Press Release – May 30th 2014 – Oceana Belize –
The morning of Friday, May 30th saw more than forty volunteers gathered in the Crimson Development community area of Placencia Village to participate in a mangrove planting activity organized in memory of environmentalist Adrian Vernon.
Approximately four hundred seedlings were planted by members of the Vernon family, the World Wildlife Fund, the Southern Environmental Association, Oceana, the Placencia Village Council, Placencia Citizens for Sustainable Development, the Placencia Fishermen’s Cooperative, Friends of the Placencia Lagoon and the Coco Plum Resort and Residential Development. The mangroves now line the canal adjacent to the Placencia airstrip and will serve as a buffer for the residential plots of the Crimson Development community area.
Adrian Vernon, a staunch advocate for the protection of the Placencia lagoon as well as national mangrove restoration initiatives, passed away in February 2014. Vernon’s commitment to the environment was recognized in 2012 when the Belize Audubon Society presented him with the prestigious James A. Waight award. During the planting exercise, SEA announced that other initiatives, including a scholarship will be named in honor of Adrian Vernon and a Mangrove Restoration Guide.