 Kiyoshi Yamazato President of ht 10th ICRS
Dear friends of coral reefs,
Time certainly flies. There is only one year left until the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium is held in Okinawa, Japan from June 28 to July 2, 2004. The members of the Organizing Committee are looking forward to this auspicious occasion and seeing you all in Okinawa to discuss coral reef issues, particularly the urgent need to save coral reef ecosystems from further degradation. You are all very welcome, and we look forward to seeing you all in Okinawa soon. |
 Makoto TSUCHIYA Chairperson of the 10th ICRS
It is our great honor and pleasure to organize the commemorative 10th International Coral Reef Symposium here in Okinawa, Japan. Coral reef science has evolved into a multi-disciplinary field contributing not only to various fields of science but also to local and global management issues of our beautiful planet.
Very unfortunately, coral reefs, one of the indicators of the earth's environmental condition, have been degraded by various impacts, such as heavy siltation, outbreak of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci, fish depletion, and coral bleaching events. However, I strongly believe that we, human beings, can prevent many of these disturbances and we can contribute to re-establishing reefs to their former state. Certainly, it is our duty to do so. Discussions in this regard are important for the symposium and we are trying to find some practical solutions, and accumulate scientific information. Okinawa is an appropriate site for discussions on sustainable use of coral reefs, considering the fact that Japanese coral reefs are immediately adjacent to areas affected by intensive human activities.
In Okinawa, developments in the basic sciences, and recent work on effective conservation and management strategies will undoubtedly unfold. These disciplines will work together effectively to accelerate a new coral reef science. We hope that a large number of participants from different fields attend the symposium and that we develop and implement various ideas to make the symposium fruitful. We welcome you all to attend. |
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