Stuart Walkers Hersant Humphries supports CCMI’s long term monitoring programme and CREWS2 maintenance

LITTLE CAYMAN July 21, 2015- Law firm Stuarts Walkers Hersant Humphries has recently announced its $15,000 commitment to supporting the Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s long-term monitoring programme (LAMP) and major maintenance for their Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS2).

The Caymanian firm has been a major contributor for the local not-for-profit with Chairman Andrew Hersant and Managing Director Chris Humphries serving on the Board of Trustees for the Institute.

The LAMP programme has enabled CCMI to collect data on fish abundance, algae, and coral cover since 1999, providing essential historical data aiding the understanding of how coral reefs are changing over time, and identifying drivers of change.

CCMI’s CREWS2 system, initially supported by the Dart Foundation, is a NOAA designed oceanographic system that sends out timely alerts about threats to the coral reefs and allows the researchers to assess the impact of these threats. Bleaching alerts, for example, trigger immediate surveys so that the team can track stress to the corals and report recovery from temperature stress.

First installed in 2009, it is the only oceanographic buoy in the Cayman Islands and one of only two such systems in the world, according to NOAA’s Dr. Karsten Shein. The integration of the CREWS2 and LAMP programme has aided numerous research publications and helped to build an improved awareness of the importance of maintaining and protecting coral reefs.

“The data we are able to collect via our CREWS and LAMP programs is important to understanding and protecting coral reefs locally and globally,” said Dr. Carrie Manfrino, CCMI President. “We are very grateful to Stewarts Walkers Hersant Humphries for their ongoing support, and for donating to these programs.”

This type of responsiveness has informed the group’s work on coral reef resilience, has helped to develop a coral bleaching threshold model that predicts future episodes of stress, and has enabled researchers to demonstrate that some coral reefs are capable of recovering from severe global climate stress events.

“For Cayman, coral reefs are a national treasure that bring great economic value and huge levels of positive public relations to the country,” said Humphries/Hersant. “The work CCMI does aims to build a greater understanding of these unique ecosystems so that we can preserve that ecological heritage and wealth for locals, visitors, and future generations.”

Founded in 1998, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is guided by its mission to conduct and facilitate research, education, outreach and conservation programs that will sustain marine biodiversity for future generations. The CCMI Little Cayman Research Centre hosts numerous research and educational programs for groups ranging from elementary school to university faculty. For more information or to contact the CCMI, please visit our website at http://www.reefresearch.org; E-mail: [email protected]; Telephone: +1 (609) 423-4248.