ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson - Marine biologist
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist and policy expert.

Why you should listen

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on coastal cities, and founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions. When she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, Johnson cofounded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was a leader of the March for Science. 
 
Johnson earned a BA from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy, and a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology with a dissertation on the ecology, socio-economics and policy of sustainably managing coral reefs. The fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solution Search.
 
Her op-eds have been published in the New York TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Guardian and Huffington Post, and she blogs with Scientific American and National Geographic. She is also a TED Resident, scholar at the Aspen Institute and was named on the UCSD 40 Under 40 Alumni and Elle’s "27 Women Leading on Climate." Outside magazine called her “the most influential marine biologists of our time.”
 
Johnson serves on the board of directors for the Billion Oyster Project and World Surf League's PURE and on the advisory boards of Environmental Voter ProjectScientific AmericanScience SandboxAzul and Oceanic Global. She is also a fellow at The Explorers Club. She is a passionate advocate for coastal communities and builds solutions for ocean justice and our climate crisis.

More profile about the speaker
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Speaker | TED.com
TED2019

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: A love story for the coral reef crisis

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: Uma história de amor pela crise dos recifes de corais

Filmed:
213,496 views

Ao longo das centenas de mergulhos, a bióloga marinha Ayana Elizabeth Johnson se apaixonou... Por um peixe. Nessa ode ao peixe-papagaio, ela nos conta as cinco razões que fazem essas criaturas serem tão incríveis (desde a sua capacidade de defecar areia branca, até fazer "trocas de roupa" coloridas), e mostra por que elas precisam de nossa proteção contra a destruição dos recifes de coral pelas mudanças climáticas.
- Marine biologist
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist and policy expert. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I want to tell you a love story.
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Queria contar para vocês
uma história de amor,
00:16
But it doesn't have a happy ending.
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mas ela não tem um final feliz.
00:19
Once upon a time,
I was a stubborn five-year-old
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Era uma vez... aos cinco anos,
eu era uma criança teimosa
00:23
who decided to become a marine biologist.
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que decidiu se tornar bióloga marinha.
00:26
Thirty-four years, 400 scuba dives
and one PhD later,
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Depois de 34 anos, 400 mergulhos e um PhD,
00:31
I'm still completely
enamored with the ocean.
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ainda continuo completamente
apaixonada pelo oceano.
00:34
I spent a decade working
with fishing communities
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Passei uma década trabalhando
com comunidades pesqueiras
00:37
in the Caribbean,
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no Caribe,
contando peixes, entrevistando pescadores,
00:38
counting fish, interviewing fishermen,
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redesenhando equipamentos de pesca
e desenvolvendo políticas.
00:41
redesigning fishing gear
and developing policy.
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00:44
I've been helping to figure out
what sustainable management can look like
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Ajudo a entender como fazer
uma gestão sustentável
00:49
for places where food security,
jobs and cultures
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em lugares onde a segurança alimentar,
o emprego e a cultura
00:52
all depend on the sea.
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dependem do mar.
00:55
In the midst of all this, I fell in love.
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No meio de tudo isso, me apaixonei.
00:59
With a fish.
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Por um peixe.
01:01
There are over 500 fish species
that live on Caribbean reefs,
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Existem mais de 500 espécies de peixes
vivendo nos recifes caribenhos,
01:05
but the ones I just
can't get out of my head
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mas aquele que não me sai da cabeça
01:08
are parrotfish.
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é o peixe-papagaio.
01:10
Parrotfish live on coral reefs
all over the world,
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Eles vivem nos recifes de corais
do mundo todo,
01:12
there are 100 species,
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existem 100 espécies,
chegam a mais de um metro de comprimento
01:14
they can grow well over a meter long
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01:16
and weigh over 20 kilograms,
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e pesam mais de 20 kg,
01:17
but that's the boring stuff.
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mas essa é a parte chata.
01:20
I want to tell you five
incredible things about these fish.
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Quero contar cinco fatos incríveis
sobre esse peixe.
01:24
First, they have a mouth
like a parrot's beak,
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Primeiro, ele tem uma boca
como o bico de um papagaio,
01:27
which is strong enough to bite coral,
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forte suficiente para morder corais,
01:29
although mostly they're after algae.
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embora geralmente coma algas.
01:31
They are the lawn mowers of the reef.
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Ele é o cortador de grama dos recifes.
01:33
This is key, because many reefs
are overgrown with algae
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Isso é essencial, pois muitos recifes
ficam cobertos de algas
devido à poluição por nutrientes
de esgotos e fertilizantes
01:37
due to nutrient pollution
from sewage and fertilizer
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01:41
that runs off of land.
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que vêm da terra.
01:42
And there just aren't enough
herbivores like parrotfish
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E não há herbívoros suficientes
como o peixe-papagaio
01:45
left out on the reefs
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que ainda vivem nos recifes
para aparar as algas.
01:46
to mow it all down.
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01:48
OK, second amazing thing.
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Está bem, segundo fato incrível.
Depois que come tudo,
ele defeca uma areia branca fina.
01:51
After all that eating,
they poop fine white sand.
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01:56
A single parrotfish can produce
over 380 kilograms
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Um único peixe-papagaio
consegue produzir mais de 380 kg
02:00
of this pulverized coral each year.
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desse coral pulverizado a cada ano.
02:03
Sometimes, when scuba diving,
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Às vezes, quando mergulhava,
02:04
I would look up from my clipboard
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olhava para cima através da máscara
02:06
and just see contrails
of parrotfish poop raining down.
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e via as trilhas de cocô
caindo como gotas de chuva.
02:11
So next time you're lounging
on a tropical white-sand beach,
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Na próxima vez que estiverem relaxando
numa praia tropical de areias brancas,
02:16
maybe think of parrotfish.
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talvez agradeçam ao peixe-papagaio.
02:18
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:19
Third, they have so much style.
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Terceiro, ele é muito estiloso.
02:22
Mottled and striped,
teal, magenta,
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Multicolorido e listrado,
verde-azulado, magenta,
02:25
yellow, orange, polka-dotted,
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amarelo, laranja, de bolinhas,
02:27
parrotfish are a big part
of what makes coral reefs so colorful.
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ele é o grande responsável por tornar
os recifes de coral tão coloridos.
02:31
Plus, in true diva style,
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Além disso, como uma verdadeira diva,
02:33
they have multiple wardrobe changes
throughout their life.
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troca de roupa várias vezes
ao longo de sua vida.
02:37
A juvenile outfit,
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Uma roupa jovial,
02:38
an intermediate getup,
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um traje maduro,
02:39
and a terminal look.
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e um belo visual no final da vida.
02:41
Fourth, with this last wardrobe change
comes a sex change from female to male,
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Quarto, com essa última troca de roupa,
acontece a mudança de fêmea para macho,
02:47
termed sequential hermaphroditism.
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chamado de hermafroditismo sequencial.
02:50
These large males then gather
harems of females to spawn.
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Esse macho grande então reúne
haréns de fêmeas para procriar.
02:54
Heterosexual monogamy
is certainly not nature's status quo.
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A monogamia heterossexual com certeza
não é o padrão atual da natureza.
02:58
And parrotfish exemplify
some of the beauty
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E o peixe-papagaio exemplifica as belezas
03:01
of diverse reproductive strategies.
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de estratégias reprodutivas
diversificadas.
03:04
Fifth, and the most incredible,
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Quinto, e o mais incrível,
03:07
sometimes when parrotfish
cozy up into a nook in the reef at night,
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às vezes, quando ele se aconchega
à noite em um recanto no recife,
03:11
they secrete a mucus bubble
from a gland in their head
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ele secreta uma bolha de muco
de uma glândula da cabeça
03:15
that envelops their entire body.
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que envolve seu corpo inteiro.
03:18
This masks their scent from predators
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Isso esconde seu cheiro dos predadores
03:20
and protects them from parasites,
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e o protege de parasitas,
assim, pode dormir profundamente.
03:22
so they can sleep soundly.
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03:23
I mean, how cool is this?
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Não é o máximo?
03:25
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:27
So this is a confession
of my love for parrotfish
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Por isso, essa é a declaração
do meu amor pelo peixe-papagaio
03:31
in all their flamboyant,
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com toda sua extravagância,
03:33
algae-eating, sand-pooping,
sex-changing glory.
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comendo algas, defecando areia,
gloriosamente mudando de sexo.
03:36
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:37
But with this love comes heartache.
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Mas com esse amor
também vem o sofrimento.
03:42
Now that groupers and snappers
are woefully overfished,
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Agora que garoupas e pargos
estão sendo pescados em excesso,
03:46
fishermen are targeting parrotfish.
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os pescadores começaram
a buscar peixes-papagaio.
03:48
Spearfishing took out the large species,
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A pesca submarinha acabou
com as grandes espécies,
03:51
midnight blue and rainbow parrotfish
are now exceedingly rare,
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o peixe-papagaio azul e o arco-íris
agora são extremamente raros,
03:55
and nets and traps are scooping up
the smaller species.
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e redes e armadilhas
estão capturando espécies menores.
03:58
As both a marine biologist
and a single person,
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Sendo bióloga marinha e solteira,
04:02
I can tell you,
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posso afirmar
04:03
there aren't that many fish in the sea.
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que o mar não está para peixe.
04:06
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:07
And then, there's my love for their home,
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E tem o meu amor pelo seu lar,
04:10
the coral reef,
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o recife de coral,
04:11
which was once as vibrant
as Caribbean cultures,
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que já foi tão vibrante
quanto as culturas do Caribe,
04:15
as colorful as the architecture,
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tão colorido quanto a arquitetura
04:17
and as bustling as carnival.
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e tão vibrante quanto o carnaval.
04:19
Because of climate change,
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Por causa das mudanças climáticas,
04:21
on top of overfishing and pollution,
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além da pesca predatória e da poluição,
04:24
coral reefs may be gone within 30 years.
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os recifes de corais
podem desaparecer em 30 anos.
04:28
An entire ecosystem erased.
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Um ecossistema inteiro destruído.
04:32
This is devastating,
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É devastador,
04:33
because hundreds of millions
of people around the world
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porque centenas de milhões
de pessoas em todo o mundo
04:37
depend on reefs
for their nutrition and income.
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dependem dos recifes
para sua alimentação e renda.
04:41
Let that sink in.
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Pensem nisso.
04:44
A little bit of good news
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A boa notícia
04:46
is that places like Belize, Barbuda
and Bonaire are protecting these VIPs --
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é que lugares como Belize, Barbuda
e Bornéu estão protegendo esses "VIPs",
04:52
Very Important Parrotfish.
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"Peixes-papagaio Muito Importantes".
04:54
Also, more and more places
are establishing protected areas
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Além disso, estão estabelecendo
mais áreas protegidas
04:59
that protect the entire ecosystem.
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que preservam todo o ecossistema.
05:02
These are critical efforts,
but it's not enough.
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São esforços essenciais,
mas não é o suficiente.
05:06
As I stand here today,
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Nesse momento,
05:08
only 2.2 percent
of the ocean is protected.
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somente 2,2% dos oceanos estão protegidos.
05:11
Meanwhile, 90 percent of the large fish,
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Enquanto isso, 90% dos grandes peixes,
05:14
and 80 percent
of the coral on Caribbean reefs,
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e 80% dos recifes de corais caribenhos
05:17
is already gone.
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já foram destruídos.
05:20
We're in the midst
of the sixth mass extinction.
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Estamos no meio
da sexta extinção em massa.
05:22
And we, humans, are causing it.
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E nós, seres humanos, somos responsáveis.
05:27
We also have the solutions.
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Também temos as soluções.
05:30
Reverse climate change and overfishing,
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Reverter a mudança climática
e a pesca predatória,
05:33
protect half the ocean
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proteger a metade dos oceanos
05:34
and stop pollution running from land.
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e estancar a poluição vinda da terra.
05:36
But these are massive undertakings
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São iniciativas massivas
05:38
requiring systemic changes,
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que requerem mudanças sistemáticas,
05:40
and we're really taking our sweet time
getting around to it.
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mas estamos enrolando
bastante para começar.
05:44
Each of us can contribute, though.
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Porém, cada um de nós pode contribuir.
05:47
With our votes, our voices,
our food choices,
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Com nossos votos, vozes,
escolhas de alimentos,
05:50
our skills and our dollars.
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nossas habilidades e dinheiro.
05:52
We must overhaul both corporate practices
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Devemos revisar as práticas corporativas
05:55
and government policies.
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e as políticas governamentais.
05:56
We must transform culture.
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Devemos transformar a cultura.
06:00
Building community around solutions
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Construir comunidades
em torno das soluções
06:02
is the most important thing.
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é a coisa mais importante a se fazer.
06:06
I am never going to give up
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Nunca vou desistir
06:08
working to protect and restore
this magnificent planet.
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de trabalhar para proteger e restaurar
este magnífico planeta.
06:13
Every bit of habitat we preserve,
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Cada pedaço do habitat que preservamos,
06:16
every tenth of a degree
of warming we prevent,
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cada décimo de grau
de aquecimento que impedimos,
06:19
really does matter.
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é muito importante.
06:21
Thankfully, I'm not motivated by hope,
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Felizmente, não sou motivada
pela esperança,
06:24
but rather a desire to be useful.
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mas pelo desejo de ser útil.
06:27
Because I don't know
how to give an honest talk
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Porque não sei como contar
uma história real
06:31
about my beloved parrotfish
and coral reefs
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sobre o meu amado peixe-papagaio
e os recifes de corais
06:35
that has a happy ending.
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que tenha um final feliz.
06:37
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
06:38
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Julia Yada
Reviewed by Gustavo Rocha

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson - Marine biologist
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist and policy expert.

Why you should listen

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on coastal cities, and founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions. When she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, Johnson cofounded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was a leader of the March for Science. 
 
Johnson earned a BA from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy, and a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology with a dissertation on the ecology, socio-economics and policy of sustainably managing coral reefs. The fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solution Search.
 
Her op-eds have been published in the New York TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Guardian and Huffington Post, and she blogs with Scientific American and National Geographic. She is also a TED Resident, scholar at the Aspen Institute and was named on the UCSD 40 Under 40 Alumni and Elle’s "27 Women Leading on Climate." Outside magazine called her “the most influential marine biologists of our time.”
 
Johnson serves on the board of directors for the Billion Oyster Project and World Surf League's PURE and on the advisory boards of Environmental Voter ProjectScientific AmericanScience SandboxAzul and Oceanic Global. She is also a fellow at The Explorers Club. She is a passionate advocate for coastal communities and builds solutions for ocean justice and our climate crisis.

More profile about the speaker
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Speaker | TED.com