Marine Life & Conservation

New conservation initiative launched in the Dominican Republic

Published

5 years ago

February 12, 2020

TUI Care Foundation and Reef-World Foundation empower local Youth Ambassadors to protect coral reefs in the Dominican Republic.

The TUI Care Foundation and The Reef-World Foundation are launching an initiative to help protect coral reefs in the Dominican Republic. The partnership will encourage environmental stewardship by bringing together key members of the community to focus on the protection of these sensitive and fundamental ecosystems.

Catalina Island. Photo: The Reef-World Foundation

Over 300 people from a variety of local reef-based businesses will receive specialised training on how to work more sustainably. More than 65,000 tourists will receive information on coral reef protection and over 2,000 members of the community will also learn about reef protection through the environmental activities of Youth Ambassadors.

With 20% of the Dominican Republic living in extreme poverty and 80% of the island’s 10 million inhabitants living on the coast, coral reefs are an important source of food and income. The ocean supports half of all livelihoods, mainly through fisheries and tourism, but these sensitive marine ecosystems are seriously under threat. As well as the damaging impact of climate change, activities like intensive scuba diving, snorkelling and sailing can directly damage the coral, which in turn impacts its delicate ecosystem.

The initiative is part of the international TUI Junior Academy programme and will deliver tailored marine environmental education courses to Youth Ambassadors, inspiring them to champion coral reef conservation projects and lead activities within their local communities. As part of a multi-faceted approach to protecting coral reefs, it will also introduce environmentally friendly guidelines to promote sustainable diving and snorkelling. This will help to reduce any local deterioration of the coral reef and build its resilience to wide-scale global challenges.

In partnership with Reef Check Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic, the project aims to significantly reduce any direct detrimental impact to coral reefs by building awareness of, and facilitating, environmentally friendly best practices for diving and snorkelling activities.

Reef Check Dominican Republic. Photo: The Reef-World Foundation

Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Care Foundation, said: “The Dominican Republic is surrounded by extraordinary coral reefs which constitute a key component of the island’s unique natural heritage and biodiversity. Local economic activities, such as fishing, and marine life in general, rely on strong, healthy reefs. We are very excited to be launching this new project with Reef-World that brings the local community together and puts education at the very centre of future environmentally sustainable solutions.”

Educational leaders, local resource managers and representatives of reef-based tourism in the Dominican Republic will be empowered to deliver tailored marine educational programmes to young people, which will improve their awareness of environmental issues and help them understand how they can protect the environment. Working with local teachers and the Ministry of Education, the initiative will also strengthen the marine environmental education content within the national curriculum. As a result, this project aims to help to strengthen livelihoods, reduce poverty and protect the environment in the Dominican Republic.

Meeting a Green Fins Dive Centre. Photo: The Reef-World Foundation

JJ Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “As well as being a precious natural ecosystem, the Dominican Republic’s coral reefs provide food and livelihoods for many people in the country and so represent a valuable financial asset worth protecting. By building the capacity of the marine tourism industry to follow best environmental practice, our Youth Ambassador Coral Reef Conservation Programme will engage over 1,000 teenagers across 15 schools with the ripple effect reaching approximately 1,800 community members and over 2,000 family members. We’re proud to be working with the TUI Care Foundation to empower citizens of the Dominican Republic to protect their natural assets for many years to come.”

The Reef-World Foundation also runs the Green Fins initiative in the Dominican Republic, which is implemented through a network approach led by Reef Check Dominican Republic in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Auxiliary Navy, the Coastal Biodiversity and Tourism project and local community and conservation group CEBSE.

To find out more, visit www.tuicarefoundation.com and www.reef-world.org.

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

2 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7^th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: Silky Street by ScapaJoe

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29^th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26^th November until the 7^th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

4 weeks ago

October 21, 2024

Team Scubaverse

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20^th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.