Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #7 EDITION 2018 | Page 48

DÉCOUVERTES
"Human
interference
is taking a toll
on the ocean
floors. The
threat is real"
Financing is another big issue even though Rick has invested his
own funds in developing the Ocean Cleaner Device. None of this,
however, will deter Rick, whose memory of a sea turtle swallowing
plastic is enough to keep him going.
The coral reef death crisis is a clear manifestation of this era’s biggest
battle ‒ reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate
change. It challenges us to work at a local, regional and global scale
before it is too late. “Climate change has no borders”, adds Rick.
Small island states have vast ocean resources, which present huge
opportunity in a blue economy. They also have a lot to lose if that
economy isn’t sustainable. Our conservation efforts are contingent on
our ability to implement policies and best practices.
The government of the Seychelles created two new marine-protected areas
which cover over 211,000 sq km. It is part of an ambitious project, the
Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan ‒ a first in the Indian Ocean and the second
largest in the world. Rodrigues’ octopus fishing seasonal closures, allowing
wildlife to recover, have become a model for others around the world.
Governments, however, still very much favour the continued
development of the fossil-fuel industry. That in itself is a complete
policy failure for our reefs. We should be considering drastic ways
for saving corals such as investing in large-scale coral nurseries,
breeding heat-resistant super corals, adopting laws restricting the
catch of endangered species, banning single-use plastic and styrofoam
products, or even applying special environmental taxes which go
directly to conservation and an eco-tourism market.
Many big ocean questions are playing out on a smaller scale in the
Indian Ocean. Can we champion a model of regional cooperation?
Goal #17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals states,
“Partnerships for the Goals”. Sun Resorts is the first Mauritian hotel
group to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
University of Mauritius, enabling students to carry out research that
is directly relevant to the tourism industry.
“Regional entities such as the COI are helpful. Their knowledge
and understanding of the politics of a nation make them a useful
resource”, notes Bonnier.
48
While scrolling through your Instagram feed, you may have noticed
photos of people holding signs that read “I speak English, Creole,
and #ISpeakBlueToo”. Behind the social media campaign which
raises awareness about life below is a young teenager, Eve Isambourg.
I contacted Eve because I wanted to know how a single person can
make a difference. How can we leverage the power of social media?
Take online activism to the streets? What are the small ways in which
we can contribute to fight back the coral reef crisis?
Last June, Eve ‒ chosen to represent Mauritius as an Ocean &
Climate Youth Ambassador ‒ embarked aboard the Peace Boat with
six other people from Small Island Developing States including Palau,
Singapore, Timor-Leste, Fiji, the Seychelles, and Barbados. During
the journey they shared their experiences with local organisations in
the fields of Ocean Conservation and Marine Protection. “We ended
the journey talking at the United Nations during the High-Level
Political Forum, where we shared our ideas on sustainable tourism,
education, and focused on goal 17, Partnerships”.
For Eve, it is about achieving a balance between communication,
education and policy. “People need to know, people are allowed to
know the truth, to know how badly we are treating the Ocean, to
know the real facts and figures about ocean degradation. How do
you want people to find a solution, if they don’t even know about the
problem?”
Eating local, avoiding animal consumption, using sunscreen that
doesn’t contain chemicals which harm corals, and avoiding plastic
are no-brainers. There are a number of NGOs and collectives which
work tirelessly to protect our oceans such as Enn Losean Vivab, a
group of friends ‒ Kuba Gasiewski, Kan Chan Kin, Jonathan Nanine,
and Emmelyne Marimootoo ‒ whose initiatives include a recycled
instruments workshop for kids, screenings of the documentary
“Anplastik”, jam sessions at Tamarin Bay to raise funds to purchase a
plastic pelletizing machine.
The takeaway message is pretty straightforward: an individual can in
fact leverage the power of community to fight issues of global warming.
“If you want to act globally, think locally”, writes Eve. “More generally,
I think we need to reconnect with the planet. I think that too many of
us have forgotten that the planet does not belong to us”.