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June 2012 E-Current
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E-Current
June 2012 |
In this Issue: Belize: A Strategic Decision • Honduras Celebrates Reef Leadership • Shark Sanctuary Film Debuts • Ask a Coral Reef Expert |
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Featured Location: Mexico
Sustainable Tourism in Cancun
More than five million tourists visit Cancun each year, both directly and indirectly impacting the region's fragile marine ecosystem. As a founding member of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI), CORAL collaborates with its MARTI partners to combat this pressure and help communities leverage tourism as a tool for conservation.
In mid-May, our CORAL-Mexico team led a Coral Reefs and Sustainable Marine Recreation workshop for the employees of two prominent marine recreation providers in Cancun. During the two-day workshop, participants were introduced to topics such as coral reef ecology, marine resource economics, and sustainable tourism best practices. Staff from Aquatours by Dolphin Discovery and the Aquafun Company developed creative strategies for employing tourism as a tool to save coral reefs. Divided into teams, participants identified threats to the local coral reef ecosystem and brainstormed ways that marine recreation providers can mitigate, or eliminate, such negative impacts. Both companies had already completed an initial Environmental Walk-Through with CORAL, and are now undergoing a reassessment to further advance their sustainability practices.
Learn more about our projects in Mexico »
 Help the Reefs Quick Tip
The National Marine Fisheries Service may soon list eighty-two species of coral as threatened or endangered under the nation's Endangered Species Act. Sign the petition to support these enhanced protections!
Sign the petition »
Province to Crack Down on Unlawful Coral Exploitation
Source: Vietnamnet
Starfish Stranding Linked to Starvation
Source: UPI
Leonardo DiCaprio Joins Effort to Ban Shark Fin Sales
Source: The Costa Rica News
Scuba Spearfishing Ban, Aquarium Fish Collecting Limits Considered
Source: Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Grazing Snails Rule the Waves: Marine Study
Source: Phys.org
More News...
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Belize: A Strategic Decision
In a difficult and carefully deliberated organizational decision, CORAL has elected to suspend our field operations in Belize. While we have made tremendous strides in launching local conservation projects that both protect Belize's spectacular coral reefs and benefit nearby communities, we have been unable to identify the long-term funding necessary to maintain our program there. We are very proud of our accomplishments in Belize and are extremely grateful to Val Rosado for leading this effort. Follow the link below to learn more about our accomplishments over the past seven years.
Learn more » |
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Honduras Celebrates Conservation Leadership
Last month, thanks in large part to the work of CORAL and our partners, the Honduran government confirmed its commitment to conserving the country's marine environment by declaring Cordelia Banks a Site of Wildlife Importance. Cordelia is home to one of the Caribbean's largest known stands of staghorn coral ( Acropora cervicornis)—an IUCN-listed critically endangered species. Disease, climate change, and other human-related factors have decimated staghorn coral populations in recent years. The enhanced protections will ensure that one of the last thriving communities of this endangered species exists for generations to come—supporting both the surrounding marine ecosystem and the local tourism economy.
Read more about our efforts in the Winter 2011 edition of CORAL Current »
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Shark Sanctuary Film Debuts
This year, Raja Ampat's marine environment received a fantastic birthday present! CORAL's Sharks for the Future film, Shark Sanctuary, received much praise at its May 8th debut during Raja Ampat's birthday celebration. We held three showings throughout the day, and filled the viewing space to capacity each time! Interested in seeing the film? We plan to show Shark Sanctuary in Bali at the first ever Coral Triangle Beach Festival on June 9th, and will post a shorter version of the film soon—stay tuned.
Learn more »
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Ask a Coral Reef Expert
Every four years, the world's leading coral reef specialists convene at the International Coral Reef Symposium to elevate global understanding of the state of our coral reefs and devise strategic solutions for the conservation and management of these precious resources. This year's symposium—held in Cairns, Australia in July—is expected to attract more than 2,500 coral reef professionals from approximately eighty countries. Six CORAL staff members will attend the gathering, and we'd like to take your questions and concerns with us. Given the chance, what would you want to ask (or tell) a room full of the brightest minds dedicated to coral reef conservation?
Please email us your thoughts » |
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* Photo Credits and Notes:
Banner Photo: Whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus), Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Photographer: Jeff Yonover
Large Center Photo: Staghorn coral (Acropora sp.), Marshall Islands
Photographer: Andre Seale
Thumbnails: 1) Valentine Rosado, 2) Nancy Sefton, 3) A.A. Rosenfeld, MD, 4) CORAL staff |
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