This Saturday is Earth Hour and we encourage everybody to conserve energy every day as well as this Saturday. By choosing a New Horizon sailing vessel to explore the Great Barrier Reef, you are making an environmental choice. We do not run our generators consistently thus avoiding the constant pollution emission. By using stored energy, you get to enjoy the peace and quiet of the reef, waves and birds, broken only by conversation and laughter.
If you’re at home this weekend, and not lucky enough to be joining us out on the reef, show your support for the environment and switch off your lights.
Category: Environmental Awareness
Reef Health Surveys for 2009
Ever wondered how they do surveys to determine health of the Great Barrier Reef? Want to experience and learn from the experts? The monitoring is part of Reef Checks global survey. You can view their methodology and what the surveys entail here.
This years reef surveys for our sites are scheduled on the Santa Maria 3 day trip departing Monday the 13th April 2009. If you want to join the cruise and watch the surveys in progress come and join us. You can reserve your place by booking online or contact us for more information.
What Can You Do About Climate Change
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has put together a series of videos outlining the effects of Climate Change on the reef. More importantly they have a video about what YOU can do to make a difference, simple things that you do everyday that will help the planet and may also save you some cash.
The First Video outlines “What is Global Warming or Climate Change?”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvGHdL8V9WE&hl=en&fs=1]
The Second Video outlines “Actions You Can Take to Save the Reefs and the Planet”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFdSbyPzucw&hl=en&fs=1]
The Third outlines the Impact Global Warming is Having on the Great Barrier Reef
More related videos can be found on YouTube or references are included in the previous article located here.
Latest Global Reef Report
One of the biggest decisions when planning a dive holiday is where to go and then who to choose. Choosing your vacation spot should take into account your impact on the reefs you will visit and enjoy. The latest global report “Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2008” by Clive Wilkinson details the effect of management practices in different areas of the world and damages sustained of the last four years since the last report. This report should assist in your decision.
Page 11 of the report show the general health of reefs by regions in table form.
Page 18 shows the ongoing monitoring level per region.
In Australia, the report clearly shows the work between the various bodies, such as GBRMPA, Dive and Charter Operators, the Fishing Community as well as the general local community, is showing real results and will continue to improve the health and the condition of the Great Barrier Reef. Below is and extract from the report and I urge further governments around the world to adopt the model used here in Australia to avoid more reefs being categorised as lost.
“Reefs of Australia continue to be well managed and relatively stable with no major climate change or cyclone events damaging the reefs since 2004. Management continues to set the benchmark for best practice, both in Eastern Australia on the Great Barrier Reef and, more recently, off Western Australia. Particular features are the effective partnerships between coral reef science and management. The situation is the reverse in Papua New Guinea with inadequate coral reef conservation and monitoring, with most of this being performed via large NGOs working with local communities. PNG still has vast areas of healthy and biodiversity-rich coral reefs but human pressures, both from within and externally, are increasing.”