Photo Credit: Courtney Platt

Why We Need Marine Parks

The ocean spans across 71% of the Earth’s surface.  Only 4% of the world’s oceans are protected.  Climate change continues to disrupt the balance of the ocean, threatening the health of the ocean.  The health of the ocean impacts marine life, the planet and (you guessed it) humans.  The ocean acts as a life support system for marine life which expands to human beings, as 50-70% of our oxygen comes from the ocean.  This works out to be more than all of the world’s rainforests combined.  It is imperative that our ocean’s are protected and kept clean.  One of the best ways we can help protect the ocean is by increasing the number of and the size of marine parks.  Increasing and expanding marine parks on a global scale benefits not only the planet but everyone.

Photo Credit: Courtney Platt

In recent news, there has been talk about the possibility of expanding marine parks in the Cayman Islands.  This is a positive thing!  Personally, I am in agreement with the notion of increasing the number of marine parks and expanding the size of current marine parks in the Cayman Islands.  By increasing the protection of the waters that surrounds our small islands it will bring positive benefits to the ocean, marine life and coral reefs which inhabit the waters around us. It will be a positive for tourism.  Divers and snorkelers who travel across the globe to explore our underwater wonderland will likely want to return if they know our marine life is protected by marine parks.  Simply because marine parks offer a sense of security for divers and snorkelers, as it is a promise to protect and preserve marine life and coral reefs.  It allows for something to come back to, to see.  Cayman is known to have some of the most spectacular and unique biodiversity and marine ecosystems in the world.

Protecting our ocean and marine life is a no-brainer, expanding the marine parks in the Cayman Islands is both ecologically and economically beneficial.  Our economy is strongly tied to our marine environment. It only makes sense that we encourage and ensure the expansion of marine parks as it will help to maintain local cultures and economies that are linked to our marine environment.  Most importantly, it will help keep our marine life healthy and allow for coral reefs (in protected areas) to flourish and thrive.  A healthy and protected ocean benefits everyone.  Conservation of the ocean, marine ecosystems and marine life needs to be a top priority in Cayman.  There needs to be improvement in marine protection in Cayman.

Photo Credit: Courtney Platt

The Benefits of Marine Parks

Marine Parks are designed to protect.  World Wildlife Fund offers a great definition of what a marine park is and the purpose it serves:

An area designated and effectively managed to protect marine ecosystems, processes, habitats, and species, which can contribute to the restoration and replenishment of resources for social, economic, and cultural enrichment.

Implementing more marine parks or expanding current ones is a good thing.  It helps to protect more of what is valuable, that being marine life and coral reefs.  The added benefits of having marine parks are: it creates a nursery for juvenile fish to develop and populations to replenish, it provides a safe place for coral reefs to flourish, it allows for biodiversity to thrive.  Overall, a marine park acts as a sanctuary for marine life.  Marine parks are also important as they offer a safe haven for endangered marine life, as well as fragile marine ecosystems.

with love, from one ocean lover to another, xo

 

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Photo Credit: Courtney Platt