX Theatre, 10th St. & Constitution Ave., NW (Metro: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle)
