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Art Doing its Part for Coastal Awareness

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:55 EDT

"Wait! Don’t throw those doors out! I have a future for them!”

These are the words I imagine Mr. Walter Gobin, Art Head-of-Department at Jack Hayward High School, may have said regarding the imminent dumping of some old doors.

What kind of future would he have with some old doors you might ask? A future in art. Yes art - a mural in fact. The mural seen in the photos presented are being created by various senior high art students of Jack Hayward. The murals depict marine life in an effort to foster awareness of the magnificent marine environment The Bahamas is known for, yet many may take for granted, or perhaps may never even have the opportunity to enjoy...

The Bahamas signs Proclamation for International Year of the Reef

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:39:52 EDT

The signing of this proclamation by our Commander-In-Chief, The Right Honourable Hubert Alexander Ingraham, officially symbolizes The Bahamas’ awareness as a nation of the value of coral reefs, their fragility, and the need to further conservation efforts on their behalf. In this proclamation our Prime Minister gives his blessings for the National IYOR2008 Planning Committee to utilize this global awareness campaign to further our coral reef conservation efforts for The Bahamas, contributing to status of coral reefs worldwide.

Learn more about the International Year of the Reef by clicking on the logo on the left column of TheBahamasWeekly.com.

Click [Read more...] to see the proclamation...

Pollution – A Threat to our Coral Reefs

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:36:14 EDT

Let us stop, think and ask ourselves a few questions. When you hear the words pollution and coral reefs, what image comes to mind? Do you think of a vast oil spill over the surface of the ocean? Do you picture the image of a 6-pack bottle ring floating around the neck of a turtle? Or are you unable to relate the two words at all? Up until recently, the seas have been the dumping grounds for many pollutants. It was once believed that dilution was the solution to pollution. We thought the ocean had the power to not only dilute, but also absorb and vanish away any pollutant which entered it.

However we have learned that our waste, even in small amounts can have a large affect on the quality of our coral reefs and our way of life. The year 2008 is considered the International Year of the Reef. During this time let us reflect on how important these vast colonies of animals are to our own local economy...

Physical Impacts to Reefs Caused by Tourism-related Activities

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:09:39 EDT

Coral reefs are diverse and productive ecosystems that play a vital role in supporting our marine life by providing breeding, feeding and nursery areas for various types of marine animals . Additionally, reefs act as a protective barrier for our coast against intense waves and storms. Apart from their ecological importance, reefs contribute significantly to our economy by providing employment opportunities in recreational and tourism-related activities. Reefs also provide sources of food such as Nassau grouper, Queen conch and Spiny lobster which generate millions of dollars annually in The Bahamas. Despite the importance of our reefs, many persons still do not understand how their actions have contributed to coral reef degradation which ultimately has caused and will continue to cause a significant decline in Bahamian fish populations....

April is Coastal Awareness Month

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:49:19 EDT

In 2005, the Ministry of Tourism declared April Coastal Awareness Month. Now in its 4^th year, there are 5 key threats that continue to be relevant to our coastal environment. Those 5 key threats are climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, and over-fishing.

As 2008 has once again been declared by the ICRI (www.icriforum.org) as International Year of the Reef (www.iyor.org) – 10 years after International Year of the Reef 1997 – special emphasis is being put on our coral reef ecosystems.

In light of this I will discuss how these key threats affect coral reef ecosystems.