CCMI lecturer on reef health seeks audience feedback
(CNS Local Life): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) will be hosting the next event in the 2019 Reef Lecture series, a discussion on “Important Fish on the Reef: What do you Think?” presented by Dr Claire Dell, on Tuesday, 25 June at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. For the past two years, Dell has been the primary researcher in a Darwin Plus Initiative-funded project looking at the key herbivores on the reef.
Herbivory (feeding on plants) is considered a critical process in maintaining and promoting reef health, explained a CCMI press release. A unique part of this lecture is that Dell is eager to solicit feedback from the attendees, both about their experiences in the past on the reefs and what they think needs to happen to safeguard local reefs in the future.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing about the experiences residents and Caymanians have had on the reef over the past 20 years and also what the community wants to see for the reef over the next 20 years,” said Dell. “My hope is that we can discuss this and together create a plan for rebuilding the reef.”
Dell, who has worked as a research scientist with CCMI in Little Cayman since August 2017, will undertake additional fieldwork for her research whilst in Grand Cayman on this visit. She will be collecting samples, conducting reef surveys and meeting with the Department of Environment, one of the project partners.
Dell’s lecture will begin at 5:45pm, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
The lecture is free, with registration requested through the CCMI website
Category: Environment, Marine Environment
