20 Years of Conservation
Added to website: 01 January 2005
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of Coral Cay Conservation, the award-winning premier British coral reef conservation group.
Inspiration for CCC came from marine biologist Peter Raines MBE who, along with fellow dive enthusiasts, was concerned by not only the alarming rate at which coral reefs were vanishing but the lack of scientists available to survey them. Their idea was to design a volunteer-based programme, where paying international volunteers could be trained to conduct baseline survey work. Data could then be used by scientists and governments to establish protection policies for threatened coral reefs. In 1986 this theory was put into practice with CCC’s first expedition to Belize.
Over a period of 12 years CCC, in collaboration with local partners, assessed the impact of tourism and the fishing industry on the ecological balance of the Belize Barrier Reef. CCC was instrumental in the designation of the Belize Barrier Reef as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. In addition, CCC has been invited to establish projects in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. These have led to further successes, including an initiative to nominate the Tobago Cays National Park (St Vincent and the Grenadines) as a World Heritage Site and the creation of the Danjugan Island Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Philippines).
Through education, training and capacity building, CCC has been able to empower local community members to make the best management decisions according to their needs.
To celebrate its achievements and to pay gratitude to the thousands of Volunteers that have contributed to CCC projects over the years, we are pleased to announce a 50% reduction on expedition fees for all returning Volunteers, plus a 30% reduction for new Volunteers wishing to go on expedition between January and May 2005 (excluding expeditions to Fiji).
