The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation (BREEF) held an above and underwater beach clean-up in commemoration of World’s Ocean Day last weekend.

The clean-up was held at Saunders Beach and allowed participants to snorkel and admire marine life while reducing the footprints of plastic waste pollution.

Casaurina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of BREEF, said clean-ups provide opportunities for the community to improve and protect the health of our waters.

She said: “We’re doing an underwater and above water beach cleanup. So realising that plastic pollution is a big threat in The Bahamas, and around the world, it’s a really tangible way for everybody to get involved with helping protect our waters, cleaning up plastic and also then taking steps to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that we’re generating.”

BREEF is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is marking the occasion by activities throughout the year, highlighting education and ocean conservation.

Ms McKinney-Lambert said: “Even though we’re a small island state, we’re a large ocean nation, 95% of our country is underwater, and we really want to encourage and make opportunities available for our own people to get out and enjoy the ocean. It’s not just for visitors to the islands, even though having a pristine ocean is what encourages people to come. We want our own people to benefit from the incredible ocean around us.”

“We do regular snorkels where we invite students who are in our Eco Schools programme and just students in general. We have a number of students from Sandilands primary today who are out snorkeling and learning how to swim and enjoying the water.”

Ms McKinney-Lambert said: “Climate change is one of the big threats that we have, particularly impacting our coral reefs so kids out here who are out snorkeling are getting a chance to see some corals in the water, living corals.”

“Corals are vulnerable to climate change and warming waters so it’s much easier to to take action for conservation when you’ve actually seen it yourself and personally in it, rather than just learning about it in school and a classroom we want to get out into the ocean.”

Trinity Arhana, an eight-year-old student at Sandilands Primary School, said: “Snorkeling was pretty fun and exciting. We have to keep our water clean because it wouldn’t be nice if it got polluted and then there wouldn’t be any fish. And it’s important to protect or trees because they help to clean the air.”

Ashawnte Russell, Bahamas Youth Climate Ambassador, said many Bahamians are interested in participating in conservation activities, but do not have access and are not aware of services and outreach programmes.

She said: “One thing I’ve noticed is that Bahamian youth are not as engaged and not as connected to the wider world. And considering we fall in the category of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. This is something that needs to be addressed.”