| Presentation by Dr. Richard Murphy on Coral Reefs |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 27 October 2004 | |
|
Dr. Richard Murphy was in Playa del Carmen ... speaking about our coral reefs at the Hyperbaric Chamber Facility One of the worlds most renowned marine biologists spent his holiday in sunny Playa Del Carmen, visiting his friend Sam Meacham, who is in charge of the Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquifero de Quintana Roo (CINDAQ). CINDAQ dedicates itself to the protection of the underground aquatic system in Quintana Roo. Buceo Medico Mexicano (BMM) and CINDAQ were very lucky to be able to persuade Dr. Murphy to give an impromptu presentation at the hyperbaric chamber facility in Playa del Carmen..........
Dr. Murphy took some of the pictures published in his latest book about coral reefs and used them to explain how everything has its place in this unique ecosystem. He used our human cities as comparison. There are roof gardens (algae in coral tissue) service centers (cleaner wrasses), vacuum cleaners (sea cucumbers), sewage treatment plants (sponges) and many more. Dr. Murphy made it an interesting and funny presentation that kept his audience captivated until the very last minute. In the Q&A session that followed, he was asked how concerned individuals of the community can put pressure on local authorities to finally deal with some of the environmental issues that destroy our Riviera Maya. Other than giving practical advice, Dr. Murphy also pledged his and Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Future Society’s support to it. Needless to say that most of the questions were about Dr. Murphy’s time with the Cousteaus on board “Calypso”. When asked about his most memorable diving experience, he told us how he spent several days alone with an Amazon River Dolphin at a little bay in the middle of the Brazilian jungle. He dove with it every day, until they were close buddies. Dr. Murphy even managed to take a picture with him and the dolphin “arm in arm”! About Dr. Richard Murphy Richard C. Murphy has a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the University of Southern California. He began working with Jean-Michel Cousteau and his father, Jacques Cousteau, in 1968. Since that time he has been involved in a wide variety of projects and expeditions in many remote areas around the globe, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji Islands, the Caribbean, Indonesia, the Mekong River in SE Asia, the Amazon, Sea of Cortez, Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Murphy¹s role in these expeditions has included serving as chief scientist, photographer, writer, educator or project director. Dr. Murphy has authored over 60 articles in scientific and popular publications. His latest work is a book on coral reefs named: “Coral Reefs Cities Under the Sea”. He is presently involved in the creation and implementation of educational programs for young people from around the world. The Sustainable Reefs program, being implemented in 10 Pacific and 2 Caribbean Nations, is designed to help people in coastal nations better understand and manage their coral reef resources. The Ambassadors of the Environment program, being conducted at 8 sites in the Pacific and Atlantic/Mediterranean, is dedicated to helping young people better understand how nature works and how to apply lessons from ecology to sustainable living in human communities. Harry Barthel, CHT, BMM Playa Del Carmen Comments (0)
 Write comment
|
By: Harry Barthel
Show/Hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|