By Sarah Freiermuth | Director of Development
The Coral Reef Alliance's success in its project sites around the world is built on a strong network of community members, including our CORAL Reef Leadership Network (CRLN).
By training a network of qualified local CORAL Reef Leaders to conduct and sustain educational outreach and disseminate best practices, CORAL is in essence "training the trainers." The CRLN identifies and recruits respected and motivated local leaders in the marine community so members have the credibility and background knowledge necessary to inspire trust. The leaders' presence on site ensures continuity in an industry known for high turnover and serves as a touchstone on coral conservation in the region.
Training provides leaders with the knowledge and skills to effectively convey CORAL’s educational curriculum about reef conservation, resource management, and sustainable tourism practices to marine recreation providers. Under the guidance of CORAL's field staff and with a stipend to sponsor their efforts, CORAL Reef Leaders are empowered to teach CORAL’s Sustainable Marine Recreation workshops and conduct collaborative outreach in their local region.
In Hawaii, our CORAL Reef Leaders have been also directly educating tourists and encouraging them to follow best practices. They are doing this through our reef etiquette signs. By finding locations for the signs and working with local businesses and communities to install them, our leaders are reducing tourism impact on nearshore reefs. As of September 1, 2011, forty-three signs have been installed over three islands, with five more pending installation. You can find a full list of signs and locations at http://www.coral.org/hawaii_reef_signs. And if you happen to be traveling to Hawaii, please visit one of the signs to see your donations at work.
Thanks to your support, we are able to ensure the continued growth of this important program. Mahalo!
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By Valentine Rosado | Belize Field Manager
By Sarah Freiermuth | Development Director
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