Workshop: Ecosystem Function and Biodiversity on Coral Reefs; Key West, FL; November 1-7, 1993

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9312272 Ogden This proposal seeks support for an international group 30- 35 scientists to attend a workshop in Moorea, French Polynesia, 6-11 September 1993, which will address the topic of ecosystem function and biological diversity (biodiversity) as it relates to coral reefs. This is one of a series of workshops which SCOPE (UNESCO's Scientific Committee on the Protection of the Environment) has proposed for this topic in relation to 12 biotic regions: tundra, ocean upwelling systems, estuaries, Mediterranean, islands, boreal forest, coral reefs, savanna, tropical forests, freshwater systems, temperate forests, and arid zones. Following the workshops, there will be an overall synthesis meeting in Asilomar, California, in 1944, leading to an unprecedented knowledge base and a substantial publication in support of future strategies for research and conservation of biodiversity. %%% Specific questions to be addressed in the workshop include: Do losses of biodiversity compromise the capacity of coral reefs to maintain their functional and structural integrity? What are the implications of biodiversity for the sustainable use of reef resources, both for reef-based recreation, eco-tourism and other commercial activity, and for subsistence farming and harvesting (particularly in poor and developing countries)? Over what spatial and temporal scales are alterations in biodiversity on coral reefs manifest as alterations in biogeochemical processes, and do they contribute significantly to changes in ocean- atmosphere fluxes? ***