The Biological Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF) celebrates its tenth year of ongoing efforts toward conservation research and awareness. This year BICREF will continue with its long-term projects which include the cetacean (dolphin and whale) and turtle field research, coastal marine and terrestrial biodiversity research. Any person is invited to join BICREF and these ongoing projects.
Active BICREF members have left no stone unturned for the safeguard of our natural environment and have never undermined nature conservation for economic favors or any other benefits. BICREF has been at the fore to assist and promote scientific field surveys out at sea and to show the real wonders of and threats to our blue seas. BICREF’s roving photographic exhibition of dolphins in Maltese waters is an example of such achievements allowing locals and visitors to appreciate these splendid and important species making part of our marine biodiversity. Schools have used and still are invited to request this exhibition and other BICREF educational material which include posters and documentaries.
BICREF has also pushed forward important conservation awareness efforts on tuna penning and bluefin tuna conservation in the central Mediterranean region by focusing on the need for sustainable use of marine biodiversity and the safeguard of marine species and habitats through its plea for local conservation management and establishment of effective protected areas. Of course all this would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of BICREF’s founder Adriana Vella, a conservation biologist who took on board the challenge of expanding her academic conservation research efforts to a wider public. This combination empowered both locals and foreigners to give a tangible contribution to local conservation projects.
Especially at a time when we are threatened by ever faster declining species populations, habitat degradation and climate change impacts on our islands and seas, BICREF’s volunteers feel it is a responsibility of our generation to act and conserve for future generations. BICREF has worked in collaborations with local and foreign NGOs to enhance better use of knowledge for improving our development operations and also insisted that when knowledge is missing the precautionary principle needs to take precedence.
Our seas and oceans play a crucial role in preserving the Earth’s climate and ocean biodiversity is susceptible to drastic changes in our climate. World Ocean Day (8 June) is an international effort aiming at endorsing the important role played by our seas in sustaining life on Earth. It also highlights the need to appreciate the limitations and vulnerabilities of our seas inhabited with millions of different species interlinked and specialised after millions of years of evolution. Introduced in 2002 (Ecotourism year) the BICREF SCUBA and snorkel biodiversity project is a lovely way of learning, sharing experiences and assisting in taking records of species around our coasts. However BICREF managed to involve various sea users from fishermen to yachtsmen to contribute their observations to complement local scientific work on marine organisms at central and southern regional level.
Our changing seas and the life forms in them need to be understood so as to allow us to be in a better position to plan and improve our future quality of life. Many of us have noted all to well the increasing number of jellyfish in our seas year after year. But how many of us realize that even jellyfish species are different, with some species that feed on juvenile fish while others on other jellyfish. The former jellyfish type has the disadvantage of impoverishing our seas further, whereas the latter provides the advantage of keeping other jellyfish numbers under control. Research, monitoring and actions are required if we wish to conserve our beautiful seas.
For those wishing to get in contact with BICREF this can be done through email at: bicref@nextweb.net.mt or through the post at: BICREF, PO BOX 30, Hamrun
