MARYLAND, United States, Monday June 6, 2011 – Research in St. Kitts and Nevis is taking place as the twin-island federation becomes part of the second research project of a multi-year Global Reef Expedition, an unprecedented world-wide study of the health and resilience of coral reef environments.
The work there, being done by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), will continue until June 13.
Under the banner of Science Without Borders, the ambitious Global Reef Expedition is being outfitted, equipped and financed by the Maryland-based Foundation which has built a core expertise around coral reef research, conservation, and restoration activities.
The 10-day research expedition in the waters surrounding St. Kitts and Nevis will use the highly equipped, specially outfitted 220 foot research vessel, Golden Shadow, as a research platform.
Captain Phillip Renaud, the Foundation's Executive Director, noted that coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet and rival tropical rain forests for the sheer number of species they support. The health of coral reefs worldwide serves as a bellwether for the overall health of our planet.
"We are just beginning to understand how important ocean health is to human health and to the wellbeing of our entire planet," said Captain Renaud. "The challenge ahead is to muster the political will and harness international resources to stop and reverse the momentum of ocean degradation.”
Andrew Bruckner, Ph.D., the Foundation's Chief Scientist, said the scientific objectives of the St. Kitts and Nevis research are three-fold: to validate marine habitat maps by verifying the distribution and location of the shallow marine habitats; understand the species composition of these marine habitats; and characterize the community structure, health, and resilience of associated coral reef ecosystems.
Philip Kramer, Director of the Caribbean Programme at TNC said the survey results will be used to inform new approaches to ecosystem-based fisheries management and expanding marine protected areas in several countries under the Caribbean Challenge initiative.
"The Nature Conservancy is pleased to collaborate with the Living Oceans Foundation to support this first-ever comprehensive assessment of the coral reefs of St. Kitts and Nevis carried out at the request of Government,” added Ruth Blyther, TNC's Eastern Caribbean Representative.
"This research builds on recent work coordinated with local fishers to map the values of their fishing areas for various fisheries and the ongoing efforts for national multiple use marine zoning. The marine environment is vitally important to the people and economy of St. Kitts and Nevis. The work of the Living Oceans Foundation's Global Reef Expedition will contribute valuable information for its sustainable management."
Several outreach and educational programmes are also planned by the Living Oceans Foundation while it is in St. Kitts.
“Our outreach programmes which we will undertake in every country where we conduct research have been purposely designed to reach out to the broadest cross section of individuals and groups who can facilitate awareness and positive change,” Captain Renaud explained.
The Global Reef Expedition will travel east to west from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean then on to the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
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