Category: Wildlife Habitat: Ocean & Sea Conservation

1. Palau - islands making a difference

   Posted on 9:00pm Friday 2nd Nov 2018

   What’s special about Palau? It’s an island situated in the western part of the Pacific ocean and it consists of one large volcanic island and several smaller coral reef associated islands. It’s small.  But it takes action. Palau is imposing a widespread ban on sunscreen in order to protect its coral reefs.  This ban will come into effect in 2020. The sale and use of sunscreen and skincare products which have a list of 10 different chemicals will be restricted.  Researchers believe that these ingredients are highly toxic to marine life.  They can also make coral more susceptible to bleaching.  The ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate are particularly believed to make coral more susceptible.  Scent Free Sun Lotion from Green People    Palau has taken the lead in protecting marine life before. Back in 2015 it designated almost its entire ocean territory as a marine protected zone. It was the second nation to ratify the 2016 Paris climate agreement. Thousands of visitors go to Palau every year – and the islands are determined to protect their coral reefs. As well as sunscreen, reefs are also threatened by sea water warming, over fishing, nutrient enrichment and pollution. These all need to be stopped to halt the continuing degradation of reef ecosystems. But that said, there is always more that can be done, we have to start somewhere, so thank you Palau for leading the way and showing that action can be taken. After all, many visitors to come to see the coral reefs in all their beauty, not bleached coral reefs in a terrible state. There are bans in other places.  Mexico has banned sunscreen in nature reserves.   The Island of Bonaire in the Caribbean and the state of Hawaii have also passed laws.  But Palau is leading the way as it covers 10 chemicals. Needless to say, some of the big corporates who produce sunscreen products are sulking, saying that there isn’t enough evidence of the impact on coral.  But some have come together to form the Safe Sunscreen Council and they’ve welcomed the move.  Come on other nations – if little Palau can do it, why can’t you?  Visit also Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, a nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish for the islands of Maui Nui

2. Great news for the Antarctic

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 11th Jul 2018

   Greenpeace has announced some great news. The majority of the krill fishing industry has agreed to voluntarily stop fishing in sensitive Antarctic waters.  And it’s backing the campaign for ocean sanctuaries in the Antarctic. Penguins, whales and other Antarctic wildlife that feed on krill will be very relieved. And when the Antarctic Ocean Commission meet in October to decide on a massive Sanctuary, the influential krill industry won't be standing in the way. Greenpeace started campaigning on the krill industry back in April.   And the public piles on the pressure – Over 45,000 emails went to Holland & Barrett calling on them to ditch krill oil products fished from areas that need protection. Over 11,000 tweets and Facebook messages went to Boots, calling on them to stop sourcing krill oil products from sensitive Antarctic waters Stickered krill products with the message on Holland and Barrett and Boots shelves nationwide, Visited over 30 Boots shops with 'krill-o-meters' which asked people to choose between an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary and industrial krill fishing. More people contacted stores stocking dodgy krill products.  Superdrug, Morrisons, Nature’s Best and others listened to customer concerns. Greenpeace says, “This is a major step forward on the road to protecting the Antarctic. With many krill fishing companies now joining the 1.7 million people across the globe already calling for an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary, we are looking ahead with hope to the Antarctic Ocean Commission's meeting in October.” The British Retail Consortium is now calling on governments to act and protect the Antarctic this year. Do your bit and add your voice The UK Government is part of an Antarctic Ocean Commission which has pledged to protect the Antarctic, so you can urge it to stand up for ocean protection and support the creation of the world’s largest Antarctic ocean sanctuary.  Play a part and add your voice to get governments to act and protect the Antarctic. Sign the petition Greenpeace has got and add your voice.  Penguins, whales and marine life need you!

    

3. Seahorses get safety from boats

   Posted on 8:00am Saturday 9th Jun 2018

   Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life. There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast.   One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset.   It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there.  In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too. In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Studland Bay.  In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay.  That’s zero. Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses.  And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered.  The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do. Boating enthusiasts protested but the government fortunately over-ruled them.  Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist". "Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.    If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason. It’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.  A good move by the British Government.   Now, more protection for wildlife, please! Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will.    Visit the Seahorse Trust and find out how you can help here

    

   Seahorses get safety from boats

    

   Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.

    

   There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast.   One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset.   It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there.  In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.

    

   In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Sutland Bay. 

    

   In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay.  That’s zero.

    

   Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses.  And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered. 

    

   The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.

    

   Boating enthusiasts protested but the government came to their senses and took no notice of them 

    

   Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".

    

   "Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.   This is yet another example of wildlife suffering from the human race and our activities.  

    

   It isn’t as if leisure boating was an essential activity.  (I should know, because we are boat owners.)  Surviving is.  

    

   If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.

    

   And with so many people just not caring at all about nature (and it’s not just boat owners, of course) or even thinking about what they are doing and the impact they are having, it’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.

    

   A good move by the British Government.   Now, more protection, please!

    

   Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will. 

    

    

    

    

4. Chile creates new law to protect waters along its 4,000 mile coastline

   Posted on 8:00pm Monday 12th Mar 2018

   Now past Chilean President Michele Bachelet has signed a decree creating 9 marine reserves which protects 4,000 miles of coastline. President Bechelet ends her term of office this week.  She believes that Chile needed to establish the basis on which to conserve its marine territory for the future.   The decree will increase the area of sea under the protection of the Chilean government from 4.3% to 42.4%.   It will protect marine life in about 1.4 million square kilometres of sea.   One of the new reserve covers the waters around the Diego Ramirez Islands.  Sea lions, kelp forests and whales make this their home. Let's hope her successor will continue to take similar steps to preserve the country's marine life. Wildlife flourishes on an untouched Chile island

    

5. Seychelles protects an area as large as Britain

   Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 22nd Feb 2018

   There's great news from the Seychelles - they are to protect an area as large as Britain in the Indian Ocean. The island has agreed to protect 81,000 square miles of ocean in exchange for getting some of its national debt paid off.   The swap was agreed with the Nature Conservancy, a US charity, and several investors back in 2016.   Future national debt payments will be directed into the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust, which will offer lower interest rates on debt repayments.  Any savings will go to fund new projects to protect marine life and handle climate change effects. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is just one of the investors which had worked on the deal.   The actor said the effort will serve as a model for future marine conservaiton projects world wide.    An important part of the agreement is that the Seychelles is raising the amount of its protected waters by 2020 to 30% (from 0.04%) so that's a huge increase.  The plan falls into two parts To create new marine parks covering the Aldabra islands - they are home to hundreds of thousand tortoises, nesting bird colonies, and the endangered dugong.   Only research and regulated tourism will be allowed. To limit fishing and tourism activities around the Seychelles main islands.  The hope is to introduce similar actions in the Caribbean and other ocean regions facing threats from climate change.