BONAIRE PROJECT #1 AT ICRI MEETING

Bonaire can be justly proud of itself. Last week at the planning and co-ordination meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) held on the Turks and Caicos islands, Bonaire was again in the lime light for its innovative marine conservation work. Of six project proposals presented at this prestigious meeting of more than 50 top coral reef professionals from around the world, Bonaire's project was voted in at first place.

The project was submitted to ICRI by Bonaire's newest environmental non profit "Coral Resource Management". It proposes to bring a group of Marine Park staff and stakeholders from the Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) on St Lucia to Bonaire and provide the opportunity for a similar group to visit St Lucia so that they can work with one another, learn from one another and share experiences and expertise on a variety of topics. The project received the enthusiastic support of all those present. In second place was a project to establish urban marine protected areas in the Philippines and the project in third place was to set up a long term monitoring programme at the newly established Portland Bight Reserve on Jamaica.

Both the Bonaire National Marine Park and the Soufriere Marine Management Area are recognised as Demonstration Sites or Marine Parks, which can provide an inspirational example to others. The success of this project proposal underscores both the pioneering role which the Bonaire National Marine Park and the Soufriere Marine Management Area on St Lucia have played here in the Caribbean and the value of site to site exchanges between Marine Parks and protected areas as one of the most innovative and effective ways of building marine park management capacity and improving coral reef conservation.

ICRI was established in 1994. It is a unique environmental partnership with a broad base of constituents including representatives of governments, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and the private sector. ICRI's mission is to stop and reverse the destruction of coral reefs globally. It met for the first time in 1995 in the Philippines where members developed a "Call to Action" and a "Framework for Action" to guide their future work.

The ICRI Call to Action endorses action at the global and local levels in four key areas: integrated coastal zone management, capacity building, research and monitoring and review. The Renewed Call to Action in 1998 documents both the continuing precipitous decline in the world's coral reefs as well as some significant achievements particularly in promoting coral reef conservation issues on international agendas and conventions.

The ICRI Framework for Action has been described as the "blue print" for coral reef conservation. Through a series of recommendations it supports and encourages a wide range of activities to protect reefs, to coordinate research and monitoring efforts, to raise the profile of coral reef conservation, to promote sound management and increase training and capacity building for the protection of coral reefs around the world.

Thank you ICRI for supporting us too!