Join Reef-World and a panel of industry experts at the first ever Scuba.Digital for an open discussion on green tourism and how this might be shaped by a post-corona world.
The Reef-World Foundation – the international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme's Green Fins initiative – is pleased to invite its supporters to its Sustainable Diving event on the main stage of Scuba.Digital 2020 (3pm BST on Friday 23 October 2020). At this virtual Q&A, members of the public will hear from industry leaders about the steps they’re taking towards sustainability, particularly in light of the current pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed plans and caused uncertainty across the dive industry: not least when it comes to sustainability. It has also led to a surge in the volume of plastic waste – particularly from single-use and hard-to-recycle products – with masks and gloves being found washed up on beaches. So, what now for green tourism? In this session, attendees will discover the unexpected environmental challenges that have been caused by the pandemic, how sustainability leaders are overcoming those obstacles and the simple changes YOU can make to protect coral reefs for future generations.
Reef-World and the United Nations Environment Programme will host a lively virtual discussion with PADI, Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Fleet, Scuba.Digital, Paralenz, ZuBlu and Bubbles Dive Centre. Together, they will talk about how the sustainability of the diving industry has been impacted by Covid-19 and predictions for the future of green tourism. Attendees will learn:
Why is coral so important and how they can be protected through sustainable diving practices
What sustainability leaders across the industry are doing to protect coral reefs
And how they’ve adjusted their plans in light of the current pandemic
What the future of sustainable tourism might look like, according to the expert panel
& the simple changes YOU can make to protect coral reefs for future generations
The panel discussion will be available to watch on the Scuba.Digital main stage at 3-3.30pm and 4-4.30pm BST (with a short break in between the two sessions) on Friday 23 October 2020. Attendees will be able to submit their own questions to the panel too.
Chloe Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “Reef-World’s sustainable diving events have been gaining momentum in previous years so we’re delighted to be able to host this exciting panel event despite current travel restrictions. While the pandemic is causing challenges across the industry, it also offers the opportunity for us to pause, regroup and plan to build back better with a more sustainable tourism industry. We must act now to protect our coral reefs – the very asset upon which our industry depends – and we must work together. So, we’re thrilled to be shining a light on the future of sustainability and help both recreational and professional divers around the world understand how they can support the cause.”
Natalie Harms, Marine Litter Focal Point, COBSEA Secretariat, UNEP – who will be chairing the event – said: “This crisis is hitting marine tourism and the people who depend on it hard. It has showed us once more that our health and the health of our ecosystems are inextricably linked. There is no silver lining for nature – now more than ever the diving community can lead by example and join hands for a sound environmental response to the crisis.”
The 2020 panel represent a range of companies who are innovating when it comes to sustainability:
Reef-World – the leader in marine tourism sustainability – aims to make sustainable diving and snorkelling the social norm.
The UN Environment Programme – the leading authority setting the global environmental agenda, which provides technical advice, support and funding for Reef-World’s Green Fins programme
Scuba.Digital – run by the team at ScubaClick Ltd – was created to help the diving industry network, collaborate and innovate in a way that won’t be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
PADI – The world’s largest diving organisation made a proclamation for the planet in 2019: shifting its brand tagline to “Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean” in order to expand its mission to include a deeper commitment to taking action to protect people and planet.
Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Fleet – is enhancing environmental operations through a customised management strategy, starting with its Caribbean vessels. It is also helping The Reef-World Foundation establish targeted liveaboard protocols as part of the Green Fins initiative with the hope of improving dive operator and liveaboard policies worldwide.
ZuBlu – is a travel platform helping scuba divers and marine enthusiasts discover and book their next underwater adventure in Asia
Paralenz – has developed a camera that enable divers to capture and share the state and life of the Ocean as a seamless part of the dive
Bubbles Dive Centre – in Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia, is one of the global Top 10 Green Fins members.
This online panel event is relevant to representatives from all segments of the diving industry: recreational divers, dive professionals, dive operators, liveaboards, resorts, travel providers, diver training organisations, manufacturers, photographers, the media and more.
Jason Haiselden, Marketing & Sales Director at ScubaClick Ltd and Scuba.Digital, said: “It is great that Reef-World has grabbed the opportunity that Scuba.Digital presents to tell the industry and the diving and snorkelling public how they can make what we do more sustainable. Covid is forcing change upon us so why not take the opportunity to make sustainable changes.”
Scuba.Digital 2020 is the new global online dive show that will take place from 23rd to 26th October 2020, featuring exhibitors and speakers from around the globe. With many traditional scuba diving shows around the world cancelled or postponed, Scuba.Digital will bring diving liveaboard operators, resorts, dive shops and clubs together online. Exhibitors and speakers will provide an extensive series of live presentations, discussions, demonstrations, lectures and classes for the general public to delve into. Scuba Digital Dive Show 2020 is the place for you to experience traditional dive shows without leaving your home. All you need is a laptop and a wi-fi to attend this new standard in dive show. This online Dive Show offers workshops in small groups, 1:1 meeting, keynotes on the main stage and exhibits from the worldwide dive industry.
For more information, please visit www.reef-world.org / www.greenfins.net or come and meet The Reef-World Foundation team at Scuba.Digital. To buy your tickets, click here.
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For more information, images or an interview with a spokesperson from The Reef-World Foundation, please contact: press@reef-world.org
About Reef-World
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources - particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems - for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.
Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.
Please visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Green Fins
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices - such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.
Please visit https://www.greenfins.net/ to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About the UN Environment Programme
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
UNEP administers the Secretariat of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), a Regional Seas programme and intergovernmental body for the protection of the East Asian Seas.
About ScubaClick Ltd and Scuba.Digital 2020
Based in the United Kingdom, ScubaClick Ltd has extensive knowledge in the scuba diving industry. Being divers and master scuba snorkellers themselves, the four directors are providing an online liveaboard management, reservation and online booking system. With Scuba.Digital they now give attendees, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors the opportunity to participate in a dive show via their browser - directly from the comfort of their home, office or hammock.
Scuba.Digital 2020 is the new global online dive show that will take place from 23rd to 26th Oct 2020, featuring exhibitors and speakers from around the globe and showcases of destinations. Scuba.Digital will offer the scuba diving, free diving and snorkelling industries a means by which to access prospective customers in a way that has not been done before and that is not affected by COVID-19. With many traditional scuba diving shows around the world cancelled or postponed, Scuba.Digital will bring diving liveaboard operators, resorts, dive shops and clubs together online. Exhibitors and speakers will provide an extensive series of live presentations, discussions, demonstrations, lectures and classes for the general public to delve into.
About PADI
Founded in 1966, PADI has grown consistently through our 54 years in business, continually raising the bar for the industry we are all so passionate about. We know who we are as a company but never let that hold us back from reinventing ourselves and keeping our mission modern and relevant. In 2019 PADI made a proclamation for the planet by shifting the brand tagline from “The Way the World Learns to Dive” to “Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean” in order to expand our mission to include a deeper commitment to taking action to protect people and planet. The world’s largest diving organization with a global network of more than 6,750 dive centers and resorts and 137,000 professional members worldwide, PADI issues more than 1 million certifications each year and enables people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean through underwater education, life-changing experiences and travel. With a longstanding commitment to environmental conservation, PADI is leading the way for millions of people to actively explore, steward and protect the ocean through its course offerings and partnerships with like-minded, mission-driven organizations. PADI embodies a global commitment to ocean health with its mission to create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean.
About ZuBlu
Scuba diving travel should never be stressful - for you, or the ocean. ZuBlu exists so you can search, discover and book scuba diving and underwater adventure travel without the fuss. With over 500 eco-friendly resorts, liveaboards and dive centres to choose from, ZuBlu brings you the very best sustainable ocean adventures in Asia and beyond. We make dream experiences possible, we celebrate sustainable businesses, we encourage divers to be more conscious and we contribute to healthier oceans. By traveling with ZuBlu, you can too.
About Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Fleet
The Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving Fleet offers 7 destinations including the Red Sea, Maldives, Northeastern Caribbean (Saba/St. Kitts), Turks & Caicos Islands, Galapagos Islands and Indonesia. The M/V Turks & Caicos Explorer II also spends 10 weeks in the winter/spring offering snorkeling with Humpback Whales on the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, under charter to Aquatic Adventures. Visit Explorer Ventures Fleet's website and follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
About Paralenz
Paralenz Group Aps is a danish tech company dedicated to the Ocean. From developing products and engaging with its community, Paralenz wants to confront environmental indifference and inspire people to speak for the Ocean - as a seamless part of the dive. Join the next generation of divers in re-envisioning diving as an act of meaningfulness. Every Dive Counts. Visit www.paralenz.com for more information.
About Bubbles Dive Centre
Bubbles focuses on conservation, safety, and quality dive education. We rank as a world top 10 Green Fins member, spreading our love of marine world to all our divers and student divers alike. We pledge to share this beautiful underwater wonder to eve