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New Champions of George Town Hope Spot Urge for Greater Protection of Harbor Waters

George Town, Great Exuma, Bahamas

In 2019, the Cayman Islands government had plans to build a multi-port cruise ship berthing facility in the heart of the George Town Harbor. The environmental impact assessments identified that this project would have a devastating effect on most of the marine ecosystems in the area. After intensive campaigning, community objection, and the recent changes in the cruise ship industry, the proposed project was canceled. Shortly after, the harbor was designated as a Mission Blue Hope Spot, representing hope for a healthy future for the island. Currently, there is no legislation that fully protects the Hope Spot from construction or development, but Chloe Bentick-Lalli, a local Caymanian student with the organization Protect Our Future, and Jon Schutte are dedicated to challenging the government to commit to comprehensive, thorough protection for the island.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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Little Cayman Hope Spot: Celebrating a Brilliant Example of Successful Marine Conservation

Cayman Islands (June 6th , 2020)

The smallest of the Cayman Islands is home to fewer than 200 people – and yet at roughly 10 miles long by one mile wide, Little Cayman has become known as a magnificent oasis in the Caribbean. Small but mighty, the island shines as a flourishing example of what protection for marine ecosystems can look like when conservation is prioritized. The island’s colorful reefs are considered some of the healthiest in the Caribbean and support a rich ecosystem bursting with creatures like sea turtles, sharks, stingrays and a rainbow of corals. Behind the scenes of the conservation of Little Cayman’s brilliant marine life is Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI). Their resilience, restoration and assisted evolution research efforts examine the features that enable corals to persist through time, despite changing conditions.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Uncategorized |

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Grand Cayman Port Controversy

In 2016, George Town Harbor was designated by Mission Blue as a Hope Spot. Mission Blue and the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) define Hope Spots as “areas in the ocean recognized by scientists for having unique ecological attributes that make them especially deserving of designation as marine protected areas.” These areas that are privileged enough to be recognized have qualities of ecological, biological, aesthetic, or socioeconomic significance.
Hope Spots were created to “encourage people to take responsibility and ownership of their environment” and now for the first time, the people of the Cayman Islands could have a direct say in the fate of their marine environment and the fate of George Town Harbor through a referendum. If you live in the Caymans, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) encourages you to take responsibility for your ocean and stand up for what is right with your vote. …

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, Hope Spot, mission blue, Uncategorized |

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FORCE BLUE: A Call of Duty to Heal the Ocean

By: Laura Butz

I recently had the honor of meeting U.S RECON Marine Sergeant Rudy Reyes who shared his story about being a former combat diver who’s now on a mission to help protect and restore the ocean.  I cannot truly capture in words how profound his story is or the eloquent way he spoke about his life’s journey.  Nor, can I begin to fathom the magnitude of his experience as a combat diver.  All I can humbly offer is listening to him speak with such humility and passion, I was incredibly moved and a part of me is changed forever.  Rudy’s new call of duty is empowering other Special Ops veterans to join FORCE BLUE’s conservation efforts to help restore critical marine ecosystems around the world.  …

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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Cayman Islands: Coral Nursery Conservation Program

By: Laura Butz

The caribbean has already lost 80% of its coral reefs.
Grand Cayman Eco Divers in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and local dive establishments are working together to maintain coral nurseries and aid in conservation, sustainability and restoration of Cayman’s coral reefs. The program develops effective strategies for protecting and restoring damaged areas of coral reef with an emphasis on growing Staghorn coral in nurseries.  Coral fragments are grown on structures referred to as coral trees.  These “trees” are made from PVC and fiberglass rods.  The fragments of coral grow into colonies and after significant growth, they are removed from the tree and planted onto damaged coral reef areas to aid in their recovery.  The fragments are proven to provide a sustainable method in maintaining healthy reefs for the long-run. …

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories |

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Hope Spot on the Brink of Irrevocable Change

Our partner Henley Spiers reflects on his recent trip to the George Town Harbour Hope Spot!
By: Henley Spiers

I recently returned from Grand Cayman, home of the George Town Harbour Hope Spot and a place which has long been on my diving bucket list. For tourists, these islands are a stress-free haven of sunny white sand beaches and clear blue waters. Beneath the surface, however, a war is being waged over the future of this tropical paradise. George Town Harbour may be home to some of the most famous and accessible reefs around the island, but a project to build a new cruise ship pier threatens to decimate this underwater ecosystem.
Cruise ship passengers numbers worldwide have grown a massive 60% in the last 10 years.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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The Cayman Islands: A Haven for Sharks & Rays

George Town Harbour, Grand Cayman is one of Mission Blue’s 14 new Hope Spots!
By: Laura Butz

The Cayman Islands has built its name and reputation primarily on being a renowned diving destination.  Pioneers in our local diving community over the last few decades contributed to building our diving industry into the premier operation that it is today.  They recognized the exquisite beauty our underwater landscape had to offer and have since then made it accessible for locals and tourists to recreationally experience and explore the beauty that lies below the surface for themselves.  With a desire to showcase our natural resources comes with a commitment to preserve them.  Our duty towards conservation for both land and the ocean is beneficial not just from an environmental perspective but also an economic one. …

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Pressure Mounts to Save the Cayman Islands Hope Spot

By: Shilpi Chhotray, Mission Blue Communications Strategist 

For the residents of George Town Harbour, observing mammoth cruise ships pass through their glimmering turquoise backyard is not uncommon. From 2000, the small island nation of Grand Cayman has received an influx of tourists from the cruise industry, with a around one million visitors entering the island yearly. By 2015, this number increased to 1.7 million and residents anticipate upwards of 2 million visitors in the coming year.
Recently, the greater George Town Harbour area was selected as one of 14 new Hope Spots around the globe.
Mission Blue’s Founder, legendary Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle visited the Cayman Islands to see the Hope Spot first-hand. In a recent press release, Dr. Earle stated: “May the George Town Harbour Hope Spot serve as an example to the world, encouraging people to take responsibility and ownership of their environment.…

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Save Cayman and Mission Blue Announce New Partnership

Save Cayman Press Release

On the heels of Sylvia Earle’s visit to the Cayman Islands on November 12th, 2016, local environmental NGO Save Cayman and Mission Blue have announced their new partnership. 
Save Cayman administrators say that they are pleased to be working with the global organization that advocates for protected marine spaces worldwide. Recently, it was announced that the greater George Town Harbour area had been selected as one of 14 new Hope Spots around the globe.
“We are pleased to work with Mission Blue. We hope that this new partnership will enable us to better educate our people and those around the globe about the value that our marine environment holds ecologically, economically, and culturally,” said Morgan Ebanks of Save Cayman.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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Hope On the Horizon: Cayman Islands

By: Laura Butz

 
Recently, the George Town Harbor in the Cayman Islands was named a Mission Blue Hope Spot- one of fourteen newly designated Hope Spots.  This is incredible news for environmentalists both locally and internationally.  A designated Hope Spot is an area considered to be “critical to the health of the ocean”.  These special areas are recognized by Mission Blue and respectively conservationists around the globe as being in need of protection.  Conservation of these valuable areas will allow for the coral reefs, marine life and fragile ecosystems to rejuvenate and strengthen.  Individually, Hope Spots are beneficial to their specific surrounding habitat.  As part of a collective whole, they play a significant role in contributing to restoring the ocean’s ecosystem and marine life on a global scale. …

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