Defenders of the coral reefs in Hawai’i’s northwestern islands have a golden opportunity next Monday to be heard. In response to President Clinton’s call for a plan to protect the delicate reef ecosystem around Kaua’i and elsewhere, federal agencies and
Defenders of the coral reefs in Hawai’i’s northwestern islands have a golden
opportunity next Monday to be heard.
In response to President Clinton’s
call for a plan to protect the delicate reef ecosystem around Kaua’i and
elsewhere, federal agencies and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management
Council will host a meeting at Kaua’i Community College to hear what the public
thinks.
And the public should show up and speak its mind. The reefs in this
region are healthy at least partly-and maybe primarily-because of their
relative geographic isolation from the rest of the world. But the globe is
closing in. As tourism and other human influences increase, so does the
likelihood of spoiling the reefs and endangering the marine life they
support.
The way to guard against that ever happening is for the general
public to join government agencies and environmental organizations in a united
approach to reef protection. The time is now to close ranks.
