UN Environment Programme and Reef-World Foundation
Launch New Video as Part of the
Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey Series
he United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and internationally acclaimed cartoonist Jim Toomey have
collaborated with Reef-World Foundation to produce a new video on sustainable dive tourism as part of the popular Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey video series.
The video, “Green Fins for a Blue Planet”, will be launched at the Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) in Singapore on 16 April 2016, alongside guidance material on how recreational diving can protect fragile marine biodiversity threatened by growing coastal tourism and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This video illustrates the many benefits of, and potential environmental risks associated with, recreational diving and features a certification program called Green Fins, which was developed in partnership between UNEP and the Reef-World Foundation.
It identifies how actions by divers, dive center operators and owners, and governments can influence both the environmental and economic sustainability of the industry. It also showcases ways that individual divers and dive centers can make a difference. Watch the video to learn what actions you can take to reduce your environmental “finprint” underwater, especially on coral reefs.
“The public is embracing dive tourism in a big way, and that’s great,” said Jim Toomey. “However, now that we are taking to the water in such big numbers, there needs to be a set of guidelines that we can teach and follow as a dive community, if we’re going to protect our delicate coral reefs for future generations.”
The growing popularity and accessibility of scuba diving and snorkeling is bringing more people onto coral reefs. The diving industry adds over one million new divers every year, putting additional pressure on fragile coastal ecologies, in particular coral reefs, which host abundant marine life and are an enormous draw for tourists.
While helping to drive economic growth, intensive scuba diving can directly damage corals, making them susceptible to other stresses as well as reduce live coral cover. Poorly managed beach and reef tourism constitutes an environmental threat and undermines the industry’s primary asset, the coral reef.
The series of videos with Jim Toomey, the creator of the Sherman’s Lagoon cartoon strip, began in 2011 through a partnership between UNEP’s Regional Office for North America and Mr. Toomey.
The Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomeyseries now includes eight short videos, which provide the general public with scientific information about urgent issues facing our oceans today, as well as recommended actions to address them. They use animation and humor to illustrate the importance of oceans to human well-being and the environment. They are accessible online at no cost and have been broadcast around the world.
At the Asia Dive Expo, UNEP and partners will release the Green Fins Toolbox (#SaveOurReefs), which was developed through a public-private partnership initiative working with diving and snorkeling businesses, communities and governments in Southeast and South Asia.
The toolbox and video draw on the lessons of the Green Fins Initiative, which is currently working with over 400 diving and snorkeling operators, in six Asian countries, who are continuously improving their business practices to reduce the negative environmental impacts. The initiative involves regular assessment of industry performance against a 15-point code of conduct and supports improved industry practices and the development of regulatory frameworks.
“Green Fins is a catalyst for change,” said Chloe Harvey, Reef-World Foundation Programmes Manager. “It brings people from different sectors together, empowering them with tools and knowledge to take collective action and make lasting changes to the way they conduct business.”
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