The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I read with great interest what Dr Nick Higgs and other scientists had to say on how permit delays and red tape are holding up important environmental research and conservation, and threatening the survival of our natural resources.

I wonder if your readers know about one such project, the Reef Rescue Network (RRN), which since 2017 has been working tirelessly to save our reef systems which are under threat like never before, and also to create income and jobs for local dive operations and other businesses that were hit very hard when tourism disappeared because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Divers, fishermen, hotel operators and environmentalists know that for years, our reefs have been dying because of human activity, climate change and the spread of coral killing diseases. Today, it is happening faster than ever before. Without intervention our reefs will soon be gone forever, and with them our sea food industry, dive industry and even the tourism industry, will also soon disappear too.

Enter RRN, a collaboration by international conservation experts and local businesses to replant and regrow corals on damaged reefs throughout the country. It has had great success and worked with full government approval for about five years, when suddenly it was denied permits last year, just like a whole range of other important conservation initiatives.

The RRN has 20 local partners and had done coral restoration at nearly 30 locations so far. The local partners were trained in monitoring and maintaining the coral nurseries from where the new growths are transplanted. They were also able to take advantage of a Diver Specialty Course in reef replanting, that has now trained more than 70 instructors, mostly Bahamian dive operators who then began offering this course.

This meant that tourists and members of the community, including students, could obtain a specialty dive certification from local operators, creating revenue for dive companies and getting more people involved in coral replanting. A win-win for all involved.

Every year since it started, RRN has attracted more than $100,000 in outside investment to the country. Just before its permits stopped being issued, it was set to expand through a huge grant of $400,000 from the Interamerican Development Bank. This money was for direct injection into Bahamian businesses.

Up to $450,000 more has been committed by the UN Global Fund for Coral Reefs, making the project worth over $1 million in terms of direct investment into The Bahamian economy, with more investment on the horizon. According to the IDB, the project was expected to grow dive shop employment by 15% and sales revenue by 10%.

Now, sadly, everything has come to a grinding halt. If something doesn’t change soon, all of the projected investment, all of the revenue for dive operators and other local businesses working with RRN, will disappear. The investors will take their funds to a friendlier jurisdiction.

I applaud the Attorney General for committing to review and update the misguided law, passed by the former FNM administration, that led to this mess in the first place. I just hope his team can get it done in time to save the RRN and other crucial programmes, before they are forced to shut down permanently

Scuba diver and conservationist

Nassau,

April 9, 2022