St. George’s, Grenada| April 19th, 2017 – Grenada’s coral reefs were the focus in the Grenville Bay Area (GBA) from March 26th through April 1st, as The Nature Conservancy, Grenada Fund for Conservation, Grenada Red Cross, local communities and the Government of Grenada hosted Reef Week.  As part of the At the Water’s Edge (AWE) project, Reef Week’s educational and entertaining activities built awareness about the importance of Grenada’s natural ecosystems.

The week kicked-off with two beach clean-ups in Telescope and Soubise, and a launch ceremony, featuring remarks from the Environment Division and project partners. On March 28th and 29th, nineteen schools from throughout Grenada visited the project site on Telescope beach to understand the effects of coastal erosion and learn about the important role coral reefs and mangroves play in protecting Grenada’s coasts and enhancing food security. Students gained hands-on experience in conservation practices through planting mangroves, using drones, measuring beach erosion and testing water quality. They also learned about sea turtles from experts at Ocean Spirit.

Over 800 students from the following primary and secondary schools attended the school visits:

• Anglican High School
• St. Michael’s RC School
• Telescope Primary School
• St. Patrick’s Anglican
• Westmorland Primary
• Tivoli RC School
• St. Giles Anglican School
• Paraclete Government School
• Holy Innocents Anglican School
• Alpha Junior School
• St. Andrew’s Methodist
• Holy Cross RC School
• St. George’s SDA Primary
• St. David’s Catholic Secondary School
• Grenada Montessori School
• Belair Government School
• St. Joseph’s Convent Grenville
• SDA Comprehensive
• St. Andrew’s RC School

“The 800+ students who visited are our future environmental stewards. The ripple effect when messages are communicated back to their classmates, families and communities will continue to drive home the message that by conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, we can create a future in which people and nature thrive,” says Nealla Frederick, Conservation Planner with The Nature Conservancy.

Other activities included an outdoor movie night for families featuring Disney’s Moana, about a young girl’s journey to restore biodiversity in the sea.

On Saturday April 1st, Reef Week culminated with an environmental extravaganza held in Grenville, where attendees enjoyed educational games and cultural performances by Tivoli Drummers, Mad Kastle and the Rainbow City Charm Dancers. The extravaganza included informational booths from the Environment Division, the ICCAS Project-GIZ, UNDP, and the Fisheries Division. The winners of the student art contest, Dayaneara George (Grenada SDA Comprehensive School), Shelisha Pascal and Sherisa Williams (Beulieu RC School) and Emma Scott (Chantimelle RC School),were also presented with their awards.

The At the Water’s Edge (AWE) project has been working with communities since 2013 to build resilience against the impacts of climate change, such as coastal erosion and severe flooding, with the use nature-based solutions.  In addition to Reef Week, the project also includes ongoing educational outreach, capacity building, mangrove restoration, and reef re-engineering.  In 2015, pilot hybrid reef structures were installed within Grenville Bay. These structures mimic the functions of naturally occurring reefs, and are currently monitored to inform the design and placement of additional structures. With the full build-out, these structures have the potential to reduce the wave energy which causes significant erosion to Telescope beach, while also providing habitat for fish, coral, and other biodiversity within the Bay.