Newswise — At his first underwater glimpse of the coral reefs of the Phoenix Islands, ocean explorer Greg Stone realized that they were among the most pristine coral reefs in the world. The Boston based scientist's second thought was that this stunningly beautiful and important ecosystem in the south central Pacific must somehow be protected. Over the next six years, Dr. Stone became the driving force behind the effort to create the third largest sanctuary for marine wildlife on the planet. This past March, Dr. Stone's vision became a reality as the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati declared its largely uninhabited Phoenix Islands a marine protected area. Physically, the preserve covers more than 184,000 square kilometers (73,800 square miles), or an area the equivalent of the Great Lakes of Superior, Michigan and Huron combined.
Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., National Geographic Adventure will recognize Dr. Stone at its first ever "Adventurers of the Year" celebration. The honorees are described as "twelve people who dared to dream big." Specifically, the December issue of the magazine said that Dr. Stone's effort "wasn't just a triumph of conservation, it was an expression of one man's passion."
The scope of the work was well beyond just science. Over six years, the 49-year-old Stone has had to be alternately an oceanographer, diplomat, expedition organizer and innovative fundraiser. He first set about building relationships among the people and government officials of this largely undeveloped nation. He was keenly aware that he needed to understand their culture before he could gain their trust. Next on the list was to inventory the amazingly abundant marine life. After three expeditions and 1500 dives, Dr. Stone and his colleagues documented hundreds of species of marine life, including several new species of fish and coral unknown to science.
The bliss of this biological discovery was short lived as the impacts of nearby commercial fishing were visibly increasing. The government of Kiribati was interested in protecting the near pristine coral reefs as part of their cultural legacy, but they were also dependant on revenue derived from the sale of licenses to foreign fishing fleets. Dr. Stone worked with Conservation International's Global Conservation Fund to design an innovative method to create an endowment fund that would provide revenue to the Kiribati government in lieu of lost fishing license fees, while also providing income to operate and protect the sanctuary. Other supporting donors included the Oak Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Akiko Shiraki Dynner Fund for Ocean Exploration and Conservation.
With the announcement this past spring of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, Dr. Stone has led the effort to avoid another "Paradise Lost" story of the type that has been far too common. His work is not done. He continues to raise money for the sanctuary's endowment fund and will be leading another expedition to explore the unknown deep-sea habitats of the preserve.
Located near the equator in the Central Pacific between Hawaii and Fiji, the Phoenix Islands form an archipelago several hundred miles long. They are part of the Republic of Kiribaati, which comprises three distinct island groups (Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands and Line Islands) with a total of 33 islands to make in the largest atoll nation in the world.
Dr. Stone is the Vice President for Global Marine Programs at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a marine biologist who spends much of his time underwater exploring our oceans, studying their changes and learning how to protect them in the future. He has also led other prominent expeditions. In 2005, he led an international team to the waters off Thailand to assess the impacts of the cataclysmic tsunami on the coral reefs there. In 2000, he and another scientific team tracked the largest known iceberg in history through the southern seas. Dr. Stone also conducts annual field research on one of the world's most endangered porpoise species in New Zealand.
Located on the Boston waterfront, the New England Aquarium is one of the most prominent and popular aquariums in the United States. Its mission is "to present, promote and protect the world of water." Beyond its exhibit halls, the Aquarium is also a leading ocean conservation organization with research scientists working around the globe and biologists rescuing stranded marine animals in New England.
RSS