Cross-cultural collaboration with China

ASPIRE – Access, Scholarship, Partnership, Innovation, Respect and Employability comprises a value system and a series of norms that underpin many aspects of cross-cultural teaching, learning and research. Cross-cultural sensitivity and exchange is at the core of a global system of higher education (HE), where we can understand, respect, and learn from the strengths of HE in each nation. Collaboration with leading institutions in China over a period of four years has necessitated respect of and sensitivity to cultural differences, innovation in ideas of communication, and growing partnership networks, of crucial importance in developing pedagogy and research, and all areas of learning, from the arts and the creative industries to science and technology. Exchange is of paramount importance, to enhance understanding and respect, and for us to become both culture- and task-oriented

Comparison of two reef sites on the north coast of Jamaica over a 15-year period

This paper compares two reef sites near Discovery Bay, Jamaica, Dairy Bull and Dancing Lady, from 2000 to 2015. At Dairy Bull reef, with low macroalgal cover (8% in 2002 falling to 1% in 2015) and significant number of Diadema antillarum urchins (c. 5 m−2), live coral cover increased from 13% ± 5% in 2006 after the bleaching event in 2005, to 31% ± 7% in 2008, while live Acropora cervicornis increased from 2% ± 2% in 2006 to 28% ± 5% in 2015. Coral cover levels were at least maintained until 2015, owing mostly to a slight increase in A. cervicornis. Dancing Lady reef however was dominated by macroalgae throughout this period (cover of c. 76% ± 7%), with no D. antillarum and showed little decrease in the already low (6% ± 1%) coral cover in 2005. Growth rates for Siderastrea siderea were similar for both sites (7 mm∙yr−1), while growth rates of A. cervicornis and A. palmata were 120.0 ± 30 mm∙yr−1 and 71.0 ± 29 mm∙yr−1 respectively at Dairy Bull in 2015. At Dancing Lady reef, A. cervicornis colonies which were present from 2003 to 2005 had disappeared in 2006, possibly as a result of the mass bleaching event. It appears that A. cervicornis was the most impacted species during the 2005 bleaching event, but was also the species that recovered fastest after its decline at Dairy Bull

Coral reef populations in the Caribbean: is there a case for better protection against climate change?

Copyright © 2013 Michael James C. Crabbe. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Knowledge of factors that are important in coral reef growth help us to understand how reef ecosystems react following major environmental disturbances due to climate change and other anthropogenic effects. This study shows that despite a range of anthropogenic stressors, corals on the fringing reefs south of Kingston harbour, as well as corals on fringing reefs on the north coast of Jamaica near Discovery Bay can survive and grow. Skewness values for Sidastrea siderea and Porites astreoides were positive (0.85 1.64) for all sites, implying more small colonies than large colonies. Coral growth rates are part of a demographic approach to monitoring coral reef health in times of climate change, and linear extension rates (mm.yr-1) of Acropora palmata branching corals at Dairy Bull, Rio Bueno, and Pear Tree Bottom on the north coast of Jamaica were c. 50 90 mm.year-1 from 2005-2012. The range of small-scale rugosities at the Port Royal cay sites studied was lower than that at the Discovery Bay sites; for example Rio Bueno was 1.05 ± 0.15 and Dairy Bull the most rugose at 2.3 ± 0.16. Diary Bull reef has for several years been the fringing reef with the most coral cover, with a benthic community similar to that of the 1970s. We discuss whether Jamaica can learn from methods used in other Caribbean countries to better protect its coral reefs against climate change. Establishing and maintaining fully-protected marine parks in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean is one tool to help the future of the fishing industry in developing countries. Developing MPAs as part of an overall climate change policy for a country may be the best way of integrating climate change into MPA planning, management, and evaluation

Corals at the EDGE of existence

There are numerous human and environmental challenges to coral reefs that leave many species of scleractinian corals globally threatened. The EDGE of Existence (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) programme commenced in 2007 at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The purpose of the programme was to focus resources for science and conservation on species where little research had been done, or where there were no conservation plans. The programme was developed to support EDGE Fellows who came from, and were based, in the countries where the EDGE species existed. So far, 58 Fellows have been supported, in 33 countries. The Fellowship lasts 2 years, and provides training to develop science and conservation techniques, including outreach and policy development. A grant enables initial implementation of the project. The EDGE programme aims to train future leaders in conservation science. In 2011 the programme was expanded from mammal, amphibian, reptile and bird species to include coral reefs. Specific training in coral reef biology, taxonomy and ecology is provided, together with SCUBA training if necessary. Marine conservationists are able to target conservation projects directed to specific species in Africa, Asia and the Americas

Sentencing in a rational society

“The reduction of prohibited conduct must be the main aim of any penal system, but must be tempered by both economic considerations and humanity if the system is to be practicable and tolerable”. So argued Nigel Walker in his book Sentencing in a Rational Society 50 years ago. James Crabbe FRSA asks how far we have really moved since

Education for offenders in prison

Prisoners are a group of people often forgotten or ignored by society as a whole. Yet recidivism (reoffending) is a serious drain on resources worldwide, and tackling it has been the subject of much research and policy development. Education in secure environments and beyond helps offenders, reduces recidivism and improves employability. Here, we address current and future pathways in offender education, involving Information Technology and offender-led learning. These issues have been studied in the Coates Review (2016), which should be an important breakthrough in improving education in prisons, and effecting culture change about prisoner education in and beyond prisons

Influence of macroalgal cover on coral colony growth rates on fringing reefs of Discovery Bay, Jamaica: a letter report

This study investigated the hypothesis that alterations in macroalgal cover significantly influenced the growth rates of coral colonies on the fringing reefs of Discovery Bay, Jamaica. For colonies of Montastrea annularis, Porites astreoides, and Sidastrea siderea, radial growth rates were significantly (p<0.02) higher at Dairy Bull (where Diadema antillarum had removed macroalgal cover) than at either M1 or Rio Bueno (where there was c. 80% macroalgal cover). For colonies of Colpophyllia natans and Montastrea fankseii, radial growth rates were significantly (p<0.02) higher at Dairy Bull than at Rio Bueno. It has been suggested that macroalgal shading as well as contact is a significant inhibitor of coral growth, and our results are in accord with that hypothesis. These studies suggest that marine park managers should foster macroalgal predation wherever possible, in order to limit the irreversible decline of coral reefs

From citizen science to policy development on the coral reefs of Jamaica

This paper explores the application of citizen science to help generation of scientific data and capacity-building, and so underpin scientific ideas and policy development in the area of coral reef management, on the coral reefs of Jamaica. From 2000 to 2008, ninety Earthwatch volunteers were trained in coral reef data acquisition and analysis and made over 6,000 measurements on fringing reef sites along the north coast of Jamaica. Their work showed that while recruitment of small corals is returning after the major bleaching event of 2005, larger corals are not necessarily so resilient and so need careful management if the reefs are to survive such major extreme events. These findings were used in the development of an action plan for Jamaican coral reefs, presented to the Jamaican National Environmental Protection Agency. It was agreed that a number of themes and tactics need to be implemented in order to facilitate coral reef conservation in the Caribbean. The use of volunteers and citizen scientists from both developed and developing countries can help in forging links which can assist in data collection and analysis and, ultimately, in ecosystem management and policy development

The influence of extreme climate events on models of coral colony recruitment and survival in the Caribbean

Knowledge of coral recruitment patterns helps us understand how reefs react following major disturbances and provides us with an early warning system for predicting future reef health problems. We have reconstructed and interpreted historical and modern-day recruitment patterns, using growth modeling, in order to understand how hurricanes, storms and bleaching events have influenced coral recruitment in the Caribbean. The results indicate that regional hurricane events negatively impact coral recruitment patterns in the Caribbean, from the south in Tobago to more northerly areas in Belize and Jamaica. However, despite multiple large-scale disturbances, corals are still recruiting to marginal reef systems, and to the Mesoamerican Barrier reef off the coast of Belize. While recruitment and initial growth since the Caribbean-wide bleaching event of 2005 has been successful for Colpophylia natans at the sites studied in North Jamaica, medium and large sized colonies of this species have decreased in numbers since the bleaching event at most sites, except where the rugosity is highest, at Dairy Bull reef

Impacts of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering strategy on Caribbean coral reefs

Purpose: Currently, negotiation on global carbon emissions reduction is very difficult due to lack of international willingness. In response, geoengineering (climate engineering) strategy is proposed to artificially cool the planet. Meanwhile, as the harbor around one-third of all described marine species, coral reefs are the most sensitive ecosystem on the planet to climate change. However, until now, there is no any quantitative assessment on impacts of geoengineering on coral reefs. In this study, we model impacts of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering on coral reefs. Design/methodology/approach: We will use the HadGEM2-ES climate model to model and evaluate impacts of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering on coral reefs. Findings: This study shows that a) stratospheric aerosol geoengineering could significantly mitigate future coral bleaching throughout the Caribbean Sea; b) Changes in downward solar irradiation, sea level rise and sea surface temperature caused by geoengineering implementation should have very little impacts on coral reefs; c) although geoengineering would prolong the return period of future hurricanes, this may still be too short to ensure coral recruitment and survival after hurricane damage