MONDAY, DECEMBER 6: A former advisor to the World Bank has been appointed as the new executive director of a Bermuda-based project to protect the internationally important Sargasso Sea.

David Freestone has been appointed as the executive director of the Sargasso Sea Alliance which is backed by Government and an international consortium of private donors.

In a talk during a recent visit to the Island, Dr Freestone said the Sargasso Sea deserved protection because it is a crucial habitat for endangered species of turtles, acts as a nursery for juvenile fish and is important for the protection of various eel species on the red list of endangered species.

Threats to the Sargasso include garbage and plastics cast overboard from boats, oil discharges, overfishing, the extraction of Sargasso for bio fuels, and climate change, he said.

Director of the Department of Environmental Protection Frederick Ming said Dr Freestone's visit to Bermuda signaled a major development in the progress of the Alliance's agenda.

Dr Ming said: “Dr Freestone’s appointment as the executive director, which became effective December 1, now means that the work will proceed at a much more rapid pace as he brings a great deal of relevant legal and diplomatic experience to the job. The recent trip to Bermuda was important for building relationships with government, scientists and key local, non-governmental organisations.”

Minister for the Environment Walter Roban pledged Government’s support for the Alliance initiative during a recent reception at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI).

At the reception Mr Roban said: “I am happy to announce the Government’s commitment to this most worthy international initiative, and can confirm that we will do our part to ensure Bermuda plays a leading governmental role in this project. My colleagues and I are pleased to see the creation of a protected area achieved.”

Dr Freestone has an LL.B and a LL.D from the University of Hull and a LL.M from the University of London. He joined the Law School of George Washington University in January 2009, after retiring from the World Bank, where he had served as senior adviser and as deputy general counsel, and for eight years was chief counsel and head of the Environment and International Law Group.

He is also senior adviser to the USA Multilateral Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and visiting professor at the UN University Institute of Advanced Studies and on the List of Experts in Environmental Law appointed by the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.