Caribbean Conservation FAQs
I am interested in the efforts to conserve the Caribbean. How can I help?
There are several ways in which you can help, among them is to volunteer. Many non-profit organizations have been set up in the Caribbean in order to help spread awareness about endangered animals living in the region as well as to inform people about the negative impact humans have on the ecology. These groups can be found by searching the Internet. Donating is another way in which one can help. Non-profit organizations are always striving to do their best, but with limited funding they sometimes struggle to reach their missions. Ultimately, conservation is a worldwide movement that needs to be implemented everywhere. The Caribbean is a hotspot for conservation given all of the biodiversity in the region, however, conservation efforts need to be applied everywhere and one of the biggest ways to help is by understanding energy consumption and how people can cut down on their individual use of resources. For example, support local businesses, pay attention to electricity use and over-illumination, if you don’t have to drive, walk or ride a bike. Finally, spread the information about how important it is to understand that we are living in a shared global community and because of that we have to be aware that what we do affects everything else directly or indirectly on our planet.
Are the threats imposed on the Caribbean a more pressing issue than the melting of the polar ice caps?
Neither is more or less important. There are valuable resources and an incredible biodiversity within the Caribbean, however, what is happening at the poles has a devastating affect on the fragile ecosystem of the Caribbean. Both are suffering losses at alarming rates and both are a great indication of how human impact has accelerated the natural order of things. Conservation is a worldwide issue that needs to be addressed on a global level. What someone does in the U.S. can affect someone living in Greenland and the melting of the polar ice caps has had huge impacts on the island chains in the Caribbean. The melting of the ice caps causes a rise in the sea level thus causing beach erosion, at the same time causing temperatures to rise, which aggravates and intensifies the effects of storms and hurricanes. The increasing water level has also begun to taint the regions fresh water supply necessary for the island’s sustainability. So it really isn’t a matter of which is worse because the threats inflicted on one are related to what happens in another region.
How has tourism been affected by the environmental changes in the climate?
The overall destruction taking place in the Caribbean over the last hundred years has been devastating to island dwellers and the tourism industry that they depend on. Hurricanes and ocean storms have increased in the last hundred years and with that so has the damage wreaked upon the island's landscape and consequently the incredible cost of maintenance and repair. Every time a storm blows through or a hurricane decimates an island the news coverage engages travelers who are quick to say that these islands have become dangerous and therefore are not places where tourism dollars will be spent; and in turn deter future tourists from visiting those islands. In addition to travelers, sport divers are losing the very thing that draws them to the Caribbean- coral reefs. This loss is doubled when taking into account the disappearing resource and henceforth the recreation that it provides, but also the loss suffered by the tourism industry, which provides a great source of revenue for island dwellers.
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