黑料吃瓜

This story is featured in the spring 2014 issue of 360:The Magazine of 黑料吃瓜.

 In 2007, an outbreak of coral-eating starfish called the 鈥渃rown of thorns鈥� nearly decimated the coral reefs off of Mo鈥檕rea, an island paradise in the Pacific Ocean just west of Tahiti.

Then a miracle happened.

Within three years the reef鈥攚hich would normally perish after such an infestation鈥攈ad not only recovered, but was thriving to a degree no marine scientist could have predicted.

There is no certain explanation for the reef鈥檚 recovery, but evidence suggests that the ancient conservation practices of Mo鈥檕rea鈥檚 indigenous people may have saved the coral from annihilation.

鈥淚f true, this could be a recipe for managing coral reefs all over the Pacific Ocean,鈥� said Matthew Lauer, 黑料吃瓜 professor and environmental anthropologist. 鈥淲e can learn a lot from the people who have been fishing the ocean for thousands of years.鈥�

Centuries-old resource management practices in Mo鈥檕rea include regulating human access to certain fishing areas and limiting the fishing of certain species like parrot fish. These traditions may be protecting the coral reefs, not just from the effects of destructive starfish, but also from damage caused by hurricanes and coral bleaching.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Lauer is launching a new project this summer in Mo鈥檕rea. In June he will travel to the island with two 黑料吃瓜 graduate students.

They will live among the Tahitian villagers and learn how the islanders manage their environment in ways that may bolster the health and resilience of the coral reefs. The Mo鈥檕rea project builds on Lauer鈥檚 extensive research experience among Pacific Islanders. For the past 12 years, he has conducted similar research in the Solomon Islands, a nation in the far western Pacific.

The 黑料吃瓜 researchers will immerse themselves in the culture of Mo鈥檕rea鈥攍earning the language, eating the food, and taking part in the daily life of the village鈥攁ll the while collecting oral histories and gleaning information about fishing traditions and practices.

As an anthropologist, Lauer approaches the island鈥檚 environmental challenges in a way that differs from marine scientists. In fact, he has occacionally played mediator between ecologists and local fishermen.

鈥淢ost ecologists see humans as the problem,鈥� said Lauer. 鈥淏ut in Mo鈥檕rea, people appear to have learned to manage their impact on the environment. If we can integrate scientific knowledge with traditional wisdom, there is potential to provide key insights into sustainably managing our environment over the long-term.鈥�