#Ecotourism for ocean warriors: 5 places where travelers can help make a difference

It’s no secret that the world’s oceans are struggling. Overfishing, damaging commercial fishing practices, an ever-growing micro-plastic problem and the effects of climate change are taking their toll on seas, oceans and waterways across the world.

In response to the crisis, many initiatives have sprung up to address ocean health, some of these promote ecotourism and welcome anyone who is eager to pitch in and help. Travelers can get involved in diverse programs that directly address the issues faced by our oceans.

In an increasingly globalized world, international travel is now something more people than ever before can enjoy. But flights and the effects of mass tourism carry a carbon and ecological footprint that each destination and traveler need to reckon with. The rise of ecotourism may provide some solutions.

If you’re eager to do your bit on your next holiday, here are five places in Indonesia and beyond where ocean-loving travelers can be part of the change.

Indonesia

Straddling both the Pacific and the Indian oceans and with more than 17,000 islands, it’s little wonder that beach-going travelers and divers flock to Indonesia’s rich waters and island havens. In Indonesia, there are multiple ways to get involved in ocean preservation, including these three organizations.

The Philippines

Another firm favorite with divers and ocean lovers, The Philippines has a climate that draws divers and travelers from all over the world. With around 7,641 islands and miles upon miles of coastline, it’s fair to say that this archipelagic nation has the ocean on its doorstep.

Egypt

Blessed with long stretches of coastline on both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Egypt’s beaches and reefs have been drawing sun-seekers from Europe and beyond for many years. However, it’s no secret that Egypt has a problem with plastic pollution. Travelers can do their bit for the Red Sea on their next beach trip.

Source - TheJakartaPost 

Cloud brightening, 'sun shields' to save Barrier Reef

Australia announced plans Friday to explore concepts such as firing salt into clouds and covering swathes of water with a thin layer of film in a bid to save the embattled Great Barrier Reef.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef, about the size of Japan or Italy, is reeling from two straight years of bleaching as sea temperatures rise because of climate change.

Experts have warned that the 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) long area could have suffered irreparable damage.

While the government has pledged to tackle climate change -- the greatest threat to the world's largest living structure -- there has also been a push to explore shorter-term measures to buy the reef some time.

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 Canberra in January offered Aus$2.0 million (US$1.5 million) to attract innovative ideas to protect the site, which is also under pressure from farming runoff, development and the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish.

Six schemes selected out of a total of 69 submissions will be tested to see if they are feasible.

One selected concept is cloud brightening where salt crystals harvested from seawater are fired into clouds, making them more reflective and therefore deflecting solar rays back into space.

David Mead, a researcher at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said the idea might seem wacky but the proposal has real potential.

"The team have been looking at using a very fine nozzle to pump small droplets of salt water at the rate of several billion per second," he told national broadcaster ABC.

"The water vaporises and you're left with a salt particle which will float around, and if you can introduce those into the system you can increase the amount of sunlight reflected back."

Another idea was a biodegradable "sun shield", where an ultra-thin film containing light-reflecting particles covers some reef waters to protect corals from heat stress.

"The great thing about the film is it is only a molecule thick so you can swim straight through it and it'll just keep self-forming," Andrew Negri from the Australian Institute of Marine Science told the ABC.

Other short-listed projects include mass producing coral larvae with the aid of 3D-printed surfaces to support new growth, and large-scale harvesting and relocation of larvae.

The experimental commissions came as Canberra said Friday it was updating its Aus$2.0 billion "Reef 2050" plan -- first unveiled in 2015 -- to protect the reef, with further measures to improve water quality.

Source - TheNation

#Australia tourism industry under climate change threat

Australia's multi-billion dollar tourism industry is under increasing threat from climate change with some of the nation's top natural wonders in the firing line as temperatures and sea levels rise, a study warned Thursday.

The report by environmental advocacy group the Climate Council said the government needed to do more to reduce carbon emissions harming Australia's beaches, national parks and the Great Barrier Reef.

Tourism is the nation's second-largest export industry, valued at Aus$40 billion (US$31 billion) and employing more than 580,000 people, it said. 

But popular visitor destinations were at risk, with major cities in coastal areas expected to face more frequent flooding in coming years, while Australia's "Red Centre" region could experience more than 100 days annually above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2030, it found.

"Tourists travel across the globe to see Australia's remarkable natural wonders. But these icons are in the climate firing line as extreme weather events worsen and sea levels continue to rise," ecologist and report co-author Lesley Hughes said.

"Some of our country's most popular natural destinations, including our beaches, could become 'no-go zones' during peak holiday periods and seasons, with the potential for extreme temperatures to reach up to 50 degrees in Sydney and Melbourne."

 A separate report last year from Deloitte Access Economics valued the Great Barrier Reef as an asset worth Aus$56 billion, which included its tourism revenues and its indirect value for people who have not yet visited but know it exists.

The World Heritage-listed site, which attracts millions of tourists each year, is reeling from significant bouts of coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures linked to climate change.

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"Without credible climate policy that cuts Australia's rising carbon pollution levels, the impacts of climate change will only intensify and accelerate across the country over the coming decades," Climate Council chief executive Martin Rice said.

Environmental advocates on Thursday urged Canberra to move away from coal-fired power generation.

With its heavy use of coal-fired power and relatively small population, Australia is considered one of the world's worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters.

"The extra heat from global warming will further reduce the tourist season and make some enterprises unviable," said Liz Hanna, from the School of Environment at the Australian National University.

"Protecting the tourism industry protects jobs and protects Australia's economic wellbeing."

Canberra insists it is taking strong action to address the global threat of climate change, having set an ambitious target to reduce emissions to 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Australia sweltered through its third-hottest year on record in 2017, with seven of its 10 warmest years experienced since 2005.

Source - TheJakartaPost