When my friend Anna-Lisa told me about her adventurous plans to carry out a fundraising bike ride with her fiance over the bank holiday period I was so impressed by her energy and committment I wanted to share it with you.

Anyone who gives up a potentially lazy long weekend to raise awareness about the devastating effect we’re all having on our marine life has to be given a voice on GGG.

I asked Anna-Lisa, who works for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, to tell us about her trip, the issues that are affecting the British coastline today and what we can all do about it…

1. Hi Anna-Lisa, first of all can you tell us what the Wildlife Trusts’ Operation Seahorse Campaign is?

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust launched the ‘Operation Seahorse’ campaign in conjunction with the Wildlife Trusts national campaign ‘Save our Seas’. Both campaigns aim to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our seas and its diverse marine life. The UK’s seas are extraordinarily rich in wildlife, home to more than 44,000 animal and plant species – around 50% of the UK’s biodiversity.

However our seas are poorly protected compared to terrestrial habitats and are under increasing pressure as offshore activities proliferate and climate change alters marine ecosystems. Every level of marine life is under threat, from the charismatic bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and basking shark, to the critically endangered leatherback turtle. Even cod, our most popular fish, is now commercially extinct in the North Sea.

Through the ‘Operation Seahorse’ and the ‘Save our Seas’ campaigns the Wildlife Trust movement (and other members of Wildlife & Countryside Link) are petitioning and lobbying the UK government to ensure that the Marine Bill delivers robust nature conservation laws including designating sites as Highly Protected Marine Reserves (sanctuaries for marine life from where NO natural resources can be extracted – i.e. gravel) At the moment there is only one UK site – Lundy which has been designated as a Highly Protected Marine Reserve and is fully protected from all fishing, dredging and other damaging use. However at just 3.3km2 this sanctuary only represents less than 0.001% of the UK’s seas.

2. What are the issues around the Marine Bill?

Through previous campaigning conducted by the Wildlife Trusts (and other members of Wildlife & Countryside Link), the UK Government issued a White Paper on the Marine Bill on March 15th 2007. The White Paper revealed for the first time the Government’s detailed plans for reforming the way that our seas are managed. The Wildlife Trust felt that overall, the White Paper was very encouraging as it includes many important measures that they have been pushing for – but there is still a long way to go before we have strong, effective new laws in place.

Although a White Paper was issued, the Marine Bill has suffered severe delays, & Gordon Brown recently (July 07) failed to include it in his list of priority Bills for 2007-8. We need to lobby the government to ensure that the Marine Bill comes to Parliament during the 2007-8 session, if we don’t show the government NOW how important it is to designate sites as Highly Protected Marine Reserves then they will fail to commit or deliver the Marine Act in the time frame that is needed to protect our dying seas.

3. What motivated you to do the bike ride?

As an employee of landlocked Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust I was already fully aware about the Wildlife Trusts ‘Save our Seas’ campaign and had signed the Marine Reserves Petition. However whilst looking on the Wildlife Trusts main website I read about Hampshire and the IOW Wildlife Trusts ‘Operation Seahorse’ campaign and decided to support the cause by purchasing one of their ‘Operation Seahorse T-shirts’.

Whilst communicating with the ‘Operation Seahorse’ Team I discovered that they needed urgent funding in order to undertake underwater biological surveying thus as a keen cyclist and wildlife enthusiast who wanted to visit the Isle of Wight I thought that a sponsored bike ride would be a great way of raising funds and also a great way to promote the campaign.

In order to raise funds I will be undertaking an 80 mile bike ride with my fiancée who lives on the Sussex coast and is also a keen cyclist and wildlife enthusiast. During the three day cycle tour we will be wearing Wildlife Trust ‘Operation Seahorse’ and ‘Save our Seas’ T-Shirts, promoting the campaign and encouraging people to sign the Marine Reserves Petition.

4. What will be your route and when does it begin and end?

The plan is that on the morning of Saturday 23rd August we will cycle from Rustington in West Sussex (where my fiancée lives) to Portsmouth in Hampshire (this journey is approximately 34 miles). At Portsmouth we will catch the Wightlink Ferry to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Saturday evening we will set up camp and then on Sunday we will be doing the Ryde and Bembridge 15 miles coastal circular route on the island. On Monday we will catch the ferry back to Portsmouth and cycle back to Rustington. Phew! It might not sound much to some of the more ‘experienced’ cyclists however it will be rather exhausting for us.

5. How can GGG readers support you on your bike ride?

If after reading this article any GGG readers are enthused to help protect our UK seas then I would be really grateful if they could support my bike ride by sponsoring me for a few pound, my fundraising page is:
http://www.justgiving.com/operation_seahorse

In addition to sponsoring me, I urge GGG readers to take positive action towards protecting the UK’s seas by:

• Signing the Wildlife Trusts Marine Reserves Petition, calling for the Bill to introduce areas that are fully protected from all damaging activities.
• Email friends and family asking them to sign up too, or print out the paper version of the petition to collect further signatures.
• Join the Wildlife Trusts Save our Seas team – a free online campaign group.
• Write to your local MP and explain to them why you’re supporting the campaign and what you want the Marine Bill to achieve for wildlife. Here are some hints and tips on lobbying MPs.

6. What will the sponsorship funds be used for?

All money raised through the sponsored bike ride will provide the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust with essential funds that will help them to be able to undertake urgent survey work. The survey work will provide them with facts about what needs protecting under the sea and where. Unfortunately biological surveying underwater is much more difficult and expensive than surveying on land.

• For £500 they can run a training course for divers to carry out underwater surveys so that they know what needs protecting and where.
• £600 charters a boat for a day.
• With £1,000 they can buy an underwater camera to help them record and identify the marine life around the shores.
• £2,000 would buy an underwater video camera.

If you would also like to undertake some fundraising to help the ‘Operation Seahorse’ campaign or make a donation please visit my Operation Seahorse donate page.

7. What can GGG readers do to find out about protecting the British coastline?

GGG readers can help protect our seas by:

Using environmentally friendly detergents and avoid toxic chemicals in your home and garden, as such chemicals can get into our water system and affect marine wildlife.

Using canvas bags instead of plastic. 150 million plastic bags are discarded each year and a percentage of these end up in our seas, turtles mistake these for jellyfish (their favorite food) and when digested the plastic bags can kill the turtles.

If you do include fish in your diet ensure that you buy seasonal and locally caught fish. For further details about sustainably sourced fish please go to http://www.fishonline.org/

Don’t buy ornaments or jewellery made from marine creatures.

If you do want fish as pets, please make sure that any creatures you buy are bred in captivity as opposed to being taken from the ocean.

GGG readers can get more information about they can protect the British coastline from The Wildlife Trust and the Marine Conservation Society

Thank you – together we can really make a difference.