Following on the heels of the successful 2008 BVI Marine Awareness Guide, the British Virgin Islands' Conservation and Fisheries Department has teamed up with Tortola-based publisher 'A Looking Glass' and local BVI sponsors to produce the 2nd edition of the BVI Marine Awareness Guide. The new guide is now available in the BVI aboard charter boats (and has also been provided to local libraries and schools).
The beautiful glossy publication is full of information about the BVI's marine ecosystems and includes everything from the location of all BVI dive sites, to a list of marine and bird species and tips on environmentally-safe alternatives to help 'green' your yacht.
Several years ago, BVI Conservation and Fisheries Department Marine biologist Shannon Gore became convinced of the importance of creating educational materials about the importance of coral reefs for BVI sailors when she overhead a charter captain explaining the best way to go about anchoring in the Caribbean. Dismayed at hearing the experienced sailor tell his guests to drop their hook into live coral, Shannon decided to write something for the numerous boaters who arrive in the BVI each year who may be proficient at life onboard but may lack knowledge about the marine world under their keels.
Browsing the Guide's 71 full-color pages, filled with spectacular marine images donated by some of the most talented amateur and professional photographers in the territory, it's hard for even those intimately familiar with the local waters to not fall back in love with the marine environment.
Hard-covered copies are available for sale and a full electronic version of the guide can be found online at bvimarineawareness.com
Susan Zaluski lives in Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. She is the director of the Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society, a local nonprofit agency dedicated to the preservation of the history, culture and natural environment of Jost Van Dyke. She can be reached at susan@jvdps.org
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