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Marine Life & Conservation

First wave of Marine Conservation Zones for Cornwall welcomed

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Photo: Dolphin Surfing by George Karbus, winner of the RSWT Photo Competition 2013

News that the UK government are to create 27 Marine Conservation Zones has been met with a positive response from conservation groups – however, many are warning that this is just the first step, and that much more must be done to protect the marine life (endangered or otherwise) that inhabits UK waters. Here’s what the Cornwall Wildlife Trust has to say on the matter:

As the Government today confirms immediate designation of 27 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), Cornwall Wildlife Trust welcomes this first step towards the creation of a network so absolutely vital to ensure the healthy future of our seas.

Cornwall will benefit from four coastal Marine Conservation Zones in sites with outstanding marine life: The Manacles, Padstow Bay and surrounds, Whitsand and Looe bay, and Upper Fowey and Point Pill. Nearby, the Isles of Scilly and Tamar Estuaries will also benefit from creation of MCZs. There are also three offshore MCZs being designated off Cornwall: the Canyons, South West Deeps and East of Haig Fras.

Wed cuckoo wrasse Matt Slater

 

Photo: Matt Slater

Ruth Williams, Living Seas Manager for Cornwall Wildlife Trust says,

“Marine Conservation Zones as part of a network of protected areas are one of the best tools to protect marine wildlife effectively and restore our seas to their full potential following decades of neglect and decline. We welcome this long awaited news that finally our coastal marine wildlife will be provided the greater recognition and protection it deserves

This first step in the creation of a network of Marine Conservation zones will help make the future of our inspiring marine life more secure, and will aid recovery of our valued marine areas.”

“ We would like to thank all of the dedicated volunteers who have been invaluable in collecting information to support this campaign and for helping to raise public awareness of the need for Marine Conservation Zones. It is also heartening to hear that the Government has committed to establishing more Marine Conservation Zones over the coming four years. Cornwall has many more rich and vitally important marine sites that still require urgent protection so our campaign doesn’t end here.”

Cup-coral-by-Tony-sutton

Photo: Tony Sutton

Joan Edwards, The Wildlife Trusts’ Head of Living Seas says,

“Marine protection is an issue which matters to anyone who has ever spent happy afternoons exploring rockpools or been enchanted by chance encounters with dolphins, whales or one of the many other captivating species we enjoy in our waters.”

“It is vital for the appropriate management of the 27 designated sites to be implemented as soon as possible.  We look forward to working with Government to ensure this happens.

“We are buoyed by the Government’s commitment to establishing future tranches of Marine Conservation Zones, demonstrating that it also remains committed to completing the ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas so desperately needed.”

This announcement brings us closer to realising our vision of Living Seas where marine wildlife is able to thrive and recover from human impacts. Well protected marine ecosystems will be more resilient to future challenges from climate change and ocean acidification and healthy seas are also vital to support productive fisheries for the future.

Designation of 27 Marine Conservation Zones:

The Canyons

 

South-West Deeps (West) East of Haig Fras

 

Poole Rocks

 

South Dorset

 

Chesil Beach and Stennis Ledges Torbay

 

Skerries Bank and surrounds Tamar Estuary Sites Whitsand and Looe Bay
Upper Fowey and Pont Pill The Manacles

 

Isle of Scilly Sites

 

Padstow Bay and surrounds Lundy

 

Fylde Offshore Cumbria Coast Aln Estuary Swallow Sand Rock Unique
Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries Medway Estuary

 

Thanet Coast

 

Folkestone Pomerania

 

Beachy Head West

 

Kingmere Pagham Harbour      

Marine Life & Conservation

Reefs Go Live returns for new season

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CCMI brings the ocean directly to classrooms around the world through live-stream lessons from underwater

In 2018, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) launched Reefs Go Live, their innovative, flagship education programme that live-streams directly from underwater on the coral reefs in Little Cayman to students in classrooms around the world in real time. For the 2022 season, the four episodes of Reefs Go Live reached more than 107,000 viewers in 22 countries. CCMI’s Reefs Go Live team hopes to expand their reach with four new episodes and supplemental teaching resources to help integrate the material into classroom lessons.

Science Communications & Development Manager for CCMI, Beth Chafin, is excited to be part of another year of Reefs Go Live:

“Knowing we have an audience that spans the world, our team is energised as we plan and implement our Reefs Go Live season for 2023! We feel that creating a connection to the ocean and sharing the beautiful coral reefs of Little Cayman with others, both locally and abroad, is one of the most important ways to increase support for critical, timely issues such as marine protection and sustainability. At CCMI, we are fortunate to have these stunning reefs at our doorstep; not everyone is so lucky to be this connected to coral reefs, but healthy coral reefs are vitally important to everyone on earth. Bringing the ocean into classrooms and homes through Reefs Go Live allows us to share the work we do at the Little Cayman Research Centre, facilitate real-time interactions between viewers around the world and our experts in the field, and inspire the diverse audience to take positive action for the future of coral reefs.”

The first episode of 2023 will take place on Friday, 31st March at 10 am Cayman time (UTC -5h). The episode, ‘Finding Hope on our Reefs’, will feature what CCMI’s long-term monitoring of Little Cayman’s reefs shows us. The data from the annual surveys reveals important trends in reef health over time that reflect global threats and the benefits of strong local protection. Reefs Go Live hosts will explain why this annual monitoring is important and what the results tell us about the future of our coral reefs that we all depend upon. Viewers of each episode will be able to ask questions of the diver and participate in polls through the online platform to make Reefs Go Live an interactive experience.

Additional episodes for this year will run at 10 am (UTC -5h) on the following dates:

Thursday, 11th May: Adaptation on Coral Reefs

Wednesday, 24th May: Reef Resiliency & Restoration

Thursday, 8th June: World Ocean Day – 25 Years of Coral Reef Research

Registration for Reefs Go Live is free and is only required once to receive access to all episodes: https://donate.reefresearch.org/rgl2023.

Reefs Go Live provides an opportunity for students from all over the world to engage with the stunning ocean environment in its most natural format. As coral reefs around the world face unprecedented pressure, generating increased engagement with these precious ecosystems creates an opportunity to promote marine sustainability in a positive and fun way.

Reefs Go Live utilises streaming technology with underwater video and audio equipment to enable real time broadcasting from Little Cayman’s stunning coral reefs. Little Cayman, a Mission Blue Hope Spot, hosts one of the healthiest reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, which overall remains healthy and shows resiliency to climate change impacts. The broadcasts and education materials draw connections from CCMI’s current research conducted in Little Cayman to the national science curriculum and key ocean literacy principles, making CCMI’s work relevant and accessible to students and viewers of all ages, and emphasizing the relationship that we all have to coral reefs, no matter where we are.

Reefs Go Live is a free education programme that is made possible by the generosity of The Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation. To register for the broadcasts and teaching resources, please visit: https://reefresearch.org/what-we-do/education/reefs-go-live/

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Marine Life & Conservation

PADI partners with global skincare brand Medik8

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PADI®’s global non-profit the AWARE Foundation™ is teaming up with leading sustainability-focused skincare brand Medik8 to save our most critical ecosystem on the planet – the ocean.

As the new corporate sponsor of the PADI AWARE Foundation’s 2023 Community Grant Programme, Medik8 will be supporting four grassroots conservation projects that range from protecting megafauna like turtles and whales from entanglement to fuelling hands-on citizen science initiatives like seagrass restoration.

The PADI AWARE Community Grant Programme is designed to award ocean protection initiatives that are in direct support of the United Nations Decade of Science for Sustainable Development in five distinct categories: coral restoration, developing marine protected areas, eliminating marine debris, reducing the effects of climate change, and protecting species threatened with extinction like sharks and turtles. In 2022 PADI AWARE™ dedicated nearly one-quarter of its public funds to empower local communities to take action for our shared blue planet.

“Last year we launched the Grant Programme to directly support PADI Members and NGOs driving meaningful conservation projects, often who have little or no funding support,” says Danna Moore, PADI AWARE Foundation’s Global Director. “This year, due to the collaboration with Medik8, we can provide more resources directly to local communities that need them most.  Medik8 is a like-minded organisation that shares our science-based, sustainability-driven, and community-oriented values – and will be a strong partner committed to helping us create positive ocean change.”

Medik8’s support of the PADI AWARE Community Grants programme is in line with their ethos of making a positive impact through driving sustainability strategies with everything they do – from reducing carbon impact and waste to investing in being an ethical business with direct social investments. Their connection and deep love for the ocean is rooted in Medik8’s founder Elliot Isaacs, who is a PADI Master Scuba Diver™.

“As a brand, we strongly believe that increased social investment will allow us to make a more significant mark on wider society,” says Alexandra Florea, Head of Sustainability at Medik8. “Working with grassroots organisations who understand exactly what is needed on the ground will mean we can generate the greatest impact. We chose PADI as our long-term charitable partner because, like us, they put science at the heart of everything they do to bring about positive results.”

The PADI AWARE Grantee projects Medik8 is sponsoring fuel the impact of local citizen science initiatives driving global change like Kosamare Seagrass Restoration in Greece, a grant recipient from 2022 and now 2023. The other three grantee projects have also been selected and range from marine debris removal to climate change mitigation – and are set to be announced in the coming months.

The PADI AWARE Community Grant programme is open to all PADI Dive Centres around the world, along with locally-based NGOs and charities working on marine conservation issues that operate on a budget below $1 Million USD.

“With incredible partners like Medik8 who are equally committed to creating positive ocean change, a swell of hope for our shared blue planet is becoming stronger with every project we support – further proving that the ripples from local action really do have a global impact for us all,” says Moore.

The next round of proposal submissions is on 4 April 2023, with more information at www.padi.com/aware/grant-funding-criteria.

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