Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Earthdive – a global project to save our oceans (Part 1)
Introduced by Jeff Goodman
Many years ago on returning from a film trip to Indonesia for the BBC I was met at the airport by Chris Long. We met in the arrivals cafe where he told me of his new project earthdive, a revolutionary concept in citizen science and a global research project for millions of recreational scuba divers, snorkellers and others who can help preserve the health and diversity of our oceans. He asked if I would be interested to be part of it. For the following year I worked with Chris helping to develop this immense project.
Chris was the founder and force behind Sport Aid and Run the World, the biggest mass participation demonstration our planet has ever seen. Inspired by Bob Geldof and Band Aid, Chris organised this game-changing event 34 years ago. It involved almost 20 million people in 89 countries, running simultaneously to demand action for the famine victims of Ethiopia and Sudan.
I Ran The World – Sport Aid is Chris’s new book that details how the former hydroponicist galvanised Bob Geldof, world leaders, celebrities, rock stars and royalty to help change the world. In the process he not only raised £32 million for charity but also succeeded in pressurising governments into cancelling US$100 million of African debt. At the latter end of the book, it tells of the natural progression to try and save our oceans.
Chris Long – earthdive
When I was five I dreamed of being a scuba diver.
It never happened, something got in the way.
Thirty five years ago, I went to Live Aid and it changed my life.
One year later, I founded and organised the biggest mass participation in history, raising £35m for Band Aid, UNICEF and a handful of other international charities and NGO’s. My event, Sport Aid and Run the World, involved 19.8 million people in 89 countries running 10k through their cities to help change the world.
I worked with rock stars, celebrities, royalty, world leaders, athletes and many international sports stars. I met Charles and Diana at Buckingham Palace, had tea with Margaret Thatcher at Number Ten Downing Street and was honoured by the United Nations.
My book I Ran the World, tells the whole story and in Chapter 20 ‘New Beginnings’ I tell the story of how my dream as a five year old finally came true.
Biography
On the surface Chris Long is a regular guy. But scratch a little deeper and you’ll discover an astonishing secret: the founder/director of Earthdive, a company devoted to protecting our oceans, was also the founder and force behind Sport Aid and Run the World, the biggest mass participation demonstration our planet has ever seen.
Inspired by Bob Geldof and Band Aid, Chris organised this game-changing event 34 years ago. It involved almost 20 million people in 89 countries, running simultaneously to demand action for the famine victims of Ethiopia and Sudan.
He has now written a riveting book on how it all happened.
I Ran the World details how the former hydroponicist galvanised Bob Geldof, world leaders, celebrities, rock stars and royalty to help change the world. In the process he not only raised £32 million for charity but also succeeded in pressurising governments into cancelling US$100 million of African debt.
His racy autobiography reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind that turbulent time. How he imitated Bob Geldof to ensure Birmingham’s Olympic bid team got on board, convinced the head of UNICEF to partner Band Aid, met Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Buckingham Palace and took tea with Margaret Thatcher at Number Ten Downing Street – not to mention how close he came to committing suicide along the way.
In the foreword, former UNICEF Head of Special Events Dr. John C Anderson says: “Chris Long had a vision and a dream. He believed that people could do more than listen to music and make donations, they could actively engage in the cause – and what better vehicle than sport?
“I Ran the World is the story of how one man mobilised a team of 130 young volunteers in a small office in London, secured the support of huge organisations like UNICEF and Band Aid and then mobilised 20 million people around the world to run and demand action for Africa.”
Chris agonised over writing his book for three decades: laying bare the exultation, high notes and happiness behind his superhuman achievement. . . tempered with the blood, sweat, tears, depression and despair when it all came tumbling down.
But he decided too many people were ignoring the current crises – climate change, marine pollution, overfishing, the population explosion, the ongoing agony of refugees fleeing religious and ideological wars. And he has challenged today’s young people to take up his baton.
“We’re living in dangerous times,” he says. “And never more so than during this pandemic. Finding a remedy is a matter of survival and that solution lies with all of us, not just our elected representatives. We can and must change the world in which we live. That’s why I wrote this book.”
Come back tomorrow to read an extract from the book….
I Ran the World by Chris Long is available on Amazon Books here.
Visit www.earthdive.com to find out more!
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.
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