“This year’s additions to the Unesco World Heritage list have just been announced, after a four-day annual pow-wow in Istanbul. While the criteria for making the list sound quite dry – the roll call includes historical significance, legacy and common heritage – the shortlist is anything but. A big hit of culture awaits…”
It is imperative on each of us to play our part in saving the gifts that earth offers. The beauty of the Caribbean Reef is reason enough but one should remember that if this eye thriller dies, an ecosystem fails. Let us not for one second think, that only the fishes’ lifestyle will change.
A story from the BBC . . .
The Caribbean’s Mesoamerican Reef is the second largest barrier reef in the world, stretching 600 miles (965 km). Only the Great Barrier Reef surpasses it.
The reef’s northernmost point aligns with Cancún in Mexico. From there it stretches south-east alongside the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.
Visitors flock to its sandy-white beaches and warm seas to snorkel and scuba dive. The Mesoamerican Reef supports millions of people along the neighbouring coasts.
But the tourism industry, combined with ecological pressures like overfishing and pollution, are taking their toll on the reef and the many local fishing communities.
This summer, the International League of Conservation Photographers partnered with Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI) to encourage sustainable practices, such as no-take fish refuges that allow populations to recover. They want 20% of the reef protected as a no-take zone.
Some fishermen are now…
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Yelhispressing 