Fri 23 Mar 2007

SBG, Fri 30 Mar 2007: 4pm - "The Diversity and Taxonomy of Firmiana"

Category : talks

Posted at 1:43PM SGT by N. Sivasothi | permalink | email |

Fri 23 Mar 2007

The Green Fins Slogan Contest

Category : marine

13 March 2007 - Pen your thoughts on the preservation and conservation of coral reefs in the Green Fins Slogan Contest!

Contest ends midnight 30 April 2007.

The competition, organized by the East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit ((EAS/RCU), the Secretariat of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) seeks to draw attention of tourists, tour and dive operators and the public to the critical conditions of coral reefs in the region and the need for practices that do not worsen the health of an already threatened resource.

Eligibility - The contest is open to residents of the 10 member countries of COBSEA - Australia, Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. Entries are encouraged from high school and university students, members of the public, media, government, businesses, private organizations and NGOs.

Language - English; Theme - Environmentally-friendly Diving and Snorkeling

Contest Dates - The Regional Green Fins Slogan Contest begins on 13 March 2007. The deadline for entries is midnight 30 April 2007. An award ceremony for winning entries will be held in Phuket, Thailand on 30 May 2007.

Download the entry form here.

Entry Rules and Conditions:

1. No age limit.
2. One slogan per entry. Applicants can send as many entries as they want.
3. No more than 10 words in length.
4. It must be written in clear and concise English with the meaning reflecting the objective of Green Fins and the theme. A short, catchy slogan that encapsulates what the Green Fins programme hopes to achieve – caring and conserving our coral reefs, that is simple, easy to understand and that would appeal to a wide audience.
5. The slogan must be original, has never been used or published, and has never been submitted to any contest or won a prize in any contest before.
6. The winning slogan will be used by Green Fins for public awareness campaign.
7. Copyright of slogans for the contest is to be assigned to contest organizers. Slogan entries will not be returned.

Deadline - Entry forms (click to download) should reach the UNEP EAS/RCU by midnight 30 April 2007. No entries will be accepted after the deadline. Send entries to:

Winners' Selection - Winners will be selected by a Selection Committee comprising representatives from UNEP, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, experts from COBSEA countries, Dive Operators and supporting organizations.

• 1st Prize - US$300 cash prize, a Digital Camera, a return air fare to Phuket, Thailand, 2 nights accommodation in Phuket and a plaque.
• 2nd Prize - US$200 cash prize, a Digital Camera, a return air fare to Phuket, Thailand, 2 nights accommodation in Phuket and a plaque.
• 3nd Prize - US$100 cash prize, a return air airfare to Phuket, Thailand, 2 nights accommodation in Phuket and a plaque.
• Consolation Prizes - Commendation certificates to 20 next best entries.

Background to the contest - More than a third of the world's coral reefs are found in the East Asian Seas that traverses Australia, Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. The region also has the highest coral reef biodiversity in the world. However, pollution, tourist activities, and destructive fishing have taken their toll on the reefs which are now in critical and threatened condition. Around 38% of coral reefs in Southeast Asia and over 14% in Northeast Asia have already been destroyed.

"Along with their aesthetic qualities, these coral reefs constitute an important economic resource for the communities that depend on them for their livelihoods as well as the fishing and tourism industry. Some studies indicate that in the Southeast Asia subregion, coral reefs can contribute almost $2.2 billion to fisheries and US$4.8 million to tourism," said Dr. Srisuda Jayarabhand, Coordinator of the EAS/RCU. "As tourism grows in this region, a trend that we are increasingly seeing, these reefs will come under increasing threats and pressures. This contest we hope will draw attention to the importance of this resource and hopefully generate action in helping us preserve them."

Many of the 1.3 billion people living within a hundred kilometers of coastal areas of the East Asian Seas region are dependent on reefs resources for their day-to-day survival.

The Green Fins programme was initiated by the EAS/RCU in 2004 to encourage dive and resort operators, and inadvertently clients who use their services, to adopt environmentally-friendly practices when diving or snorkeling around coral reefs. The programme began in Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, three of the most popular diving destination countries in the region. Sixty five dive operators and 200 divers are members of this programme in Thailand. Green Fins members in Thailand have also been active in monitoring, cleanup events and awareness activities.

"There are many licensed dive operators in the region. There is potential to reach out to them and expand this programme, which provides an avenue through which divers and dive operators can participate in the conservation, monitoring, and management of coral reefs by adopting environmentally-friendly diving practices, which in turn will help protect these coral reefs,"

- Niphon Phongsuwan, Senior Coral Reef Biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center.

The programme awards certificates to dive operators who carry out their operations using environmentally-friendly guidelines. People who dive are encouraged to use tour operators and resorts displaying the Green Fins logo and certificate. The Green Fins programme also contributes to biophysical and socio-economic monitoring by providing data illustrating coral reef health, level of awareness of divers, and information on dive tour operators in the region.

See the COBSEA webpage: Call for Entries: The Green Fins Slogan Contest.

Posted at 10:46AM SGT by N. Sivasothi | permalink | email |