Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Hello from Wembury!
Meet Coral Smith, Marine Education Officer for Devon Wildlife Trust and Scubaverse.com’s newest blogger
Hello Scubaverse and fellow dive enthusiasts and thank you for inviting me to contribute to your blog! So, I’ve been asked to write a regular blog about the work I do to promote marine awareness and conservation in the UK, but before we get onto that I thought I’d give you a bit of background about myself and how I got started.
Growing up in landlocked Hertfordshire (not too far from Scubaverse HQ), it wasn’t until a summer holiday to Lyme Regis in Dorset, when I was about 4 or 5, that I got my first taste of the sea and marine life, rockpooling with my dad in tide-pools that seemed to go on forever. I like to think that’s where my interest in marine life started…
Moving on to when I was nine years old, our family moved to the Caribbean and I was lucky enough to have an amazing underwater world right on my doorstep. The sea then became a part of my life, as I’m sure it does for lots of people living on a small, beautiful island. Every weekend I was snorkelling on warm tropical coral reefs and Parrot fish soon became my favourite, as was watching the magical flying fish skim out of the water as the sun set on another day in paradise. But it was my first time swimming with green turtles that really did it for me and I just fell in love with the ocean and everything that lived there.
Four years in the Caribbean and then it was time to move back to Hertfordshire. After finishing school, I headed to Plymouth University to undertake a degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography. Here I learned that Marine Biology wasn’t all about swimming with turtles and dolphins in nice warm tropical water and that I’d probably never get a job in this field, but I managed to come away with a first class honours degree and went on to do a Masters in Biological Diversity. My lecturer was right about the job thing though, as I came out of uni and didn’t immediately land the job of my dreams, or any job even close… I guess I hadn’t really thought that far ahead! So I spent a couple of years doing various voluntary placements before finally landing a part time role in the education team at the Marine Biological Association of the UK, based in Plymouth. I spent three years working in a lovely team there, before moving on to my current role as Marine Education Officer for Devon Wildlife Trust, based at Wembury Marine Centre.
Wembury was my first full time voluntary placement back in 2009, and like so many other people now working in environmental education and outreach in the South West and beyond, it all started here. Wembury is a magical place, felt by both the locals and the tens of thousands of visitors who flock here each year. It’s not the best looking beach by any means – it’s pretty small, lots of the sand comes and goes, but the rocky shore and view of the Mewstone (a small island just over a kilometre out) is simply stunning. It must be up there as one of the most photographed and painted spots around and is a favoured filming location for numerous BBC Natural History programmes.
Historically, Wembury holds one of the richest biodiversity hotspots for intertidal marine life in the UK, and in recognition of this Wembury Bay was set up as a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (VMCA) in 1981 and now also forms part of the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Wembury Marine Centre opened in 1994 and was the inspiration of marine biologist, the late Dr Norman Holme. Today, the Centre is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) on behalf of a partnership including the National Trust, South Hams District Council, Devon County Council and Plymouth University Marine Institute.
My colleague Cat and I manage the Centre, both working for DWT, and each year we are supported by a small team of trainees and interns thanks to our partnership with the Marine Institute and other placement schemes. The purpose of our outreach work here is to promote Wembury as a Marine Conservation Area and to create a sense of marine stewardship among the local community and visitors alike. Our work also extends beyond Wembury, promoting The Wildlife Trusts’ vision of ‘Living Seas,’ where the marine environment is managed sustainably for the benefit of all its inhabitants and where people are inspired by marine wildlife and value the sea for the many ways in which it supports our quality of life.
Over the next few months you will hear more about the marine conservation work we do and some of the more interesting and bizarre stories from our little Bay in South Devon.
For more info visit:
Blogs
Saba’s Plan for a Coral Comeback
Saba has an exciting new initiative to restore its coral reefs. This new project, running from 2024 to 2026, will focus on reviving key species in the island’s underwater ecosystems. With a collaborative team from the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and Van Hall Larenstein (VHL) University of Applied Sciences, the project aims to restore both corals as well as sea urchins.
This initiative is centered around coral restoration, specifically reviving two essential coral species—staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata). By mapping parent colonies and using a technique known as coral gardening, SCF will create and maintain coral nurseries. These corals will eventually be outplanted at key reef sites around Saba to not only expand the number of coral colonies, but also provide essential fish habitat. The project focusses on installing coral nurseries, training staff with the newest techniques and starting with the restoration of key reef sites.
Reef Cleaners to the Rescue
It’s not just corals getting a makeover—this project also shines a spotlight on the essential role of grazers, particularly sea urchins. VHL is leading the charge on cultivating and restocking two key sea urchin species, West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes) and long-spined sea urchin (Diadema), known for their ability to keep algae in check. By removing algae, which are important competitors of corals, they help the coral to thrive. By restoring these “reef cleaners,” Saba’s project will give corals the breathing room they need to grow, setting the stage for a healthier, more balanced marine ecosystem.
From Tiny Urchins to Big Goals
The project will be funded as part of the Dutch Government’s Nature and Environment Policy Plan (NEPP) 2020-2030 for the Caribbean Netherlands, a comprehensive initiative aimed at conserving and restoring the unique natural environments of the Dutch Caribbean islands, including Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire. This project is aiming for big milestones: build and maintaining coral nurseries, the expansion of urchin cultivation facilities, and the creation of a dedicated research center. By 2026, the project hopes to ramp up coral and grazer restoration, with the ultimate goal of extending these efforts across the Dutch Caribbean. By linking local initiatives to broader regional goals, Saba’s restoration project promises to leave a lasting impact on both the environment and the community.
Find out more about the DCNA at dcnanature.org.
Blogs
Reef-World marks two decades of marine conservation: strengthening impact amid coral reef threats
Empowering ocean stakeholders to tackle future challenges and ensure the survival of coral reefs and humanity
2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of The Reef-World Foundation’s tireless efforts for global coral reef conservation. The UK charity is the international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, known as the leading voice in sustainable marine tourism. Today, Reef-World released its 2023-2024 Impact Report outlining a year of substantive growth and impact in its marine conservation programmes.
Impact Report Highlights:
- Impressive improvements in environmental behaviours to protect coral reefs by the marine tourism industry as the global participation of Green Fins increases.
- Continued capacity building for government and NGO staff to effectively manage marine tourism activities in Asia, Caribbean and Red Sea regions.
- For the first time in Green Fins’ 20-year history, tourism operators have achieved ‘Best Environmental Performer’ status by demonstrating the lowest possible environmental impact in their environmental assessments. In 2024, three dive operators achieved this challenging milestone.
- Significant increases in global participation of Reef-World’s innovative digital conservation tools.
- 138 Green Fins dive operator members achieved the strict threshold for PADI Eco Center recognition.
- Developed four new educational materials and translated two into 16 languages to support the marine tourism industry in achieving sustainability targets.
- Establishing a new Reef-World Development strategy and recruiting new roles – Development and Programmes Managers.
- Reef-World’s board welcomes new Chair and Trustees strengthening organisational leadership.
Reef-World started as a one-person mission to inspire and empower communities to act in conserving and sustainably developing coral reefs and related ecosystems. Today, the team of 12 continues to meet this mission by inspiring and empowering the global marine tourism community to be exemplary sustainability leaders by using the Green Fins guidelines and tools to simultaneously use and protect the world’s precious reefs.
In April 2024, the fourth global coral reef bleaching event was confirmed. Reef-World’s work has never been more urgent as the marine environment, and the benefits they provide humanity, continue to be eroded by global threats. The reduction of local threats, like those from the marine tourism industry, is an essential step to ensuring a future where coral reefs survive and continue to support the millions of people who depend on their ecosystem benefits. Reef-World’s work buys time for coral reefs and related ecosystems to be resilient to the impacts of global threats.
“Right now our corals are facing the greatest fight of their existence as the terrifying predictions of the steps towards their complete extinction are starting to come true. But all is not lost, reefs are resilient and they have existed on this planet for millions of years. We must take action now, to buy time for reefs by reducing threats facing them and allowing them to react and adjust to the changing environment they need to survive in.” – Chloe Harvey, Executive Director
Looking Forwards:
Like coral reefs, the Reef-World team needs to be resilient in the face of the complex challenges of the conservation sector. Reef-World has invested significantly in developing a Culture of Care to ensure the well-being of its team on a daily basis, continuing to be an exemplary employer to enable its team to best achieve the mission for coral reef conservation.
With the foundations of a Culture of Care and organisational development laid, Reef-World is emerging from the end of a natural organisation life cycle, that brings the challenges of growth and scale, stronger than ever. With a new strategy in place to generate much needed resources, Reef-World is excited for the opportunities to leap forward, continue to scale our impact and lean into new innovations and untapped opportunities for marine conservation.
We continually strive to become a forward-thinking organisation that delivers on our goals and commitments to our stakeholders with fresh approaches and not being afraid of steering away from a “normal approach.” This approach is not only applied to our programmes of work but also internally and carries over to our Culture of Care for our team.” — JJ Harvey, Operations Director
The Reef-World Foundation is immensely grateful for the continued support of its grant funders: UN Environment Programme, IUCN’s Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility, Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, PADI Aware Foundation, and World Nomads Footprints Program.
Reef-World would also like to express its gratitude to international partners whose vital support has resulted in significant tangible benefits for our work and mission: PADI; Professional SCUBA Schools International (PSS); Explorer Ventures; 1% for the Planet; ZuBlu; Snorkel Venture, GSTC; Dive O’Clock; Seven Dragons; DiveAssure and Eco Beach, without whom these achievements would not be possible.
The full 2023–2024 Annual Impact Report is available on Reef-World’s website.
-
News2 months ago
Iconic SS United States to become the World’s Largest Artificial Reef
-
News3 months ago
Book Review – 52 Assignments: Underwater Photography
-
Gear News3 months ago
DYNAMICNORD – New German diving brand enters the British market
-
News2 months ago
Exploring Cenote El Pit: A Diver’s Dream
-
Gear News3 months ago
Try BARE drysuits (and maybe even win one!) this Friday with Sea & Sea at North West Dive Fest
-
Marine Life & Conservation3 months ago
Book Review: Coral Triangle Cameos
-
Blogs2 months ago
Dive the Egyptian Red Sea this Autumn with Regaldive
-
News2 months ago
2024 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition Announced