An exhibition to be held at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University has recently been organized by Taiwan’s National Museum Marine Biology & Aquarium (NMMBA). The exhibition, entitled “The Coral Hospital: the promise of healthy coral reefs for future generations,” will begin on Sept. 14th and last for three months. The exhibition was planned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education through the “New Southbound” program focused on popular science education in Southeast Asia. The purpose of this exhibition is to enhance the public knowledge of marine research and conservation and to extend NMMBA’s educational outreach reach to beyond Taiwanese borders. Not only is there the hope that this exhibition will instill both love of, and concern for, the world’s oceans, but it will serve as a springboard for future marine research-related projects between Taiwan and Southeast Asia, notably Thailand, by demonstrating that there is only one ocean; in other words, it no longer makes sense to tackle marine-oriented issues within the confines of a single nation.
This exhibition consists of several themes, the majority of which deal with scleractinian corals that build coral reefs, arguably nature’s crowning biological achievements. These thematic groupings include “coral diagnosis,” “coral treatment,” “coral cryopreservation,” “coral recovery,” “coral preservation and conservation,” amongst others. By presenting 1) the basics of coral reef biology and ecology, 2) means of artificially culturing corals, and 3) equipment for advanced technologies for studying and preserving/conserving corals, such as cryopreservation, the exhibition aims to provide students, professors, and the general public with not only a holistic understanding of coral reefs, but also the cutting edge approaches by which marine biologists are attempting to preserve and conserve coral reefs. As one example of the latter topic, there is an extensive exhibit on freezing corals at low temperatures (i.e., cryopreservation) such that a coral gene bank can be established. This will allow researchers to thaw out the corals and reseed reefs that may have become degraded due to, for instance, global climate change.
According to the exhibition organizer, Dr Chiahsin Lin, human activities, most notably global climate change, are causing corals to die across the globe. This is due to the fact that corals house algae within their cells, and these algae are expelled when corals become too hot, or when the water becomes too dirty. The fact that oceans temperatures continue to rise has put even more pressure on scientists to attempt to find ways to preserve/conserve coral reefs. Some such coral reef conservation strategies are highlighted in the exhibition. For instance, the role of coral husbandry as a tool for allowing corals to recover or rehabilitate from extensive environmental stress is addressed, as are other tools for preserving marine biodiversity, (e.g., marine protected areas). Not only are such conservation approaches important for maintaining marine biodiversity, but they also can ensure that certain ecosystem services (CO2 sequestration) provided by the oceans are sustained. Artificial breeding/propagation of corals is another means of reducing pressure on natural coral ecosystems; rather than harvest corals from local reefs, corals grown in an aquarium can instead be sold to aquarists. Finally, in the event that the aforementioned approaches fail and reefs continue to deteriorate, cryopreservation can be used to store coral genetic material indefinitely. As mentioned above, reefs could then be reseeded with thawed corals at a later date, such as when sea conditions stabilize.
NMMBA feels honored to have been invited to spearhead this exhibition, and it is hoped that attendance will be high. All attendees should feel free to engage each other in conversation; this is not a scientific conference geared only towards scientists. Rather, the purpose of this exhibition is to stimulate international interest in important marine biology topics and enhance science dialogue amongst individuals from different countries, notably Taiwan and Thailand. We are very pleased to invite everyone to attend, and souvenirs will be prepared and given to all attendees.