GCRA
OVERVIEW
FAQ
NEWS
ARTICLES
PHOTOS
REEF ISSUES
RESTORATION
PAPERS
LINKS
|
|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE
World
Premiere of GCRA Film
A new short documentary film by the Global Coral Reef Alliance, Tourism, Water Quality, and Coral Reef Health, had its World Premiere showing at the SAVE THE BAHAMAS Conference in Freeport, Grand Bahama. This film, shot and edited by Dr. Thomas J. Goreau, President of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, shows the impacts of nutrients from captive dolphin pens in Mexico and a captive turtle pen in the Cayman islands on the surrounding reef, including bacteria and algae blooms that kill corals which are associated with high levels of coral disease. The film points out that coral reefs are the most sensitive ecosystem to nutrients, that the effects of human sewage, waste disposal, and fertilizers on golf courses and agriculture are responsible for the vast bulk of the problem, and that these can be quickly reversed, but only if all land-based sources of nutrients to the coastal zone are recycled on land instead of polluting the ocean. The SAVE THE BAHAMAS Conference is the first time that grass-roots environmental organizations from all over the Bahamas have met to unite in common efforts to stop the uncontrolled mega development schemes that are causing mangroves to be bulldozed and their reefs and fisheries severely damaged by nutrients from inadequately treated sewage and fertilizers from golf courses, degrading the quality of life of all Bahamian residents. Islanders realize that they face similar threats on most of the islands, but must unite to preserve their future options for sustainable development before the damage becomes so widespread to be irreversible. This effort springs from the remarkable recent court victory of the residents of Guana Cay in obtaining an injunction to halt a development scheme which would have severely degraded their natural resources and fisheries, deprived the islanders of access to major fishing grounds, and destroyed their juvenile fish nursery habitat. It follows international protest over ongoing efforts to destroy large areas of mangrove in Bimini for a marina. The meeting also recorded strong local opposition to locating liquid natural gas plants in the Bahamas for piping to Florida, because these plants have been rejected by Florida as too dangerous to have there! For more information about efforts to save Guana Cay Reefs please see http://www.saveguanacayreef.com http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/guana.htm http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/WestIndies/bakers_bay_intro.htm Please note a site with a very similar name, savegunacay, is not the web site of the effort to conserve Guana Cay, but in fact a cunning publicity stunt by the developers to sow confusion in the public mind about the massive rejection of their proposal by island residents, TOURISM, WATER QUALITY, AND CORAL REEF HEALTH will also be shown at the FLORIDA CARIBBEAN CRUISE ASSOCIATION Convention on Grand Cayman, October 31 2006 The film can be seen on the Global Coral Reef Alliance web site at: |
|