UNEP Launches Communication Tools for Coral Reef Protection

CANCUN, Mexico, 11 January 2002 -- In response to the growing threat to coral reefs,
worldwide, and as part of its efforts to promote the International Year of Ecotourism in 2002,
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Coral Reef
Initiative (ICRI) have prepared five new "communication" tools to help the tourist industry
explain to their customers the importance of protecting coral reefs during their holidays.

The first of these tools, a "wall calendar", is being distributed today to the 1,500 hotels
attending MarketPlace -- the largest travel and trade exhibition in the wider Caribbean region
-- taking place here in Cancun, Mexico.

The calendar, produced in association with the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
(CAST), is available in English, French and Spanish. It provides recommendations on 12
areas of action (one per month) that are linked to the protection of coral reefs, including waste
water treatment, solid waste management, pool management, energy use, shopping for
souvenirs, and tips for snorkelling and scuba diving. Two detachable pages list contacts for
organizations in the Caribbean region that can provide more assistance and information to
hotel managers and tourists alike.

"Coral reefs are a major tourist attraction in many coastal areas, and protecting them is
essential not only for the environment but also for the tourism industry", says Jacqueline
Aloisi de Larderel, Assistant UNEP Executive Director. "We believe that by raising
awareness and so changing the behaviour of tourists and local tourism industry workers alike,
the damage to coral reefs can be reduced. This was the thinking behind the development of
the wall calendar and other communication tools that include a 'passport', a children's quiz, a
poster and boaters chart", she said.

The five coral reef communication tools from UNEP and ICRI contribute to the awareness
raising activities of ICRAN, the International Coral Reef Action Network. ICRI is an
informal partnership of world leaders and experts on coral reefs that raises awareness through
political channels. ICRAN is the "action arm" of ICRI. A partnership-based network, it
focuses on site-based solutions to reverse the decline of coral reefs through organizations
working together at the international, national and local levels around the world.

UNEP is a lead partner in ICRAN through its active involvement in four regional seas and
core coordination support. The action phase of ICRAN was recently launched with a major
grant from the United Nations Foundation, through the United Nations Fund for International
Partnerships (UNFIP) (see http://www.icran.org).

"In its action plan ICRAN called for a campaign in the Caribbean to raise awareness and
influence change", said Arthur Dahl, Director of UNEP's Corals Unit. "The new
communication tools from UNEP will help kick-start this campaign and hopefully lead to
better care and long-term management and conservation of the immensely valuable coral
resource", he said.

Developed with financial support from the French Ministry of the Environment as a
contribution to ICRI, the new communication tools are available free of charge as electronic
files, which can be used to print attractive and informative materials. Available in five
languages, they can be distributed with travel documents or in in-flight magazines, in hotel
lobbies and rooms, or at travel agencies, airport lounges, visitor information centres, reception
areas and recreation centres.

"The tools are designed to send the message that each of us can contribute during our holidays
to the protection of coral reefs", said Ms. de Larderel. "Under the slogan, "Coral or no coral?
It's my choice", they give the message that anyone can take simple actions to help protect and
conserve one of the most important and seductively beautiful habitats in the world."

The tourism sector is of major economic importance in the Caribbean region, both in terms of
foreign exchange earnings and in terms of employment. Since Caribbean tourism is primarily
associated with beaches and the sea, there have been -- and continue to be -- impacts from
tourism on the coastal environment including coral reefs.

Tourism impacts range from snorkelling, diving and boating, which can cause direct physical
damage to reefs to fishing and collecting, which can contribute to over-exploitation of reef
species and threatening local survival of endangered species. There are also indirect impacts.
These relate to the development, construction and operation of tourism infrastructure as a
whole (resorts, marinas, ports, airports, etc).

The recently published UNEP-WCMC "World Atlas of Coral Reefs" states that more than 60
per cent of the coral reefs in the Caribbean region are under threat. It says that entire reefs
have been decimated by disease and that the region (which hosts a little under 8 per cent of
the world's total reef area) is widely affected by many direct human impacts, including
sedimentation, nutrient pollution and over-fishing.

More specifically, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlas report that the Vera Cruz reefs have
probably suffered the greatest damage from human impacts due to their proximity to the coast
and their location near important ports.

Mexico's tourism has developed enormously since the mid-1970s. According to the UNEP-
WCMC Atlas: "Small reef patches, such as El Garrafon at Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc at
Cancun, have been completely destroyed by tourism and impacts are becoming more evident
elsewhere along the Cancun-Tulum touristic corridor, in places such as Akumal and Puerto
Morelos, as well as the offshore island of Cozumel."

For more information on the tools, please contact: UNEP DTIE Tourism Programme, Paris, tel: +33-1-4437-1450, fax: +33-1-4437-1474, e-mail: uneptie@unep.fr or Robert Bisset, DTIE Press Officer, e-mail: robert.bisset@unep.fr

In Mexico, please contact Rody Oņate, UNEP Regional Information Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, tel: +52-5202-4841 or 6394; fax: +52-5202-0950, e-mail: ronate@rolac.unep.mx

Note to Editors

Five tools from UNEP and ICRI to communicate about coral reef protection
(Available in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German).

1. Targeted at all tourists, a "passport" explains the main biological and ecological features of coral
reefs -- their formation, their main elements, their ecological significance, and the main threats to
them. It explains to visitors why coral reefs should be protected -- in particular, that without reefs, the
tropical paradise they are visiting would not exist. The introduction provides space for the user's
picture and name, and a map on which the user can mark the coral reefs he or she has visited.

2. For kids, a quiz asks 24 questions about coral reef biology and ecology, as well as threats and
recommendations on how to protect reefs.

3. A poster highlights how tourists can contribute to the protection of coral reefs while on holiday. It
is a supporting tool to the passport -- a reminder of 10 simple actions that tourists can take, from
avoiding fish feeding or touching corals, to switching off the lights when leaving their hotel room.

4. Specially targeted to boaters -- motor or sailing -- a double-sided chart highlights five symbols used
on navigation charts to indicate no-anchor areas, mooring buoys, protected areas, used oil containers
and the "divers down" flag. There is specific information on how to manage solid waste, holding
tanks, refuelling and anchoring practices.

5. A calendar provides recommendations on 12 areas of action that are linked to the protection of
coral reefs, including waste water treatment, solid waste management, energy use, shopping for
souvenirs, and tips for snorkelling and scuba diving. Two detachable pages list contacts for
organizations in the Caribbean region that can provide more assistance and information to hotel
managers and tourists alike. (Available in English, Spanish, French.)

Some UNEP activities on coral reefs

The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) "World Atlas of Coral Reefs".
Published by University of California Press in 2001. Information about this, the most detailed
assessment to date of the world's coral reefs is available from UNEP-WCMC, in Cambridge, UK, tel:
+44-1223-277314, fax: +44-1223-277136, e-mail: info@unep-wcmc.org., Internet: http://www.unep-
wcmc.org.

As part of its contribution to the global campaign to conserve corals, UNEP is a partner in ICRAN, the
International Coral Reef Action Network. See http://www.icran.org

UNEP has a Coral Reef Unit (see http://www.unep.ch/coral.html). It is also working actively to
promote responsible tourism in coral areas, and other sensitive environments, via its Tour Operators
Initiative (see http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/) and, along with the World Tourism Organization, is
one of the United Nations coordinators for the 2002 International Year of Ecotourism.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan will launch the 2002 International Year of Ecotourism at a ceremony at
UN Headquarters in New York on Monday, 28 January.

UNEP News Release 2002/01



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