Miss Earth 2014: Miss Curacao Akisha Albert

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Miss Earth 2014: Miss Curacao Akisha Albert

What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose this?

I chose the underwater world and coral reefs because I feel that it is important to raise awareness about the protection of reefs in Curacao. Overfishing and coastal development (and all its side effects) are foremost responsible for the local degradation of reefs around the island. On the other hand, one can still find reefs that have not changed at all for more than 50 years, or even have higher coral cover. These near-pristine reefs are found in the remote areas of the island such as the area locally known as “Oostpunt” along the eastern side of the island, or along the wave-impacted north side of the island. In short, the reefs of Curacao can be found in a variety of conditions varying from degraded to among those considered among the best in the Caribbean.

Such healthy reefs provide numerous benefits to small islands like Curacao: they support all sorts of activities such as diving, fishing, and swimming, but also protect the shore from storm events, generate the sand required to form natural beaches on the island, and ensure good water quality so all the activities mentioned above can take place in the first place. Economists have calculated that coral reefs provide goods and services worth about $375 billion worldwide each year — a staggering figure for an ecosystem which covers less than one percent of the earth's surface.

What tip can you share to promote this year's theme, Eco Tourism?

In order to change the world, we must first change the way we treat it.

Would you like Miss Curacao Akisha Albert to be Miss Earth 2014? Support her by sharing her profile on Facebook and Twitter. Tag @YahooPH and use the hashtag #MissEarth2014.

Yahoo Philippines is the official online partner of Miss Earth 2014.

(Photo courtesy of Akisha Albert)