Today the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association launched its "Visit Turneffe" app, where visitors can turn their trip into a chance to develop TASA's database. The app has multiple features that give users an insight into the importance of preserving the marine reserve. It's also interactive and gives users a chance to win merchandise. The executive director, Valdemar Andrade, told us more.
Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director, TASA
"The idea behind the app is so that you can see more features of the marine reserve itself because many times, as you know, when you guys have visited in the media, you are able to see certain aspects but in this app, it will give you all the features of Turneffe. Turneffe is 365,000 acres of marine space and so it shares with you the dive sites, the species that you can see, the different activities that you can undertake there like going to the terrestrial trail, going to the underwater trail, diving the wit and make sure you understand what all experiences you can have. The idea behind it as well is to be able to have visitors, whether you're a local or foreign visitor, whether you're a tour operator, whether you're a resort engaged with the resort itself. Overtime, you become a part of the Turneffe experience, you become a Turneffe ambassador and so you start tracking your experiences. As a citizen science, you can log what you see. Many times we have guests report to us and say I have seen these huge pods of dolphins, I have seen this turtle, I want to know what kind it is and so the app also has ID's in it so you can identify what kind of species you're seeing, identify what kind of corals you're seeing, identify anything you are experiencing so we can identify where you are seeing this and that adds to our database as well."
"Based on what you report and based on how you engage with the app, you get badges. So you can be level 1, you can go up to different levels, depending on how much reports you make."
"And based on those badges you can get prizes as well, Turneffe merchandise upon your return, or there will be a way that we can get the Turneffe merchandise to you so that now you become a part of the experience. The idea behind this is to be able to build a citizenry that is fully educated on what the marine reserve is there to do, what is the function of the marine reserve in terms of conserving fish, in terms of managing the fishery reserve, ensuring that we have food security, ensuring that you are able to see the beauty of an area, why the marine environment is so important for us in Belize and how that functions in terms of the contribution to the economy."
The app is available on IOS and Android.
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