Marine Life & Conservation
Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao ‘Branches Out’ for a Successful 3rd Anniversary
The Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao (CRF Curaçao) officially celebrated their 3rd Anniversary this month with a full day of coral out planting activities supported by community volunteers, local dive operations and the Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association’s (CHATA) Dive Task Force.
CRF Curaçao began operations in May 2015, initially only starting the nursery (located on the Ocean Encounters house reef at Lions Dive & Beach Resort) with 400 coral fragments of Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) hanging from 10 “trees”. Later, an additional 10 trees were installed in that same year, populated with fragments of corals from the first trees. By 2016, the nurseries held 1250 corals.
Since the launch in 2015, CRF Curaçao has successfully now out now planted over 4000 corals at various popular dive sites along Curaçao’s southeastern coastline. Additionally, the Foundation’s Board has “branched out” and expanded the nurseries by enlisting Atlantis Diving Curaçao as a new CRF Curaçao affiliate member. By doing so, the Foundation’s Board is confident that they can provide triple the number of coral fragments available to be out planted back onto Curaçao’s fringing reefs.
Ruud de Loos, Managing Director of Atlantis Diving Curacao says:
“The Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao has so far 20 nursery trees and we, Atlantis Diving, have added 6 additional trees on our own house reef. The maintenance, monitoring and out planting is a very rewarding process knowing that we are positively contributing to the sustainability of the coral reefs around Curaçao. We appreciate the time and the charitable donations invested by local volunteers, schools, dive shops and (tourist) divers.”
The morning program started at Ocean Encounters Diving Curaçao (located at Lions Dive Beach Resort) with a group of community volunteers, who had been certified as PADI Coral Restoration Diver’s, left the dock with 18 divers aboard the Curaçao Galaxy and headed to Director’s Bay where they out planted 350 corals, from 7 different genotypes, on seven different structures made of metal rebars and bamboo.
In the afternoon, local dive centers (Ocean Encounters, CURious2Dive, Scubacao, GO WEST Diving and Scuba Lodge Dive Center Pietermaai) and the members of the CHATA Dive Task Force gathered at Atlantis Diving Curaçao to out planted another 150 corals, on 3 different structures, on their house reef. In total, 500 corals of 10 different genotypes were out planted across 10 different structures!
CRF Curaçao is dedicated to their mission statement which is “to bring back the shallow-water populations of staghorn and elkhorn corals in Curacao, which would not only help mitigate the possible effects of climate change but also rejuvenate reef fisheries and biodiversity, as well as help the scuba diving tourism sector.”
“The significance of the Curaçao Reef Restoration Program is that together as a community here on Curaçao, we will be restoring our shallow water reef system while educating our youth about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural ecosystem,” according to Pol Bosch, CRF Curacao, who adds: “I believe programs like this help solidify a natural sustainability for future generations.”
By supporting valuable and sustainable coral reef initiatives, like CRF Curaçao, you will be reaffirming your commitment to the island of Curacao so that future generations may benefit. Supporting this initiative through sponsorship and charitable donations is integral for success and volunteers will be needed for regular nursery maintenance and care. Donate, become a CRFC volunteer or Adopt A Coral today. Together, we are making a difference for Curaçao!
Written by: Bryan Horne, Dive Curaçao.
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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