PADI AWARE

Last updated
PADI AWARE Foundation
Formation1989
Type NGO
Legal statusnot for profit incorporation in Australia, UK and United States
Headquarters
Region served
Global
Chairman
Drew Richardson
Global Director
Danna Moore [1]
Parent organization
 PADI
Budget
$1.4 million
Staff
8 FT Staff
Website http://www.padiaware.org
Formerly called
Project AWARE Foundation

PADI AWARE Foundation is an environmental nonprofit organization with three registered charities in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Their mission is to drive local initiatives contributing to global ocean conservation efforts, through engagement with the international community of professional and recreational scuba divers via the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Contents

Background

In 1989, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) established the Project AWARE Foundation as a commitment to ocean protection. [2] [3] In 1992, Project AWARE Foundation became a registered nonprofit organization with an environmental mission and purpose. In 2021, Project AWARE evolved into PADI AWARE Foundation, formally aligning with PADI on a joint conservation plan to achieve critical ocean conservation goals. [4] [5]

Activities

PADI AWARE Foundation manages four programs through public funding: marine debris, [6] shark protection, [7] community grants [8] and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). [9] These programs provide tools and resources to engage the public and scuba divers in activities such as citizen science, education, advocacy (letter writing campaigns, petitions and photo campaigns) to advance more significant action on the key threats facing the ocean.

In 2011, the organization announced a focus on the removal of marine debris, encouraging volunteer divers from around the world to actively remove trash from the seafloor. This program established the organization's flagship citizen science program, Dive Against Debris, [10] and has created the largest underwater citizen science program and movement on the planet with over 100,000 divers reporting from 117 countries. In 2020, PADI AWARE Foundation published the data analyzing coastal debris across land and seafloor habitat, in collaboration with Ocean Conservancy, in Science Direct. [11]

The protection of sharks and rays, critical species to shark tourism, is a core policy focus of the organization. In 2021, the Foundation rallied divers to advocate for protections for Mako Sharks. Alongside shark partners and allies, the Foundation pressured governments to adopt a ban on the catching of vulnerable species. [12]

In 2021, PADI AWARE Foundation committed to the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action, joining the United Nations’ universal call for a Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically supporting the implementation of SDG14 – Life Below Water. [13] To advance this commitment, the organization launched the PADI AWARE Community Grant Program [14] and the Adopt the Blue program. [15]

PADI AWARE engages with dive leaders and ocean advocates via an online eco-network, an interactive conservation map, conservation dive courses, letter-writing campaigns, and joining environmental NGO networks to give collective support to member organizations' lobbying efforts. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Association of Diving Instructors</span> Recreational diver training and certification agency

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is a recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. PADI courses range from entry level to advanced recreational diver certification. Further, they provide several specialized diving skills courses connected with specific equipment or conditions, some diving related informational courses and a range of recreational diving instructor certifications. They also offer various technical diving courses. As of 2023, PADI is reported to have issued 29 million scuba certifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational diving</span> Diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment

Recreational diving or sport diving is diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment. The term "recreational diving" may also be used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of recreational diving which requires more training and experience to develop the competence to reliably manage more complex equipment in the more hazardous conditions associated with the disciplines. Breath-hold diving for recreation also fits into the broader scope of the term, but this article covers the commonly used meaning of scuba diving for recreational purposes, where the diver is not constrained from making a direct near-vertical ascent to the surface at any point during the dive, and risk is considered low.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey nurse shark conservation</span> Conservation management of grey nurse sharks

One of the first shark species to be protected was the grey nurse shark. The biology, distribution and conservation of this species are dealt with in the following paragraphs with a main focus on Australia as it was here it first became protected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shark tourism</span> Tourism industry based on viewing wild sharks

Shark tourism is a form of eco-tourism that allows people to dive with sharks in their natural environment. This benefits local shark populations by educating tourists and through funds raised by the shark tourism industry. Communities that previously relied on shark finning to make their livelihoods are able to make a larger profit from diving tours while protecting the local environment. People can get close to the sharks by free- or scuba diving or by entering the water in a protective cage for more aggressive species. Many of these dives are done by private companies and are often baited to ensure shark sightings, a practice which is highly controversial and under review in many areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba National Marine Park</span> Marine life protection zone around the island of Saba

The Saba National Marine Park encompasses the waters and sea bed encircling the Caribbean island of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands, from the high water mark to 200 feet (61 m) deep. In total, the marine park covers approximately 5 square miles (13 km2). At the time of its creation in 1987, the government passed the Marine Environment Ordinance to protect the coral reefs and other marine life within the park. The Saba Conservation Foundation manages the Saba National Marine Park, as well as the island's hyperbaric facility, and natural sites on land.

National Coalition for Marine Conservation is now operating as "Wild Oceans." Founded in 1973 by fishermen, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) is the United States's oldest public advocacy group dedicated exclusively to conserving ocean fish and their environment. The NCMC's mission is to build awareness of the threats to USA marine fisheries and convince policy-makers to restore and protect publicly owned fishery resources. Its efforts focus on stopping overfishing, reducing bykill caused by indiscriminate fishing gear, and stemming the loss of critical marine habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine conservation activism</span> Non-governmental efforts to bring about change in marine conservation

Marine conservation activism is the efforts of non-governmental organizations and individuals to bring about social and political change in the area of marine conservation. Marine conservation is properly conceived as a set of management strategies for the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Activists raise public awareness and support for conservation, while pushing governments and corporations to practice sound ocean management, create conservation policy, and enforce existing laws and policy through effective regulation. There are many different kinds of organizations and agencies that work toward these common goals. They all are a part of the growing movement that is ocean conservation. These organizations fight for many causes including stopping pollution, overfishing, whaling and by-catching, and supporting marine protected areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reef Check</span> International NGO for reef conservation

Reef Check is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of two reef ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and Californian rocky reefs. The Foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States, but uses data from volunteer scuba diver teams in over 80 countries, ranging from Australia, Japan, to even Germany. It is the United Nations’ official coral reef monitoring program.

The Shark Alliance was a global not-for-profit coalition founded in 2006 by Pew Charitable Trusts of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving shark conservation policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral reef protection</span> Modifying human activities to reduce impact on coral reefs.

Coral reef protection is the process of modifying human activities to avoid damage to healthy coral reefs and to help damaged reefs recover. The key strategies used in reef protection include defining measurable goals and introducing active management and community involvement to reduce stressors that damage reef health. One management technique is to create Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that directly limit human activities such as fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Fins</span> Organisation in South East Asia for preservation of coral reefs by improving diver behavior

Green Fins is an approach to sustainable marine tourism activities operating in Southeast Asia, Caribbean and the Indian Ocean that works with business operators, communities and governments. It helps to implement environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry through a code of conduct. The overall aim of the initiative is to mitigate damaging impacts to the marine environment from the marine tourism sector and improve sustainability. The code of conduct is a set of 15 points designed to tackle the most common and detrimental effects of scuba diving and snorkelling activities on the habitat in which they operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manta ray night dive</span>

A manta ray night dive is a scuba diving excursion to view manta rays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Marshall</span> American marine biologist

Andrea Marshall is a marine biologist known for wildlife conservation and research on large marine animals like manta rays & whale sharks. Marshall is co-founder and a principal scientist of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, where she leads many of MMF’s projects around the world.

Diamond Reef System, including each individual Hover Station and the new Multi-Portal System, are trademarked, skill evaluation and safety-based diving curriculums that utilize the world's first portable, collapsible underwater obstacle course to simulate fragile reef or dive wreck structure for diver buoyancy skill and underwater photography training. A form of scuba Gymkhana, the program was designed by Pete Wallingford in 1988 to educate scuba instructors and scuba divers on how to safely teach and promote situational awareness, proper body positioning and safe interaction with coral reefs, fragile marine ecosystems and shipwrecks. The program was adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dive store operators and dive resort/charter operators worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of underwater diving</span> Alphabetical listing of underwater diving related topics

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater diving:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impact of recreational diving</span> Effects of scuba diving on the underwater environment

The environmental impact of recreational diving is the effects of recreational scuba diving on the underwater environment, which is largely the effects of diving tourism on the marine environment. It is not uncommon for highly trafficked dive destinations to have more adverse effects with visible signs of diving's negative impacts due in large part to divers who have not been trained to sufficient competence in the skills required for the local environment, an inadequate pre-dive orientation, or lack of a basic understanding of biodiversity and the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems. There may also be indirect positive effects as the environment is recognised by the local communities to be worth more in good condition than degraded by inappropriate use, and conservation efforts get support from dive communities who promote environmental awareness, and teach low impact diving and the importance of respecting marine life. There are also global coral reef monitoring networks in place which include local volunteer divers assisting in the collection of data for scientific monitoring of coral reef systems, which may eventually have a net positive impact on the environment.

Low impact diving is recreational scuba diving that is intended to minimise environmental impact by using techniques and procedures that reduce the adverse effects on the environment to the minimum that is reasonably practicable for the situation. To a large extent this is achieved by avoiding contact with sensitive reef life, but it also applies to diving on historical wrecks and in caves with delicate rock formations. It is in the interests of diving tourism service providers to help protect the condition of the dive sites on which their businesses rely. They can contribute by encouraging and teaching low impact diving and following best-practice procedures for diving in sensitive areas. Low impact diving training has been shown to be effective in reducing diver contact with the bottom, the most common cause of reef damage.

Cristina Zenato is an Italian-born shark diver and conservationist. She is known for her work with Caribbean reef sharks in The Bahamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women Divers Hall of Fame</span> International honor society.

The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is an international honor society. Its purpose is to honor the accomplishments of women divers, and their contributions to various fields of underwater diving. Full membership is restricted to nominees who have been found to meet the WDHOF's criteria, which include being an underwater diver and having contributed to diving in ways recognised as being significant.

The American Littoral Society is an American conservation, research, and education organization focused on the Intertidal zone and coastal habitats. It was founded in 1961 and is headquartered on Sandy Hook in New Jersey in a building that was formerly Army barracks.

References

  1. ↑ "Project AWARE® Announces Danna Moore as New Director of Global Operations". Project AWARE. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Our Story". Project AWARE. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Cater, C; Cater, E (2001). Marine environments In: Weaver, DB. The Encyclopedia of Ecotourism. p. 271. ISBN   0851993680 . Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  4. ↑ padiproseurope (2021-04-21). "PADI and PADI AWARE Foundation Announce Blueprint for Ocean Action". PADI Pros. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  5. ↑ PADI. "PADI Mobilizes Ocean Community with New PADI AWARE Foundation". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  6. ↑ "AWARE: Marine Debris Program". PADI. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  7. ↑ "AWARE: Shark & Ray Program". PADI. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  8. ↑ "Meet Your 2022 AWARE Grantees". PADI. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  9. ↑ "Marine Protected Areas". PADI. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  10. ↑ "Dive Against Debris® Map | PADI AWARE". www.diveagainstdebris.org. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  11. ↑ Roman, Lauren; Hardesty, Britta Denise; Leonard, George H.; Pragnell-Raasch, Hannah; Mallos, Nicholas; Campbell, Ian; Wilcox, Chris (2020-09-01). "A global assessment of the relationship between anthropogenic debris on land and the seafloor". Environmental Pollution. 264: 114663. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114663. ISSN   0269-7491. PMID   32388297. S2CID   218585971.
  12. ↑ "Mako Sharks Win International Protection - DeeperBlue.com". www.deeperblue.com. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  13. ↑ padiproseurope (2021-04-21). "PADI and PADI AWARE Foundation Announce Blueprint for Ocean Action". PADI Pros. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  14. ↑ "Meet Your 2022 AWARE Grantees". PADI. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  15. ↑ Staff, DIVE (2022-06-15). "PADI AWARE launches 'Adopt the Blue' programme". DIVE Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  16. ↑ "A year in review" (PDF). 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
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