Join me this week in sunny Australia where I talk to Dr Andy Lewis, CEO and founder of the Coral Sea Foundation. Andy has a PhD in coral reef ecology from James Cook University and, along with his extensive experience in small ship adventure cruising, he has become one of the most skilled and widely traveled ecotourism professionals in the Indo-Pacific region. He managed the ecotourism activities aboard the luxury vessel True North for over a decade, exploring a wide variety of tropical locations, from the Rowley Shoals to the Kimberley in Australia; Komodo, Raja Ampat, and West Papua in Indonesia; the Bismarck Sea and Louisiade Archipelago in PNG, and the Western Province of Solomon Islands. Andy’s passion for the reefs, islands and people of the South-Pacific is what inspired the birth of the Coral Sea Foundation. The aim of which is to be a platform for delivering a vision for sustainable reef management and the ultimate marine ecotourism experience. As part of this, Andy was able to setup the amazing Sea Women of Melanesia program which empowers indigenous women in the region, through scuba diving and marine science skills, so they can take an active role in creating and monitoring marine protected areas on their own coral reefs and inspire their island communities to protect and sustainably conserve this resource for generations to come. Check out the links below to find out more.
Website: www.coralseafoundation.net
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMjmwu7uoVi70MK32hQuZgQ
Instagram @coralseafoundation and
twitter @coralseafound