Earth Day is a global event celebrated on April 22nd each year. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues and the goal of Earth Day is to promote sustainability and protect the planet.
Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, with Zara Tremlett as General Manager, has a desire to support & interact with community and find ways, however small, to help our Planet.
Zara was lucky enough to find two likeminded and experienced professors to help develop a pilot project for improving the mangrove and water quality at Port Louis Marina, Grenada.
In the last year, Zara has been closely working with Stephen Nimrod, a Grenadian biologist based at the University of Grenada and specialist of coral reefs and mangroves and Camille Parrain, a French Geographer from the University of La Rochelle whose main research is “Seascaping”, linking socio-cultural and environmental elements. The pilot project has also involved local students.
A total number of 5 workshops were completed for local students in 2023 introducing ‘seascaping’ and linking socio-cultural and environmental elements to the marine environmental including;
- Introduction and observation of the bay
- Ocean/marine and coastal ecosystems
- Observation of mangrove
- Pof mangroves at Port Louis Marina
- Presentation and explanation by the local students to discuss the key learnings
Coastal erosion, erosion of biodiversity and decrease of water quality are amongst some challenges facing the coasts. Coastal areas are the most populated areas in the world. As urbanization is increasing, these areas are also under increasing pressure from activities related to tourism, such as marine and industrial activities. The human pressure on the environment also impacts livelihoods due to a decrease of resources, and thus of environmental and life quality.
St George, in Grenada, is a complex bay with different stakeholders and activities that interact. Some issues are noticeable: erosion due to the infrastructure along the shore, pollution due to the infrastructures and waste management. Island territories are also more vulnerable due to limited space and resources.
Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina aim to monitor & improve the environmental quality of the lagoon and show the importance of the ecosystem. The project is interdisciplinary mixing environmental and social components on the coastal area.
The project will also;
- Work with the local community and schools, identifying issues in the bay and create a pilot project to plant mangroves for water quality improvement
- Monitor growth rates of the different mangroves (location and type)
- Integrate local community and schools to work alongside the yachting and maritime industry increasing awareness
If the pilot project proves a success, it could further develop into a socio-environmental programme for Port Louis Marina and Grenada to progress.
To book a berth and visit Port Louis Marina, click here.