NEWS

CCMI Restoration project goes from strength to strength with support from the AALL Foundation – but there isn’t time to relax

CCMI has recently been the recipient of a donation to its Coral Restoration Programme, by the AALL foundation, as the environment remains an area of focus, according to Sophia Harris, Managing Partner of Bedell Cristin Cayman Partnership (formerly Solomon Harris), an AALL Foundation trustee, who has overseen the donation:

‘The AALL Foundation has over the past 30 years strived to have a positive impact globally by contributing to other charities to improve lives and our environment as effectively and as efficiently as possible. This year the AALL Foundation, in addition to contributing to several charities both locally and globally, has made a contribution to the Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s Reef Restoration Programme in Little Cayman. It’s is hoped that with the increased awareness of the endangerment of our reefs and our very ecosystems, in general, CCMI and indeed any initiatives to improve these conditions, will gain more support. It is hoped that the work they do will not only positively impact Cayman but will ultimately provide useful data and research, globally. We are confident that our funding this year to CCMI is an excellent charitable contribution and investment in improving our ecosystem and therefore our own future.‘

CCMI’s restoration project was launched in partnership with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment in 2012. CCMI now has three nurseries and has scaled up their focus on finding solutions to improving the coral restoration process, underpinned with scientific methodology, so it can be utilised as an intervention strategy in Cayman and throughout the Caribbean. Support from local organisations such as the AALL foundation makes a significant difference to projects at CCMI:

‘The AALL Foundation funding comes at a critical time for CCMI, as our research programme is working hard to unlock the secrets of coral resiliency, embarking on a deliberate 5-year research agenda to grow a more resilient and robust community of corals. CCMI and our marine field station in Little Cayman affords modern laboratory facilities, an unspoiled coral reef ecosystem, and significant scientific affiliations – which are key to building CCMI’s capacity to advance the frontiers of knowledge about coral regeneration. We are deeply thankful to the AALL Foundation for this support’   said CCMI President, Dr. Carrie Manfrino.

The CCMI team launched a renewed focus on the restoration projects in December 2018, at the private dinner hosted by CCMI’s Patron, His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex at St James’s Palace in London. With increasing water temperatures threatening coral reef health, the team know they must progress their restoration efforts at pace, to be able to contribute to protecting coral reefs in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean region.