The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) receives grant from Darwin Institute to save the Cayman Islands’ coral reefs

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, November 11, 2014 – The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) today announced plans to host a booth inside the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s “Cayman Pavilion” at the annual Dive Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) trade show, November 19-22 in Las Vegas.

The Institute’s upcoming appearance at DEMA will celebrate its recently-awarded two-year grant from the Darwin Initiative to protect and increase the biodiversity of coral reefs. The project will focus on researching ways to save the endangered staghorn coral, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List of Threatened Species.” Originally one of the most abundant corals on Caribbean reefs, the species inexplicably began dying off in the 1980s and lost almost 90 percent of its population. CCMI hopes to help rectify this problem by working to improve the survival of coral under stress, an issue that could pose a major threat to the Cayman Islands’ dive industry.

“The Department of Tourism’s growing partnership with the Central Caribbean Marine Institute is crucial to the survival of our coral reefs,” said Director of Tourism, Rosa Harris. “We must nurture and maintain this viable relationship because the dive industry is a key part of the Cayman Islands’ culture. We wholeheartedly support CCMI’s efforts to make diving a memorable experience for our visitors and we will work with the organisation to ensure that our underwater environment continues to thrive.”

The DEMA trade show will also mark CCMI’s first effort to market itself not only as a global marine conservation leader, but also as a physical destination that divers can visit while on Little Cayman. Working under the Dive into Science umbrella, CCMI will invite divers to become “citizen scientists” by booking packages with the Institute’s Little Cayman Research Centre. Divers can assist researchers and scientists with key initiatives geared toward preserving and protecting Little Cayman’s coral reefs – and especially species like the staghorn.

Staffers at DEMA will hand out literature and answer questions on this and other CCMI initiatives. The Institute’s annual summer “Sea Camp” program brings teens from around the globe together for an immersive week of coral reef study, while CCMI’s ongoing efforts to combat Lionfish have resulted in a variety of different programs created for divers who wish to help eradicate the species from the delicate reefs.

“We’re thrilled to be joining the Department of Tourism at DEMA,” said CCMI Director Dr. Carrie Manfrino, who was recently recognized by Oris and Scuba Diving Magazine as a “Sea Hero” for her longstanding marine conservation work in the Cayman Islands. “Cayman is at the forefront of coral reef conservation, and it’s important that the dive industry understand and witness the good work being done here. It’s a message of hope.”

IMAGE: reefresearch.org