July 11, 2002 – The thought of coral reefs conjures up images of beautiful underwater scenes for most people, but Longin Kaczmarsky saw the devastation of these precious natural resources with his own eyes while living on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Kaczmarksy, who just completed his Master’s degree in environmental studies this May at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, hopes to do something about it. Funded by a Fulbright grant, he will travel to the Philippines to research the reasons behind this affliction for 10 months beginning on November 1, 2002.

Although the exact causes of coral disease are largely unknown, Kaczmarsky, who based his thesis on the association between sewage and coral disease, suspects that it may be tied to pollution.

Coral reefs are rapidly disappearing in many parts of the world because of the disease. The negative impacts of this could have far-reaching effects—especially on the global economy. According to Kaczmarksy, many countries’ fisheries count on healthy coral reefs, which also protect shorelines from storm erosion.

"Receiving the Fulbright award is very important," said Kaczmarsky, "because it is allowing me an opportunity to work on the cutting-edge of one of the most pressing issues facing the world’s ecologists and environmental scientists. Relatively few of the world’s leaders have actively addressed this issue. Until very recently, little funding has been available to researchers to look for answers as to why so much of the world’s corals have been dying."

Kaczmarsky chose to study the coral reefs of the Philippines because they support up to 25% of the country’s commercial fishing, and a full 50% of the animal protein consumed by the Philippine people. On a global scale, 10% of the world’s coral reefs are located in this region and this natural resource is in notable decline. "By exchanging our perspectives and findings on coral disease and pooling our resources we may make, I hope, some small progress in finding the causes of and factors that contribute to these diseases in both the U.S. Caribbean and the Philippines," said Kaczmarsky.

The principle purpose of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship is to foster mutual understanding among peoples of the world through educational and cultural exchange. Participating governments and host institutions in many countries and the United States contribute financially through cost-sharing, as well as through indirect support such as supplementary salary, tuition waivers, university housing and other benefits. "Mr. Kaczmarsky’s Fulbright project is a highly significant one, viewed in the context of increasing global attention to environmental issues," said Dr. Maithili Schmidt, Campus Coordinator of the Fulbright Program and a Professor of Philosophy.

For more information, call the C.W. Post Public Relations Office at (516) 299-2333 or email pr@cwpost.liu.edu.