OCEAN LECTURE SERIES

"Conservation of Coral Reef Hotspots: Recent Explorations of Saba Bank and Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles" - Dr. Mark Littler & Dr. Diane Littler

About the Lecture

The purpose of these expeditions was to assist the Netherlands Antilles Ministry of Nature Affairs (MINA) and the Center for Applied Biodiversity at Conservation International to assess the current status of the coral reefs at Saba Banks and Bonaire -- two threatened Caribbean hotspots of exceptional biodiversity.

The Littlers' team surveyed the health of the rich reef communities using key indicator species (recognized from >30 continuous years of coral-reef research) in reference to the growing problems associated with eutrophication and overfishing along tropical and subtropical shorelines worldwide. The ecological responses of corals and macroalgae to nutrient enrichment and overfishing have been repeatedly cited as priority areas in need of further research (National Research Council).

The algal team collected over 660 specimens (20 putative new species), discovered four new seaweed community types and took over 4,000 photographs in truly exceptional habitats. These studies resulted in protection of Saba Bank from anchoring of oceanic freighters and the recommendation of tertiary treatment for Bonaire wastewaters.

About the Speakers

Drs. Mark & Diane Littler are marine scientists who have developed a unique husband and wife working relationship. Their mutual interests in the field of marine botany provide the foundation upon which two collaborative research careers have been based. Backed with an array of research accomplishments, the Littlers have established themselves as experts in the study of coral-reef plant life.

Their research has taken them around the globe, including field work in the Mediterranean, South Pacific, Galapagos Islands, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. The Littlers each have over 30 years of research experience on coral reefs, with more than 180 papers and books published in a wide range of disciplines.

Diane is an Adjunct Scientist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution. Mark is a Senior Scientist at the Smithsonian Institution. Their home base is in Washington, D.C.; however, the couple spends at least four months a year conducting field research in Florida and the Florida Keys, with comparable time spent on ongoing projects in the Bahamas, Belize, and Panama.