July 06, 2004
7/6 - Shifting Baselines in Israel: the truth about their coral reef loss
Just last week I was speaking with an Israeli friend who told me he went diving last fall on Israel's coral reefs around Eilat. He raved about how well they have been protected and how beautiful they are today.
And now for the perspective of someone whose baseline has not been shifted. Dr. Yossi Loya has been diving on the reefs of Eilat since the beginning of time. Of all people, he should know how they are doing, which in his opinion is very bad -- primarily due to fish farming and sewage input.
This is why we are running the Shifting Baselines project -- this loss of perspective is happening everywhere. You hate to be such a skeptic, but every time you hear someone proudly proclaim, "well our coastal environment is in great shape," you need to ask, "compared to what?" Do they really know the baseline condition of the habitat? It has all been altered, it's just a question of how much.
Eilat, Israel where, according to Dr. Yossi Loya, fish farming and
sewage have devastated the coral reefs.