THE CORAL REEF ALLIaNCE AND OLACT TEAM UP TO PROTECT THE CORAL REEFS OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
MEXICO CITY, JANUARY 26, 2011 – A cooperation agreement was signed today between the Organization of Latin-American and Caribbean Tourism (OLACT) and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL); both organizations will work together to implement conservation programs for the coral reefs and the marine life in Latin-America and the Caribbean.
Through the members of OLACT, both in the tourism and educational sector, CORAL will be able to share and disseminate the knowledge and tools developed throughout their long experience of working in reef zones in Hawaii, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Fiji, and Indonesia.
Through its educational and financing components, OLACT will promote CORAL’s conservation tools and trainings to the tourism industry and will foster sustainable tourism programs to ensure the protection of the reefs by helping communities develop innovative local initiatives that conserve reefs and return tangible benefits to local communities. Finally the university partners of OLACT will leverage the trainings to help spread the educational messages about coral reef conservation throughout Latin-America and the Caribbean region.
The agreement was signed by the Interim Executive Director of CORAL Mr. Rick MacPherson and by Mr. César Castañeda Vázquez del Mercado, Secretary General of OLACT.
About the OLACT
The OLACT is a not-for-profit organization aiming at fostering cooperation within the Latin-American and Caribbean tourism industry, strengthening measures to protect the environment through the tourism activity and promoting the improvement of quality in the offer, promotion and exchange of tourism services. To achieve its mission, the OLACT offers technical, practical and tangible assistance to its international, national, regional and local public and private members. The OLACT´s headquarters are located in Mexico City and counts with a multinational team of professionals from several countries of Latin-American and the Caribbean.
About The Coral Reef Alliance
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) unites communities to save coral reefs. We provide tools, education, and inspiration to residents of coral reef destinations to support local projects that benefit both reefs and people. Originally founded in 1994 to galvanize the dive community for conservation, CORAL has grown from a small, grassroots alliance into the only international nonprofit organization that works exclusively to protect our planet's coral reefs. Visit www.coral.org or call1-888-CORAL-REEF.
Source: Organization of Latin-American and Caribbean Tourism (OLACT)
Information: Efraín Angulo, Public Relations
E mail: eangulo@olact.org
COMMENTS
http://www.greenantilles.com/2011/01/31/regional-tourism-agency-to-support-and-promote-reef-protection-and-coral-conservation/ « Planet Scuba India
[...] tourism organisation and a conservation organisation are teaming up to improve coral reef protection in the Caribbean: A cooperation agreement was signed [last week] between the Organization of Latin-American and [...]
Sanjeev Sharma
I personally believe that in order to save and conserve the nature, we need to work towards combating Global warming. And for that the key is population control! If there is some way in which we can slow down the growth of human population we would have struck at the root of global warming and then coral reefs and all such natural beauties will be automatically preserved - with or without having to sign treaties.