Photo: ROBB LEAHY. Retrieved from Forbes.com
Bonaire’s number one tourist attraction is in trouble.
You can see it as soon as you submerge into the flat-calm, teal ocean and find a graveyard of bleached coral. Years of pollution, climate change and disease have taken their toll on Bonaire’s marine life. The Caribbean island, perhaps one of the greatest scuba diving destinations on earth, is fighting to keep its once-vibrant reefs.
But if you look beyond the dead coral lining the shallow waters near the shore, you’ll see something else: Trees made of PVC pipe, from which new coral is growing. These nurseries are part of Bonaire’s efforts to save the reef — and tourism.
In Bonaire, sustainability is a do-or-die proposition. If this island doesn’t do something soon, its reefs could perish — and the reason so many people come to this tropical island will evaporate. But there are other equally important sustainability efforts underway, including a focus on solar energy and an innovative cooking school that specializes in growing its own food.