Living in a hut on a tropical island while coming up with a plan to save coral reefs from being ripped apart by "dynamite fishing" - will be part of the trip of a lifetime for James Fowler.

James, 17, of Firstore Drive, Lexden, has just been selected for a Frontier Conservation Expedition to Pemba, a small island off the coast of Tanzania, in Africa.

Between October and December, James will be diving and snorkelling off the island, mapping out the area.

And there is a vitally important point to the whole expedition that will hopefully stave off an ever present environmental disaster.

"The islanders use dynamite fishing, which is an unsustainable technique, and is destroying the coral of the reefs," said James.

"We will be helping the locals to come up with a plan which involves other methods of fishing and saves the reefs."

James, who studied at Colchester Sixth Form, needs to raise £3,000 to make his dream trip become reality.

James, who is currently studying for his A-Levels at the Colchester Sixth Form College, works at Swallow Aquatics at the weekends and thinks his knowledge of fish may have helped to clinch a place on the expedition.

"I was absolutely chuffed," he said. "I love scuba diving and have always wanted to do something like this."

Anyone able to sponsor James, or you have any scuba diving equipment he could use for the expedition, please contact him on 01206 572898.

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