PARIS, France (2 Mar 2002) -- In response to the growing worldwide threat to coral reefs posed by dive tourism, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) have prepared five new "communication" tools to help the global tourist industry inform visitors and dive operators on ways to help protect coral reefs. "Coral reefs are a major tourist attraction in many coastal areas, and protecting them is essential not only for the environment but also for the tourism industry," says Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, Assistant UNEP Executive Director. "We believe that by raising awareness and so changing the behavior of tourists and local tourism industry workers alike, the damage to coral reefs can be reduced."
The United Nations wants PADI, DEMA and the dive tourism industry to stop fish feeding and other commercial 'interactive' activities that are extremely harmful to marine wildlife.While the "messages" themselves conveyed by the UNEP product may appear simple and intuitively obvious to most, the dive industry has steadfastly denied that either the number of divers visiting an area or their activities are problematic from an environmental standpoint. Thus, the new UN effort marks a major turning point in marine conservation efforts by its straightforward and outspoken recognition of the serious threats posed by divers and dive tourism to coral reefs, and by its straightforward recommendations designed to begin addressing that threat. The tools package, called "Coral Or No Coral? It's My Choice", consists of a "passport" targeted at all tourists, a kids' quiz, a poster, a chart for boaters, and a calendar. It was developed with financial support from the French Ministry of the Environment as a contribution to ICRI, and is available free of charge as electronic files, which can be used to print attractive and informative materials in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German. | | Among the key recommendations contained in the package are: (For dive operators): - Limit tourist numbers on each dive
- Give a presentation of the reef's ecosystem before every dive.
- Anchor boats only on soft sand or use mooring buoys.
- Prevent divers from bringing back "souvenirs" from the sea.
(For divers): - Do not touch the coral, stand on it or rest on it.
- Avoid kicking up sand with fins and do not dive into shallow water.
- Do not feed the fish.
- Do not attempt to touch marine creatures
- For souvenirs, take pictures and notes rather than pieces of coral.
"In its action plan the International Coral Reef Action Network called for a campaign…to raise awareness and influence change," said Arthur Dahl, Director of UNEP's Corals Unit. "The new communication tools from UNEP will help kick-start this campaign and hopefully lead to better care and long-term management and conservation of the immensely valuable coral resource," he said. Organizations can add their own logos to the posters and other materials, if they agree not to otherwise modify the artwork or text of the tools. For more information contact the UNEP DTIE Tourism Programme coordinator on: tel +33 1 44 371450, fax +33 1 44 371474, E-mail: uneptie@unep.fr © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
