More than 1,000 students in Cayman and members of the public will get to hear about the importance of and the challenges to coral reefs from two world-renowned ocean advocates.
The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) has invited award-winning wildlife cameraman Doug Allan and marine biologist and TV presenter Uli Kunz to take part in its ocean outreach campaign, which will run from 29 Oct. to 10 Nov.
The campaign will deliver tailored outreach across the Cayman Islands to students and the broader community through educational sessions and talks.
“These events will take participants on a journey around the world via the oceans, from the ice caps of the Antarctic to the tropical coral reefs of the Red Sea,” CCMI said in a statement.
Allan, who is the recipient of the Fuchs Medal and the Polar Medal, and has won eight Emmys and five BAFTAs, is perhaps best known for his filming in polar regions, on the ice or diving beneath it.
He will use his archive of footage from filming for shows such as Blue Planet and Frozen Planet to take participants “on a voyage around the globe through stunning imagery of the marine world”, the institute noted.
Kunz, who will be the keynote speaker at CCMI’s Festival of the Seas gala on 1 Nov., has worked on numerous scientific diving expeditions worldwide and is part of the German research diving team Submaris. He is best known for his work in ocean exploration, underwater photography and public science communication.
He will be delivering talks to government primary schools across Grand Cayman and hosting a public reef lecture on 29 Oct., “focusing on inter-relationships within the ocean and marine creatures and the vulnerability of these beautiful habitats”.
CCMI said the sessions by both speakers will build upon their experiences exploring “some of the wildest and most fascinating marine worlds on our planet to show the audience how vast and awe-inspiring, but also intrinsically connected and in desperate need of our help the marine habitats of our planet really are”.
The institute noted that the campaign focuses on the “connectedness of the oceans and the pivotal role of Cayman’s marine environment on the global stage, showcasing the importance of healthy coral reefs to international biodiversity and communities beyond borders”.
CCMI pointed out that marine environments across the world, including Cayman’s habitats, are facing unprecedented threats in the form of ocean warming, coral disease outbreaks and impacts from human activities. “Protecting these critical environments begins with knowing, understanding and loving them, which is the aim of CCMI’s biggest ocean education campaign to date,” it said.
In addition to visiting primary and secondary schools across Grand Cayman, both speakers will be hosting public events that are free to attend.
Kunz will present a reef lecture, titled ‘The Weird and Wonderful’ The Important Role of Ocean Critters’, at 6pm on Wednesday, 29 Oct., at Ambassadors of the Environment, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Click here to register.
Then, on Saturday, 8 Nov., at 6pm, Allan will present ‘Voyage of the Oceans’ at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. Click here to register.
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