Marine Life & Conservation
Big news from Little Cayman as it is named a Mission Blue Hope Spot this World Oceans Day (Watch Video)
Little Cayman Offers Hope for Coral Reefs
Little Cayman has successfully been championed to become a Mission Blue (Sylvia Earle Alliance) “Hope Spot” by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) as part of their World Oceans Day celebrations. The Hope Spot initiative was launched in 2009, and it now includes some of the world’s most precious ecosystems:
“Hope Spots are special places that are critical to the health of the ocean — Earth’s blue heart. Hope Spots are about recognizing, empowering and supporting individuals and communities around the world in their efforts to protect the ocean.”
https://youtu.be/ug6aVB6nFco
Little Cayman is being recognized as a Hope Spot because of the high abundance of threatened and endemic species found there. Just off the western point of Little Cayman is a site protected by the Cayman Islands Government that is one of the last remaining large spawning aggregation sites for the endangered Nassau grouper. Green, hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles nest in the hundreds on Little Cayman’s beaches every year, and the coast is abundant with marine life, including seven species of sharks.
Bloody Bay Wall
Little Cayman’s coral reefs are also a vibrant contributor to the Island’s rich biodiversity. CCMI’s resilience, restoration and assisted evolution research efforts examine the features that enable corals to persist through time, despite changing conditions. This includes working with staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), both of which are critically endangered following a disease outbreak and die-off in the 1980s. These coral species are crucial reef-builders that used to be prevalent throughout the Caribbean, and they are extremely important to the resiliency of healthy coral reefs. Little Cayman’s biodiversity both on land and in the ocean are significant, and CCMI’s scientific discoveries continue to grow our knowledge of these key ecosystems.
Little Cayman is also supported by impactful organisations that seek to identify a more sustainable future, including the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, the Cayman Islands National Trust, the Sister Islands Tourism Association (SITA), the Grouper Moon Project and a host of engaged patrons and stakeholders who reside on Little Cayman. Conservation legislation of ecologically important species developed by the Cayman Islands Government, such as the early adoption of Marine Park Areas (MPAs), no dive zones and specific species protection policies, has also played a crucial role in protecting biodiversity locally.
Nursery Coral Spawning
Dr Carrie Manfrino, CCMI’s founder and president, identified the positivity regarding Little Cayman’s unique reef health when she set up the organisation in 1998:
“The reefs of Little Cayman are indicating resilience, and we know healthy reefs lead to healthy lives. Since 1999, the scientific team at CCMI has completed field expeditions using the Atlantic & Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocol to get a snapshot of the status of the reefs in the region. Our results indicate that whilst Little Cayman reefs are not immune to the impacts of local and global change, they have remained stable over time and appear to be more resilient than other Caribbean coral reef systems.”
Survey results from CCMI’s 1999-2019 AGGRA provide a glimmer of hope on an otherwise stormy outlook for coral reefs across the globe. What does a Hope Spot and empirical evidence of a stable coral reef ecosystem really mean? Simply put, Little Cayman is a unique island that indicates coral reefs, and therefore the ocean, can be resilient. Resilience is the key to adapting to changing climate, enabling us to understand how to sustain reefs systems for the future. Little Cayman’s reefs therefore create real hope for the future.
Dr Manfrino has a clear message for everyone this World Oceans Day:
“By protecting the ocean today, we are protecting the future of humanity. We can stop the ocean crisis by making a commitment to more sustainable lifestyles. Make that commitment this 2020 World Oceans Day – to reduce your impact on the ocean, whether you are a business, a tourist, or stakeholder. Recognize the changes that you have made and make them everlasting.”
CCMI invites the public to join CCMI’s virtual World Oceans Day celebrations this year, a part of their “We Need Healthy Reefs” campaign, which includes the launch of the Little Cayman Hope Spot, an underwater photography exhibition and auction, and underwater photography webinars (free to participate; registration is required). A full schedule of World Oceans Day events can be found at www.reefresearch.org/get-involved/events-outreach/world-oceans-day/.
CCMI shares the results from their monitoring work with the public via their Healthy Reefs outreach campaigns to improve knowledge and ocean stewardship, which can also be found here: www.reefresearch.org/what-we-do/research/healthy-reefs/
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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