The Sea Women of Melanesia, a radical of divers who springiness women successful the South Pacific portion the skills to show the wellness of coral reefs, and make and reconstruct marine protected areas, person been named Champions of the Earth, the UN’s highest biology award, successful the Inspiration and Action category.
To astir people, fins, masks and neoprene wetsuits are recreational gear. But to the non-profit group, they are the tools of change.
Clad successful diving gear, the group’s 30-plus members illustration the wellness of the fragile coral reefs that situation Melanesia.
The Sea Women enactment successful what’s known arsenic the Coral Triangle, which covers immoderate 5.7 cardinal quadrate kilometres betwixt the Great Barrier Reef and the land archipelagos of Melanesia and South East Asia.
Brimming with marine life, it is 1 of the world’s premier destinations for underwater tourism and location to a large fisheries industry. It is besides exceptionally threatened by surging quality populations and discarded levels.
The bully quality is that coral reefs are resilient and tin retrieve if the marine situation is safeguarded. The Sea Women initiative, which has worked crossed the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea since 2018, supports marine protected areas successful the 2 countries, to guarantee determination is abundant food beingness for villagers to trust connected successful future.
Read the afloat communicative connected the Sea Women’s work, here.
Champions of the Earth
- The United Nations Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth and the Young Champions of the Earth admit individuals, groups and organizations whose actions person a transformative interaction connected the environment. Presented annually, the Champions of the Earth grant is the UN’s highest biology honour.
- The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 done 2030 the UN Decade connected Ecosystem Restoration, is designed to prevent, halt, and reverse the nonaccomplishment and degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
- It aims to revive billions of hectares, covering terrestrial arsenic good arsenic aquatic ecosystems.
- Visit www.decadeonrestoration.org to larn more.
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