Remy Chevalier, good friend of GGG, has recently launched a new blog called ‘Winafish‘. I’ve been reading this blog with fascination & its definitely worth knowing about.

On Winafish Remy highlights the inevitability of rising waters and sinking coastlines. Everyone has been talking about making changes to slow down climate change and reduce the effects of global warming. Here Remy points out that we’re well on our way to having major cities and massively populated areas go underwater and no one is prepared.

When Florida is flooded where will everyone go?

Of course Florida (and indeed other parts of the USA) are not the only vulnerable places. People all over the world will be displaced and how will we cope?

Environmental refugees are one topic to consider in this wide ranging subject – what about more pollution, health risks, further natural disasters and what will happen to the nuclear power stations on the (UK) coastlines?

Some of the statistics and quotes from experts make for the type of reading that sends chills down your spine but it is absolutely necessary to be realistic. It’s not a case of ‘if‘ it will happen but ‘when‘.

Visit http://winafish.blogspot.com

Thank you to all the GGG readers who signed the Wildlife Trusts ‘petition fish’ which I reported about in the ‘Cycling to save our seas’ post.

On Wednesday 10th October I joined my colleagues from the other 47 Wildlife Trusts in the UK to attend an event at the House of Commons, where we took with us a shoal of over 200 petition fish containing over 150,000 signatures showing support for the implementation of a Marine Bill.

At the event we met with MP’s to gain their support for the Marine Bill and also to launch the Wildlife Trusts new report ‘Marine Reserves – TLC for our seas and sea life’, which explains the urgent action needed to allow UK seas to recover from centuries of over-intensive exploitation, for everything from food to building materials and oil.

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 shockingly less than 0.001% of our seas are protected. The Wildlife Trust and other members of the Wildlife & Countryside Link are calling for the Marine Bill to be mentioned in the Queen’s Speech next month. It is extremely important that we lobby the government to ensure that the Marine Bill comes to Parliament during the 2007-8 session. As mentioned in a previous post if the government do not deliver the Marine Act in the time frame needed – then we could lose a variety of marine species and our seas will begin to die. We really do need to provide TLC for our seas and marine life now!

On Wednesday 17th October, the Wildlife Trust and other members of the Wildlife & Countryside Link including the Marine Conservation Society will be taking their collected signatures to 10 Downing Street to demonstrate the level of public support for the Marine Bill. To show your support and demand the Bill then write to your MP and  email Gordon Brown. Also if you are a scuba diver then why not join the Marine Conservation Society on their Divers March at Westminster on Wednesday 7th November – for further details contact them.

I will keep you updated about the Marine Bill campaign.

What name would you give to a whale? Well Greenpeace want to know.

The environmental charity are working with scientists to track humpback whales via satellite as they migrate from breeding and calving areas in the tropical South Pacific to the feeding grounds of the Southern Ocean.

This ‘Great Whale Trail’ project will produce important information on the movements and migratory destinations of humpback whales from small, unrecovered populations off Rarotonga (Cook Islands) and New Caledonia.

This non-lethal scientific research will produce vital information which will help Greenpeace with their campaign against Japan’s unnecessary lethal “research” in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This so called sanctuary was meant to be a safe haven, however every year the Fisheries Agency of Japan send a fleet of whaling ships to kill in the name of science.

For the third year running the Fisheries Agency of Japan will aim to hunt down almost 1,000 minke whales. This year, they also plan to kill 50 threatened humpback whales and 50 endangered fin whales.

These amazing mammals will die for so-called ‘scientific research ‘which is actually just commercial whaling in disguise. In contrast, Greenpeaces ‘the Great Whale Trail project is contributing to real scientific efforts without killing whales.In order to create awareness about the Great Whale Trail project, Greenpeace will be launching a competition to name the whales, as although they haven’t yet cracked the code of whale language yet – they are pretty confident that the Whales don’t call themselves, ’33001, or 37232′, which are some of the names they have now. If you want to be part of the naming competition and get regular email updates on the whale’s progress down to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, sign up for their free ‘Whale Mail’ newsletter. I have signed up and will be entering the competition – though I bet a lot of people will be suggesting ‘Moby Dick’ so I better get my creative thinking cap on. Once they have decided the winning names I will let you know. In the mean time why not watch some ‘Whale TV’.

The 2007 ‘Clean up the World Weekend’ will be taking place this weekend (14-16 September). The initiative which is being held for the 15^th year in a row aims to inspire communities across the world to “clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment“. Activities such as litter picking are extremely important in creating an healthy environment for people and wildlife – becuase not only does litter look ugly to us – it also affects wildlife, for example:

Small  mammals such as hedgehogs can be attracted to left over food in plastic containers and cans, however they can get their head stuck and are unable to reverse due to their prickles – thus if left with no help they can die of starvation.

Animals such as foxes and gulls that scavenge for food amongst our rubbish can eat leftover food which is potentially harmful for their digestive system. By allowing them access to this waste, they are not learning how to naturally hunt for their own more nutritional food.

Floating plastic bags look like jelly fish to some marine life and if swallowed they can die.

Broken glass can cut the feet of mammals such foxes and badgers.

Discarded fishing lines can kill wetland and sea birds.

What you can do:

Reduce your waste. Consider the amount of packaging on the items that you purchase. Use your purchase power and don’t buy over packaged items.

Reuse your waste.  Be creative and think about what else you could use that item for, for example many containers can be reused as storage. Other items which you think may be rubbish could be another person treasure –even glass jars which are useful if you make your own jams or chutneys (or give them to someone who does)

Recycle. If you can’t reuse the item then consider if you can recycle it, make sure that items such as cans are crushed before you put them in recycling bins.

Cut it up. When you have finished with your 6 pack of beer or fizzy drinks, cut up the holders so that animals can not get caught in them.

Take it home. If you are out in public and have consumed food products either put the rubbish in a provided bin or take it home with you instead.

Put a lid on it. Make sure that you properly close the lid on outdoor bins and even put them in a place where scavenging animals can not knock them over.

Clean it up. If you do visit a nature reserve or green space and see rubbish then why not help out and put it in a provided bin or suitable refuse bag. Please always use gloves or other suitable hand protection and if you suspect the rubbish is dangerous (broken glass, syringes, chemicals) do not touch it but report it immediatly to the correct authorities.

Community clean up. Get involved with a clean up the world day event. For GGG readers who live in Nottingham why don’t you help to clean up Attenborough Nature Reserve Saturday 15^th September for more information please click here.

If you know about any Clean up the World events in your area then why not leave a comment on the blog.

Thanks

Anna-Lisa

THE LEATHERBACK TURTLE —
THE LAST REMAINING DINOSAUR

Have you ever been in the presence of something so ancient that when you look at it you know that it has seen it all?

That was my first impression when I came face to face with one of the most primitive and most critically endangered animals left on earth: the leatherback turtle. A few years back my husband and I visited the Las Baulas (the leatherback) National Marine Park in Costa Rica. The entrance fee was steep but since you only see such wonders on the Discovery Channel or in a National Geographic magazine we decided to go for it. The tour picked us up at nine at night at our hotel in Tamarindo Beach and drove over to Playa Grande (10 minutes away). There we were greeted by a tour guide. He told us that about ten years ago he made his living by poaching the leatherback’s eggs. The leatherbacks’ eggs are said to have an aphrodisiac effect on men. Many Latinos believe they will be better lovers if they eat them. This is obviously a hoax, but old traditions are difficult to dispute when your fathers and grandfathers have instilled this into your belief system.

Today very few poachers exist due to heavy fines and imprisonment. However, today the turtles’ problems are much more pressing than a man with a low libido. Greed and money have come in direct conflict with this creatures’ survival. Waiting around for hours on Playa Grande, we were told that the turtle makes her way out of the ocean when the tide is high to help push her out of the surf and onto the beach. Finally, at around 2 am our guide told us that a turtle has surfaced. He told us to walk in a single line and follow him. We must have walked for over 30 minutes, until we spotted her. She was immense, close to the size of a small car with legs the size of skateboards. Laboriously, she worked hard at making a nest and once the laying process began we were allowed to surround her. I was so moved by this experience that I could think of nothing else.

The following day we went back to the park to see the museum during the day and discovered the harsh facts. In 1990 over 1100 turtles came to nest on Playa Grande, which is considered one of the five most important nesting sites in the world. Today, no more than 50 remain.

If the world doesn’t take serious notice of this the creature that has been around for over 65 million years will be placed on the same shelf as the dinosaur in the extinct category. There is no escaping the problems that surround this animal: Over-development of beach front properties with the use of lights, and pets scare the turtles away and they never return. The leatherback’s main food source is jelly fish, with all the garbage thrown into the waters they are constantly dying from trying to eat plastic. And what little turtles remain, they too are killed by getting trapped in fishing nets of huge industrial fishing boats. Now matter which direction one looks the human affect on this animal is bringing it to its doom.

When I learned all this, I was moved to take action. We donated money to the park; however, I wanted to do more. I have a son who is three years old, and I want him to grow up and see this turtle in its natural habitat. That’s when I became inspired to write my young adult book ‘Turtle Feet, Surfer’s Beat’. The kids and teens of today are our future. They are the ones we need to focus on, to educate. My book is a fun adventure through Costa Rica’s most famous surf town, with beach parties, teen romances and marine preservation.

I also believe to act is much more than just reading a book, it’s about hands-on. With that, I founded www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com a community for kids, teens and parents to join forces with surfers, musicians, artists, specialists and everyone else who is devoted to helping marine preservation.

So join us today and have fun!!!

Marina Kuperman TURTLE FEET, SURFER´S BEAT Take the ultimate ride!!! www.Turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com