“Within the corals There is life, marine life,” he said. Diana Cuetoof 14 years.
“If we do not (raise awareness) from now on, in 10 years we will not have the corals, our beaches or the mangroves, which are what help us remain safe in the event of any natural disaster,” he added. Patricia Isabel Diana González13.
Their expressions reflect what was experienced during a recent meeting of girls and adolescents with Carmen Gloria CantorPuerto Rican co-director of Federal Coral Reef Working Groupand Antares Ramos Alvarezexecutive director of Sail for Reefs, to share scientific knowledge and empowering experiences. A picturesque horizon with small sailboats waiting to set sail on the shore of the Carolina resort welcomed the group.
For Cueto, a student at the José Aponte de la Torre School of Sciences, Mathematics, Technology and Languages – or the “School for the Hardcore”, as they call it – “we must raise awareness” about corals. “We can't kill them”he asserted.
Along these lines, González, who studies at the same Carolina campus, highlighted the importance of activities such as meeting with Cantor and Ramos Álvarez to raise awareness about the state of corals in Puerto Rico, their threats and conservation plans. “I like that young people are becoming aware because, 10 years from now, we will be more aware… until we change our perspective as a society, we will not be able to change anything”he warned.
Cantor, also assistant secretary of Insular and International and Ocean Affairs of the United States Department of the Interiorjoined forces with Ramos Álvarez to inspire these young women about the power of women's contribution in the defense of natural resources against the effects of climate change.
“We bring together community entities to discuss the problems that are occurring with the corals. Precisely, we have two meetings a year. That's where we met about six months ago in the Virgin Islands,” Cantor said.
The meeting of girls and adolescents from the “Escuela Pa' los Duros” and the Puerto Rican Girls' School culminated with a navigation workshop, led by the veteran sailer and multiple-time international medalist Enrique “Quique” Figueroa.
“We continue to open doors”
Cantor is a graduate of Mayagüez University Campus of the University of Puerto Rico and she was the United States ambassador to Micronesia, a country made up of more than 600 islands and with a free association agreement with the North American nation. In her career at the federal level, she is one of four Puerto Ricans who have headed US embassies.
“I want girls to know that it doesn't matter where you come from. I studied in public schools and at the University of Puerto Rico. As they say in English, 'the sky is the limit' (The sky is the limit). It is very important that girls and adolescents see examples of things, because I never imagined that I would be appointed by two presidential administrations,” she highlighted.
Ramos Álvarez, for her part, is a geographer and marine ecologist and, as director of Sail for Reefs, focuses on the restoration of the coral reefs of Carolina and San Juan.
“We continue to open doors. Each generation opens up the next. It is finding what we are passionate about. I never thought I would end up where I am. “That passion to give back to the country and take them by the hand is important to us.”he pointed out.
Critical educate about corals
In 2021, the governor Pedro Pierluisi ordered the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources take the necessary measures to address the state of the corals on the island, which declared as an emergency.
“The corals in Puerto Rico are not in their best condition. It doesn't mean that there is no remedy, but we are all very worried.. We have to move quickly as scientists, as a government and as non-profit (organizations) to work together,” Ramos Álvarez emphasized.
The Marine Environment Society warned, in early March, that high sea surface temperatures, as an effect of climate change, have increased the risk of impact on endangered corals and the sustainability of reefs in the Caribbean region.
Among the initiatives of Sail for Reefs, Ramos Álvarez shared that they seek to create a coral nursery on land, but the entity is still waiting for permits from the municipal government of Carolina. “We want it to be an educational opportunity, so that boys and girls can come see a coral without having to go to the water and have that connection with that organism”he expressed.