DOING THE LAMBETH WALK FOR CORAL REEFS
Added to website: 18 December 2007
2008 is the ‘International Year of the Reef’ and schools from the London Borough of Lambeth will be strolling hand-in-hand with Lambeth-based Coral Cay Conservation to highlight the global importance of coral reefs.
Lambeth was immortalised by the song ‘Doing the Lambeth Walk’ in the 1937 musical ‘Me and My Girl’. Today, Lambeth is one of the most cosmopolitan, vibrant and diverse boroughs in London with over a third of its population from ethnic minorities, speaking some 150 different languages. Throughout 2008, Coral Cay Conservation will be providing work placements for 16 pupils from 10 Lambeth schools to participate in effective coral reef conservation, gain valuable life-skills and broaden their horizons and opportunities for higher educational and careers in conservation.
Coral reefs have been called the “rainforests of the sea” because of the vast diversity of life they support. Reefs cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surface, yet they are home to some 25 percent of all marine fish species. But more than half of the world’s coral reefs are at risk from human activities. At the present rate of destruction, 80 per percent of the world’s reefs could be destroyed by the year 2050!
Peter Raines MBE, Founder of Coral Cay Conservation, said: “I wonder how many people realise that Britain is a coral reef nation. The UK owns some half a million square kilometres of sea in the Indian ocean within which nestles the Chagos Archipelago, home to vast areas of some of the world’s last remaining near-pristine coral reefs.” Visit the Chagos Conservation Trust website here.
As a Londoner and proud father of twins born and raised in Lambeth, Raines continued: “I can’t think of a more exciting and effective way to highlight the importance of coral reefs globally than by engaging and empowering through knowledge today, the decision makers of tomorrow. Many of the Lambeth pupils joining us come from under-privileged backgrounds and special needs schools - our doors remain permanently open to all.” Taking the view that the glass is always half-full, Raines added: “Coral reefs are a vital life-support system for hundreds of millions of people. If they vanish at the rates predicted, the economic and social consequences will be catastrophic.
But there is very good news out there, with coastal communities working in effective partnerships with UK volunteer organisations like ours to protect, rehabilitate and sustainably use coral reef resources.”
International Year of the Reef (IYOR) is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of coral reefs and the threats they face. In the UK, Coral Cay Conservation has joined forces with London-based Blue Ventures and Project AWARE Foundation - collectively three of the UK’s most pro-active and respected marine conservation groups - to promote coral reef conservation during the International Year of the Reef.
Have a look at our latest press release here.
Throughout 2008, Coral Cay Conservation will be announcing a series of novel and pioneering collaborative programmes in support of the International Year of the Reef, including the launch in January of a major new London-wide schools initiative in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation.
Check the news pages regularly for more updates!
