In collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries, Disaster Management and Information, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ridge to Reef (R2R) Project has successfully trained its first cohort of PADI Open Water Certified Divers.
During opening remarks at the event, R2R Coordinator Ms. Rudo Udika indicated that with about 70% of our earth being covered in water, learning to SCUBA dive is much more than just a new hobby or rewarding pastime; it’s a chance to explore another dimension of our planet. Ms. Udika further indicated that the R2R SCUBA dive training initiative and internationally recognized certification awarded by PADI could open-up a plethora of opportunities that many of us don’t experience ordinarily.
Giving the feature address at the launch the R2R Initiative, Honourable Alvin Da Breo, Minister with Responsibility for Forestry and Fisheries stated that Grenada is home to many world-renowned dive sites and indicated that “when divers are looking for a truly unique experience in the Caribbean, they head instinctively to Grenada.”
To this end, Minister Da Breo highlighted the great accomplishment for the participants to be trained in SCUBA diving as it gives them the ability to explore the world beneath the sea’s surface.
Minister Da Breo also commended the great strides that the UNDP and the Government of Grenada are making to support the implementation of the Grenada System Plan for Parks and Protected Areas and the Grenada Declaration (COP 8) to effectively conserve at least 25% of its marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2020, through the Ridge to Reef Project.
The recently launched R2R SCUBA initiative is a component of the Ridge to Reef Project which seeks to further support these efforts and to reduce threats to biodiversity by addressing habitat degradation and over-exploitation of biological resources within Protected Areas.
