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twitterDATE: Friday, 7th June 2024
TIME: 10:00 am – 10:40 am Cayman time (UTC -5h)
LOCATION: Camana Bay Cinema
NEWS & EVENTS
WORLD OCEAN DAY 24
2024 – CORALS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
- introduction
- AT THe cinema
- healthy reefs
- reef lecture
introduction
It’s no secret that coral reefs and other ocean habitats are having a hard time as our planet faces unprecedented challenges and rapidly changing conditions.
The heating and disease events of last summer suggest that the impacts of climate change on coral reefs are intensifying. We still have hope for a future for coral reefs. In fact, CCMI’s 25 years of monitoring the reefs in Little Cayman show that they remain a beacon of hope for the future of coral reefs.
But there is a growing sense of urgency and immediate action required if we are to make the necessary impact. CCMI’s work has never been more important, and your support to protect coral reefs is needed now more than ever.
Coral reefs are not only vital ecosystems; they also serve as a barometer of the health of our oceans. Here in the Cayman Islands, we rely on coral reefs for so many things: tourism, beauty, food, storm protection, inspiration, and more.
Join the CCMI team this World Ocean Day to understand more about coral reefs in a changing climate through our free community outreach of Reefs Go Live and the Reef Lecture in Grand Cayman. Help us to share the important messages about threats coral reefs face and how every person can do their part at this pivotal moment for our ocean.
2024 sponsors
WORLD OCEAN DAY AT THE CINEMA
CCMI celebrates World Ocean Day every year as part of our Healthy Reefs outreach efforts, and in 2024, we will return to the Camana Bay Cinema for this FREE World Ocean Day Reefs Go Live event! (Virtual registrations also available.)
As we look around us, the impacts of climate change are ever-present and increasing in severity, with 2023 being the hottest year on record. This broadcast takes a deep dive with CCMI’s researchers into how climate change affects our oceans and coral reefs, the impacts of last year’s increased water temperatures on Little Cayman’s reefs, how CCMI is working towards helping corals to survive these pressures, and how you can help too.
CCMI is pleased to offer this opportunity to take a virtual dive with our team of scientists and educators as we explore Little Cayman’s coral reefs on World Ocean Day. The event is open to everyone; school groups/classes are encouraged to register for this event.
This virtual underwater experience also allows the audience the opportunity to send questions to our Little Cayman dive team, with selected questions being answered live during the broadcast! Come prepared to ask your coral reef questions.
This event is FREE and open to local schools, tourists, and members of the public. Classes, especially years 4 and 5, are encouraged to participate. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. Donations are appreciated and support the conservation, education, outreach and restoration projects of CCMI.
This broadcast is made possible by the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation.
HEALTHY REEFS ART GALLERY
As part of a special collaborative effort, students in Ms. McDougall’s BTEC art class at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) were tasked with designing a poster in support of CCMI’s Healthy Reefs awareness campaign. This project was an assignment to students as a way to develop artistic techniques while also working with a client, allowing students to develop transferrable life skills in support of their career path in art.
During the first term of the 2023-24 school year, students practiced their techniques, spoke with CCMI staff, researched coral reefs, incorporated feedback from the client, and worked toward a final Healthy Reefs poster that was submitted as part of their portfolio for the course.
Visit this virtual art gallery of the posters designed by these talented students of Ms. McDougall’s class. We hope you enjoy seeing their creativity and skills at work in support of healthy coral reefs!
reports
2023 Little Cayman Healthy Reef Report Card & Bleaching Report Card
Since 1999, CCMI has conducted annual monitoring of coral reefs in Little Cayman to build a database of information about the state of coral reefs and the changes seen over time. Results from the 2023 AGRRA surveys were released in the 2023 Reef Report Card.
Shortly after CCMI’s 2023 surveys, the world’s reefs experienced the fourth global coral bleaching event. These data and associated report card doesn’t reflect the impact of this bleaching event on Little Cayman’s reefs, but CCMI has monitored the event closely. The results of which can be found in the 2023/24 coral bleaching report card.
Reef lecture
with Dr. Jack Johnson, CCMI
2023 marked a year of climate extremes. Planet Earth shattered her global temperature record, reaching an average of 1.45°C warmer than the pre-industrial era. During this record-breaking year, Little Cayman experienced an unprecedented marine heatwave causing coral bleaching to 90% of corals. With 2024 set to be as hot as 2023, how can we safeguard Little Cayman’s coral reefs under climate change?
