The Reef-World Foundation passionately encourages individuals worldwide to participate in safeguarding our precious reefs!
Coral reefs are intricate ecosystems with profound ecological, economic, and cultural importance. The urgency to protect them is a shared responsibility, as the loss of reefs reverberates globally, affecting biodiversity, economies, and the well-being of communities. Saving the reefs is not just an environmental imperative; it’s a collective commitment to the future of our planet and all those who call it home.
Every second breath we take comes from the ocean.
Today, The Reef-World Foundation — at the forefront of advocating for sustainable marine tourism and the international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, launches their first-ever end-of-year campaign: Save Our Reefs! This campaign aims to urge immediate action to safeguard these endangered habitats. Preserving reefs is critical for sustaining life, and their decline impacts us all. Saving the reefs has everything to do with all of us!
Coral Reefs on Borrowed Time
Picture a world without the kaleidoscope of coral reefs — it’s a reality we face within our lifetime. The clock is ticking, and coral reefs could vanish sooner than we realise. The repercussions extend beyond marine life, affecting the health and well-being of people and the planet.
Battlefront Against Threats
Coral reefs confront severe threats from human activities, the ravages of climate change, coral diseases, outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish and invasive species. Without these vibrant ecosystems, the ocean loses over 25% of its marine life diversity, impacting the very air we breathe.
Reef-World’s Urgent Mission
The Reef-World projects started back in 1999, and for the past 19 years, Reef-World has been on a mission to galvanise collective, urgent and willful action within the marine tourism industry. The goal is to protect coral reefs and, by extension, the health and well-being of the global community.
“I’m excited to launch our first-ever Save Our Reefs campaign! It’s a call to action for everyone to join us to protect these vital ecosystems. Your donation directly supports our work with communities, governments and NGOs, ensuring the health and resilience of coral reefs for generations to come,” said Chloe Harvey, the Executive Director at The Reef-World Foundation.
Local Champions for Global Impact
Reef-World believes in the power of local champions within coral reef communities. By listening to and empowering these champions, the foundation aims to develop accessible tools and resources, fostering resilience and health in coral reefs.
The Power of Your Donation
Contributions to Reef-World directly support its efforts to engage with local communities, governments and NGOs. A £30 donation covers an hour’s local training, providing crucial knowledge to up to 20 individuals, thereby preventing local direct damage to coral reefs. Every penny donated goes towards tangible, impactful changes.
The End-of-Year Campaign: Save Our Reefs runs from 21 November until 31 December 2023. Act now—your donation can help save the reefs globally!
How to Donate
- Go to the campaign page
- A quick scan of the campaign QR Code [image]
Join Reef-World in the race against time. Together, let us forge a future where coral reefs thrive, sustaining life and safeguarding the health of our precious planet.
About Reef-World
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.
Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.
Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Green Fins
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.
Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media