SINGAPORE’S FIRST CORAL NURSERY AND OTHER MARINE CONSERVATION PROJECTS TO BE SHOWCASED AT ADEX 2008

Singapore, 11 April 2008 – An initiative to preserve and proliferate natural corals being undertaken by The National Parks Board (NParks) and its partners Keppel Group, National University of Singapore and National Environment Agency, will be one of the many marine conservation initiatives to be showcased at Asia Dive Expo 2008 (ADEX).

Launched last year at an underwater site off Pulau Semakau, Singapore’s first “coral nursery” aims to enhance existing marine habitats by maximizing the survival of naturally occurring corals. The coral nursery is a two-year project that aims to grow as many hard coral fragments as possible.

Suitable candidate species for propagation of coral colonies will be grown to sufficient size and transplanted to coral reefs off the southern coast of Singapore to enhance the ecological health of these coral reef habitats. The suitable candidate species will be collected from existing reefs at Pulau Semakau and other reefs in Singapore.

Sponsors Keppel Group will showcase this initiative at ADEX which runs from 18-20 April 2008 at Halls 602 & 603 of Suntec Singapore. This year, ADEX carries a marine conservation theme as it highlights what can be done by the dive community, and the general public, to help preserve our oceans’ heritage.

Spearheading ADEX's roster of green-themed events and highlights will be ‘The EcoVillage @ ADEX 2008'. A combination of exciting EcoVillage activities such as seminars, film fests, photography competitions, educational tours, ADEX dollar deals and ADEX merchandise will together serve to promote, accent, nurture, attract and finance eco-friendly dive practices across all sectors of the Asian dive industry. All proceeds from ADEX merchandise will be donated to a major marine conservation cause, the International Year of the Reef 2008. The International Year of the Reef 2008 is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability, and to motivate people to take action to protect them.

‘The EcoVillage @ ADEX’ has been created to instil a sense of environmentalism as a way of life amongst both adults and students. More than 3,000 local school students will visit The EcoVillage to learn more about how they can ‘save the sea by being a diver’. These will also include children with special needs, which highlights the fact that all members of our community can be aware and take an interest in conservation issues.

‘Eco-friendly diving’ is a multi-facetted subject covering the preservation of live coral reefs, maintaining sustainable fisheries, protecting endangered species such as sharks and whales, responsible wreck diving and dive-related aspects of eco-tourism too. It cuts across general conservation practices such as keeping beaches clean and refuse free, or industrial conservation practices such as creating more fuel efficient/less pollution-prone motor engines for dive vessels. The scope for concerted action by those with an aware mind and willing heart is vast.

Said Herman Ho, Managing Director of ADEX organiser TMX Show Productions Pte Ltd, "The coral nursery is a very exciting initiative which makes a real difference to marine conservation efforts and we’re proud that main sponsor Keppel Group will highlight the project at ADEX. Visitors can learn about the many other projects and perhaps even become involved, when they visit ADEX 2008 this month”.

For more information on ADEX please visit http://www.asiadiveexpo.com

Contributed by Nora added 2008-04-08