The Ripple - August 2022

We hope you've been enjoying The Ripple, a monthly newsletter by The Conservationist Collective for our entire ocean-minded community. Every month we consolidate the latest blue news, exclusive internal announcements, and share job and internship opportunities in the conservation and science communication field. We're heading into fall and voting season, and we are working on more resources for you to get involved in conservation. 

Did you know that we have a podcast so you can dive deeper into marine conservation topics you're passionate about? Sustainability & The Sea releases episodes regularly that shed light on some of the least discussed parts of the field. This last episode delved into the competition and scarcity mindset that prevents meaningful work from being executed, and how we can all be part of shifting that paradigm.

Our ocean needs a return to our roots

At The Conservationist Collective, we believe that community-based approaches to conservation that are specific to the region they serve are most effective. As we look to implement solutions throughout the world, we must include and uplift coastal communities and indigenous knowledge in these conversations. Traditional management practices have served the ocean for millennia, let's return to these demonstrated approaches to safeguard the ocean now.

The Ripple is now supported by World Surf League!

World Surf League and their impact arm, WSL Pure, have generously gifted The Conservationist Collective with funding to keep alive this newsletter. Above all, we want to bring blue news to our community and provide resources for you to get more involved. Learn more about the creators and projects they funded alongside us.

BIG NEWS: The Conservationist Collective is departing on an expedition this September with National Geographic and Ocean Exploration Trust!

Carissa Cabrera will be representing TCC on this upcoming expedition to use innovative technology to better understand sentinel species in the Main Hawaiian Islands from marine mammals to sharks from 9/15-9/29. Serving as the education lead for the marine mammal team, we will be producing and releasing a virtual curriculum to engage students in this work. You can sign up to receive Cetacean Connections by emailing us directly. Follow along on the expedition on the OET website, and @nautiluslive socials.

Blue News

The Inflation Reduction Act Passed!

The United States Senate passed an amended Inflation Reduction Act on August 7th, and it was signed into law on August 16th by President Joe Biden. The passed package includes more $386 billion of climate and energy spending tax breaks, incentivizing clean energy generation, electrification, green technology retrofitting, clean fuel use, environmental conservation, and many other purposes. The new addendum aims to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. While we recognize this legislation is far from perfect, it is now the most comprehensive climate policy passed to date in the U.S., providing a launchpad for future measures with higher standards. On our end, we hope to see ocean-climate policy that uplifts blue solutions and funds community-based resource management.

We must demand the change we want to see: Time to VOTE!

With the passing of new legislation like this, it is more important than ever to ensure your vote counts. Make sure you head to the polls this fall to voice your opposition to climate degradation, and support proponents who are advocates for environmental preservation.

P.S. One of the reasons why TCC is not a registered nonprofit is so that we can provide resources and endorsements for you all to get engaged in policy passage that creates a better environment for future generations.

Blue Parks

A recent initiative from the Marine Conservation Institute aims to incentivize and accelerate effective marine protected areas, with the goal to protect at least 30 percent of every marine ecosystem in the global ocean. Experts in the field developed a Blue Park Award Criteria to highlight areas that are effectively protecting biodiversity. Any MPAs that meet the Blue Park criteria will join a network of ocean leaders.

The institute is currently accepting nominations for next years Blue Park awardees. Nominations can be submitted online until September 1, 2022, for the 2023 nominees.

For more information visit the Marine Conservation Institute's page.

Is the Great Barrier Reef Actually Recovering?

Large scale monitoring of Australia's Great Barrier Reef began four decades ago as marine scientists began investigating the effects of rising temperatures on the many fragile coral species. This month scientists reported that they are observing the highest levels of coral cover since the monitoring began, although the increase comes with a stark warning.

The northern and central sections of the reef are currently recovering after extensive disturbances over the last decade in terms of bleaching events and environmental disasters. The Australian Institute of Marine Science's most recent annual reef survey suggests many areas of the reef are still vibrant and resilient enough to recover from the past damages if given the chance.

Corals are extremely fragile marine species that can succumb to minute temperature and salinity modifications in their environment. Ocean temperature changes continue to threaten their survival as waters continue to get warmer, increasing the frequency of bleaching events globally. The corals face other threats as well including invasive crown of thorns starfish predation, tropical cyclone damages, runoff, acidification, and environmental degradation from industrial pollutants.

Our goal is to get as many people as possible involved in marine conservation. Take a look at these featured jobs and internships.

• Science Education Coordinator - St. George's, Bermuda

• Conservation Support Officer - Washington D.C., USA

• Research Assistant - Woods Hole Institute, California, USA

• Regenerative Resort Internship in Conservation Permaculture - Guerrero, Mexico

• Blue Parks Science Internship - Marine Conservation Institute

• Seabird Research Internship - Alaska Sealife Center

Surf Conservation Partnership (SCP) was born from a strategic alliance between Save the Waves Coalition and Conservation International to build a network of surf protected areas around the world. Notable surf spots tend to overlap with biodiversity hotspots, and SCP uses a community-based approach to safeguard these regions to advance 30x30 globally.