Moonwrasse

At the time of writing, whilst there are several well established and highly respected diving organisations that oversee the industry in terms of safety and teaching standards, the same cannot be said of the environmental sector. It is true that some of these organisations do have an environmental wing that go someway to cleaning-up behind the industry but there is no comprehensive strategy for sustainable management and minimising impact at its source., , Whilst it is true that diving, if practiced properly, presents little or no threat to its environment, improper practice can lead to severe and irreversible damage being caused. Furthermore, few sports come into such close proximity with such a delicate structure as the coral reef and in other sports damage can usually be limited by mitigation, such as pathways in hill walking or mountain biking for example. Diving is also unique in the fact that it already has a worldwide training programme that allows and promotes its members to dive anywhere where facilities are available. It naturally follows that the industry should honour its role in protecting the environment that directly supports it., , By using the existing diving infrastructure there is an unprecedented opportunity to limit the impact and encourage sustainable practices in parts of the world where tourism is in its earlier stages and state regulations are absent or under funded. It is another characteristic of this industry that it often takes place in less developed parts of the globe where growing tourism is seen as vital to the local economies, yet systems to manage this tourism are often absent. Industry led management bridges this deficit and avoids the problem of management lagging behind actual development., , It is widely recognised that the worlds coral reefs are in a state of serious decline for reasons known and unknown. Each participating dive facility will provide a point of contact and platform from which additional research can be carried out and local initiatives implemented and/or supported., , The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) have independently cited eco-tourism and one of the key growth areas in promoting sustainable development and profit expansion simultaneously. However, there is a danger inherent in this that profit may be used as the driving force behind a shift towards environmental consideration. By setting standards for this shift it will ensure that sustainability is not overlooked in the process whilst revenue is indeed increased. It is the beauty of sustainable management that it benefits all stakeholders including businesses and will continue to benefit them in the future where other profit maximising schemes often deplete resources in the longer term., , With the explosion of tourism in reef areas, the increasing dependence of indigenous populations on that tourism and the rapidity of interest in the capital value of the resource, a structure must be put in place now to prevent the diving industry becoming a seriously destructive force and turn it into a protective one.,