Island based ethical clothing label Rapanui have been in touch details of a very important initiative being promoted by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
As regular readers will know, the lads from Rapanui are passionate about green issues and particularly about keeping the beaches and water around the Island clean.
The MCS has been pushing to include more Marine reserves (very much like land based nature reserves) around the UK in order to protect not only fish on the endangered species list, but also whole ecosystems which sadly at the present are being irreversibly damaged.
This helpful video below has been created to help spread awareness for the campaign.
We’re told that MCS policy is always based on peer reviewed science. Mart Drake-Knight, Renewable Energy Engineer and Rapanui’s Sustainability Director thinks this is key;
“Marine Reserves are essential for Ecosystems, but they’re also essential to ensure the sustainability of the UK fishing industry too. They allow fish their own space to breed and replenish critically low numbers in surrounding waters. That is why the United Nations, over 300 European marine scientists and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have all made repeated calls to establish UK marine reserves. These groups call for 30% of our seas to be in marine reserves. The current figure is 0.005%.
“At Rapanui we have seen how sustainable practice can really change an industry and give economy a boost. Economy really can go hand in hand with environment. We think this applies to Marine Reserves too, and that is why we are proud to be supporting the MCS in their cause.”
Rob Drake-Knight, Rapanui co-founder explains the brothers enthusiasm for the work of the MCS
“We set up Rapanui after being affected by surfing in polluted waters and the MCS seemed like the obvious conservation charity for us to support from day one. To be honest we were quite naive about the state of the marine environment initially, and it wasn’t until we took part in Beachwatch scheme (Rapanui’s April 2008 clean at Grange Chine on the Isle of Wight recovered over 500kgs of beach waste) and became educated – thanks to the MCS – that we realised how little the general public knows about our coast, any organisation which educates, campaigns and supports development of the marine environment deserves our full support.”
Check the Rapanui Website for more details.
