Green Fins

About the Green Fins project.

Protecting coral reefs through sustainable marine tourism

Scuba diving, snorkeling and other forms of marine tourism are fantastic activities to introduce people to the marine environment and create new ocean advocates. However, unmanaged, these activities can have acute negative impacts for fragile ecosystems like coral reefs.

Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – implemented internationally by The Reef-World Foundation and the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism. It aims to protect coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines promoting sustainable diving and snorkeling. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for marine tourism and its robust assessment system measures compliance.

Green Fins encourages and empowers divers, snorkelers, the diving industry and coastal communities to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering marine tourism companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources.

CORAL REEFS AND TOURISM

The tourism industry plays a vital role in protecting reefs

 

Currently an estimated one million new divers are certified each year with millions more snorkeling worldwide on coral reefs. While the expansion of global coral reef tourism has resulted in growing concern about associated environmental impacts, well-managed tourism can lighten the load reefs have to carry.

Dive and snorkel operators are uniquely positioned to enact positive, lasting changes within their communities and among customers. By educating and empowering them to use alternatives to unsustainable practices, we can develop a sustainable tourism industry and protect local marine habitats. 

That’s why the Green Fins initiative works with the global marine tourism industry and its governing bodies to drive environmentally friendly diving and snorkeling practices.

By supporting the diving and snorkeling industry in its sustainability journey, Reef-World hopes to inspire a shift towards sustainability; making sustainable diving the social norm globally.

News, Blogs & Media

Always stay up to date with everything happening within the Green Fins network and exciting changes that is happening within the world.