Rare Reads | Rare

Book of the Month

Ocean
David Attenborough and Colin Butfield

Fisheries are critical for human well-being – we Hawaiians know that as well as anyone. The goals of healthy fisheries and conservation are the same: more fish, greater abundance, healthier ocean.”

Aulani Wilhelm, Ocean, page 277

In the span of 99 years, David Attenborough, world-renowned conservationist and science communicator, has seen the natural world change in unimaginable ways. But, one area has changed more than any other – the Ocean.

In Ocean, Attenborough and his long-time collaborator Colin Butfield take readers on a journey through eight unique ocean landscapes—including mangrove forests, coral reefs, and the Southern Ocean—to inspire a new generation to care for Earth’s last great wilderness.

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Discussion questions:

1. David Attenborough has spent his entire career sharing the wonders of nature with the world. In the introduction to Ocean, he says, “I remain convinced that the more people enjoy and understand the natural world, the greater our hope of saving both it and ourselves becomes” (xi). Do you agree with Attenborough?
2. What tone do he and Butfield use throughout the book (climate doomism, optimism, skepticism, etc.)? How does this align with Rare’s 8 Principles of Effective Climate Change Communication?
3. Many of the areas where Rare works appear in this book, including the Mesoamerican Reef (35), Palau (45), and the Coral Triangle (48). What is unique about these geographies? What are some of the reasons why they zeroed in on in this book? What is Rare’s unique role in each of these geographies?
4. In chapter 7, we hear from ‘Aulani Wilhelm, a native Hawaiian Ocean advocate, who speaks about a collection of sacred islands known as Papahānaumokuākea, which was designated a Marine National Monument in 2006. As a result of that protected area, she explains that tuna populations have rebounded in the waters just outside of the protected area, helping small-scale fishers who rely on tuna for their livelihoods. She continues to explain that healthy fisheries and conservation have the same end goals and are not at odds. Draw a Venn diagram with “Fishers” on one side and “Conservationists” on the other and list out the goals each group has. What are the ways they differ? How are they the same? Perhaps there is no difference at all. Talk this through with your book group.

Rare stories related to the book:

🐟  Weaving ancestral traditions with modern fisheries science, the Palauan way 
🌳  The Mothers of the Mangrove 
🌊  Five reasons to protect the community seas