By DIVE Staff
The Reef-World Foundation has announced that Jordan has become the 15th country to implement the Green Fins programme, after a successful launch in the coastal resort city of Aqaba.
Green Fins will be implemented in Jordan by the Aqaba Special Economy Zone Authority (ASEZA) with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Society for International Cooperation, GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Dominik Lee Zaax Wyszogrodzki, Green Fins Local Team Leader, said: ‘Divers are willing to pay more for services provided by dive centres that follow environmental regulations, and they expect dive centres to be leading the way in protecting the ocean. Implementing Green Fins in Aqaba is going to open us up to new markets and bring us to be one of the top diving destinations in the world.’
Following a week of training by Reef-World Foundation instructors, Jordan’s Green Fins team, led by Ms Thelma Redwan, Product Director at ASEZA, is comprised of five certified Green Fins Assessors and two Green Fins Coordinators from representatives of the Royal Jordanian Navy, Aqaba Marine Reserve and the University of Jordan.
Following standard practice for new Green Fins member states, the newly established team will be responsible for recruiting, training and certifying dive and snorkel operators to become Green Fins Members in-country.
The training includes information about the ecology and threats to coral reefs, advice for adopting practical solutions to those threats and guidance in the Green Fins environmental standards for dive and snorkel operators.
Membership of the programme will assist marine tourism operators identify areas where improvements to best practices and sustainability might be improved, in order to attract eco-minded tourists.
‘I’m thrilled to welcome Jordan to the Green Fins network as the fifteenth country to adopt the initiative to secure the future sustainability of their marine tourism industry,’ said Chloe Harvey, Executive Director of The Reef-World Foundation.
‘Jordan is a unique diving destination and home to a bountiful array of marine life. Our coral reefs are in serious trouble; it’s possible that coral reefs globally could be lost in our lifetime. Reducing local, direct threats to coral reefs, such as those posed by diving and snorkelling activities, will significantly improve their chance of survival.’
Diving and snorkelling-related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, is a significant environmental issue. The Reef-World Foundation hopes to address these issues through Jordan’s Green Fins membership by working with 15 marine tourism operators, training 75 dive guides and raising awareness of environmental best practice among 15,000 tourists in the first year of implementation.
Abdullah, Manager at Red Sea Dive Center, said: ‘I signed up for the Green Fins membership and got the help and support of the Green Fins team. I saw how thorough the process was and all the things they do on the assessment day. Now I’m convinced it’s an amazing programme that could really help the environment and one I’m very proud to be part of.’
To date, four dive operators in Aqaba have joined the global network of 700+ trained and assessed Green Fins Members, including Aqaba Adventure Divers, Arab Divers, Coral Garden Diving Center and Red Sea Dive Center.
For more information, visit www.reef-world.org or www.greenfins.net/countries/jordan.
