Renowned oceanographer, author and marine biologist Sylvia Earle was in Cayman recently to celebrate George Town Harbour’s designation as a Hope Spot by her organisation, Mission Blue.
Student-led environmental advocacy group Protect Our Future hosted the celebration at Cayman International School on 27 Oct., at which Earle, 88, was the keynote speaker. At her talk at the school, she reminded attendees that “saving the ocean is a team sport”.
More than 200 students, teachers, community members and partners in groups such as the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Cayman Islands National Trust, Plastic Free Cayman, and the Mangrove Rangers attended the event, at which Premier Wayne Panton and Protect Our Future leaders Evie Sweetman and Chloe Bentick-Lalli also spoke.
Mission Blue, which inspires action to explore and protect the ocean, awarded George Town Harbour the title of ‘Hope Spot’ in 2019, following community efforts, including from Protect Our Future, to stop government plans to build a cruise pier in the harbour.
Since then, Protect Our Future has served as Champions of the Mission Blue Hope Spot in George Town Harbour, when Bentick-Lalli was nominated to fill the role.
“Being the Champion of a Hope Spot entails the protection, conservation, and advocacy of the Hope Spot, as well as educating and engaging the community around the Hope Spot,” the organisation noted in a press release.
Hope Spots are regions of the world that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean and should be preserved for future generations.
During her stay in Cayman, Earle dived with Protect Our Future members to explore the coral reef in the George Town Harbour.
Sweetman, 17, said in the release, “Hosting Mission Blue and Dr. Sylvia Earle here in Cayman was an incredible honor. Dr Earle’s message of hope and the power of collective action was impactful and inspirational, as was her awe-inspiring story of her exploration and research in the ocean, including living underwater for weeks at a time and holding the record for the deepest walk on the seafloor.
“POF is excited and honored to continue advocating for and protecting the Hope Spot, not only for us, but for the future.”
The Cayman Islands has two Hope Spots – George Town Harbour and Little Cayman, which was given the title in 2020.
George Town Harbour and Little Cayman are among 156 places designated as Hope Spots around the world by Mission Blue.
Earle, who is president and chairman of Mission Blue, has authored more than 225 publications, led over 100 expeditions, and logged more than 7,500 hours underwater.
According to her official biography, her research concerns the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems and development of technology for access to the deep sea.
She has been the subject of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary ‘Mission Blue’, and the recipient of more than 100 national and international honors and awards, including being named Time Magazine’s first ‘Hero for the Planet’, a ‘Living Legend’ by the Library of Congress, 2014 UNEP Champion of the Earth and Glamour Magazine’s 2014 ‘Woman of the Year’.
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