Updates from the Reef-World team
The end of the year always provides an opportunity to reflect, download and consider. For me 2018 has been a huge year of change. A small addition to my world resulted in me taking a few months away from my work, something I never imagined would be possible both professionally and personally. But this little creator of change (A.K.A Olivia) forced me to step away from the daily running of Reef-World and become immersed in something a little less salty and a little more vomit-ridden.
As the year comes to an end, the Green Fins IYOR Campaign does too. After much hard work three new infographics were released, #RedefineTheDive, #AlternativesToAnchoring, and the last one: #DoNotFeedTheFish.
Nearly two years ago today, I realised that while working as a Divemaster, I may have contributed to coral damage and other harm because I had not been taught how to manage divers in an environmentally-conscious way. I had allowed guests with questionable buoyancy skills to choose dives near delicate reefs and had seen a 100+ year-old turtle (Brian, of Flynn reef) woken with harsh lights. I was horrified and became committed to making sure all dive professionals are aware of how to reduce their impact and that of their guests.
23 November 2018: PADI® and Reef-World have joined forces to promote sustainable diving practices for the protection of the marine environment. This partnership will raise awareness and deliver tools to implement the Green Fins standard of best practice, helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of coral reefs, recreational scuba diving and local livelihoods.
We’re thrilled to announce that ZuBlu has become a Symbiotic Partner of The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinators of the Green Fins initiative. This collaboration aims to change diving and snorkelling tourist’s behaviour and attitude towards coral reefs and the marine environment. The dive starts at home; every decision we make in the planning of our holidays can make a difference for the marine environment. ZuBlu and Reef-World are working together so that environmental considerations can be taken to reduce impact on coral reefs from the very early stages of the dive planning process.
(Las Vegas, NV – Oct 30, 2018) -- A series of first-ever seminars will be presented at DEMA Show 2018 to help dive businesses embrace the fundamental changes impacting the industry right now. Leaders across all segments of the diving industry, from the dive operations to manufacturers, to resorts to online booking agents, will benefit from this #BlueGreen seminar series.
Philippines, 24th October 2018 – Reef-World is the latest nonprofit partner to join 1% for the Planet, an alliance of more than 1,200 member companies in 40 countries that give one percent of their revenues to environmental causes.
Anchoring is a very common practice in most boating activities, getting to the point of being one of the most iconic symbols. Do a quick Google search on ‘boating icons’ or ‘sailor’, and an anchor will be the most common symbol that will appear.
The BlueGreen360 Awards honour businesses and individuals in the marine tourism industry who are pioneering efforts to integrate sustainability in their practices and operations. Organized by Asia Dive Expo (ADEX), in collaboration with The Reef World Foundation and the Coral Triangle Center, the award highlights the value of healthy marine and coastal ecosystems to the industry. Green Fins members are automatically participating in the ‘Green Fins Award’, which is presented to the member with the lowest environmental impact, as demonstrated by the Green Fins annual assessment of business practice conducted within the last 18 months.
I have recently returned from the Caribbean, well the Dominican Republic (DR) to be more specific, from what was a particularly satisfying highlight of my career working for Reef-World. I have been developing and supporting Green Fins since 2008 primarily in south east Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. These are the main diving meccas of the world where most of the world’s diving tourists tend to learn, visit, and take their diving holidays. The waters generally have great visibility, the marine life is fantastic and the often the costs can be low too, all very attractive factors. However, other parts of the world such as the Red Sea or the Caribbean are also very popular dive locations and ones that I have not had the pleasure of working in.
Reef-World has embarked on a journey to develop mutually beneficial tourism industry partnerships that drive sustainable value chains by creating tangible outcomes for the ocean, communities and the economy through the Green Fins initiative. Pioneering businesses from various lines of the industry are taking progressive steps to implement environmental policies and practices, green their value chains, educate people through showcasing solutions, thus raising the bar of sustainability across the industry through the Green Fins initiative.
With support from the Regional Activity Centre for the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife for the Wider Caribbean Region (SPAW-RAC), under the framework of the Caribbean Environment Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment - CEP) and with support from UK based marine conservation charity The Reef-World Foundation, an initiative called Green Fins is being introduced to the Dominican Republic in June 2018. Taking the lead are locally based Reef Check Dominican Republic, a local organization aiming to protect coral reefs and their associated species, who will be using Green Fins to address the increase in tourist numbers that are engaging with the marine environment and the associated threats that come with this. In 2016, 6.1 million tourists visited the country.
As times change and generations pass, the way that we communicate changes with us. Internet, technology, social media have driven us into the fastest ‘evolutionary communicational process’, if that’s a thing! Information is moving at such a fast pace that technology is a big determining factor on how people develop and interact with the world around them. Marking a difference amongst generations, such as the Baby Boomers, X, Y, and the new Z!
Over the past few years, Reef-World has been working hand-in-hand with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines to integrate the Green Fins approach into national frameworks for managing the impacts of marine tourism, in particular diving and snorkelling.
With significant infrastructure milestones in place, like the adoption of Green Fins into the comprehensive Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Management Program (CMEMP) and the resulting Technical Bulletin reached, 2018 marks the year of Assessor training!
Singapore, 6th April 2018: Once again, among the excitement and fun filled schedule of the Asian Dive Expo (ADEX) in Singapore last weekend, a group of 50 industry leaders gathered for a deeper purpose. The event was a true collaboration; Co-chaired by UN Environment and The Reef-World Foundation (Green Fins international coordinators), organized by UnderWater 360 and supported by the Blue Ocean Network. It brought together some of the giants of the diving industry to share how their businesses are working towards sustainable consumption and production patterns and minimizing impacts to life below water.
