"Pledge to Live Green Now, Save the Sea Turtles!" - @wwfmy

Do you like nature? I do! My earlier trip to Pulau Kapas, Terengganu was awesome especially when I was able to see healthy corals together with fishes swimming in the sea.
Nemo hiding in the living purple anemones
*Captured using my compact cam with DICAPAC waterproof case* ;p
We went to different snorkeling spots and tried our luck to find at least one turtle! I saw a lot of sea urchins, big clams and fishes, but I wasn't able to spot any sea turtle...


Therefore, together with my friends, we did an extraordinary mission, which is to kayak all the way from the Kapas Turtle Valley Beach Resort (bottom of Pulau Kapas) to the Gemia Island (top part of Pulau Kapas) just to check out their little turtle sanctuary.

Sea turtle at Gemia Island
There's a pond that contain new born and adult sea turtles at the pond in Gemia Island. So far I guess that's the easiest place for you to spot living sea turtles when you travel to Pulau Kapas.

Sea turtles feeding on the fish meat
*remember not to touch them when you see it as you might infect them with disease*


In the seas, marine turtles play a key role in maintaining healthy coral reefs and seagrass beds. Scientists believe that hawksbill turtles may maintain the health of coral reef systems by grazing on sponges, which if left to grow unchecked will outgrow the corals, cover them up and kill the reef. Because of this, researchers believe that the declining number of hawksbills are a factor in the inability of reefs to resist increasing pressures from pollution, algal overgrowth, overfishing and climate change. Green turtles are largely herbivorous, and their constant grazing on sea grasses increase the healthiness and growth rate of sea grass beds. Leatherback turtles, which forage in the open ocean throughout their lives, are the top predators of oceanic jellyfish. This jellyfish, in turn, eat larval fish. As the number of leatherbacks in the ocean decrease, jellyfish numbers may increase locally (which I saw quite a lot when we arrive at Pulau Kapas) and eat more larval fish, leaving fewer fish to grow. A wide variety of marine ecosystems are dependent on these fish, and even commercial fisheries, may end up suffering from this cascading effect.

Besides, irresponsible human who throw rubbish especially plastic bag into the sea may confuse the sea turtles or even kill them. How's that possible? It IS possible!


"You see the difference, a turtle does not"

There has been many cases of sea turtle found dead because being suffocate by these "jelly fish". So guys, remember not to throw anything into the sea. Just keep your rubbish and throw it at the correct place. Best if you can find recycle bins too.



Pledge to "Live Green"

"I hereby pledge to not consume turtle parts or eggs, and support amending Malaysian laws to fully ban the sale and consumption of all turtle eggs"

“By pledging to “Live Green” through not consuming endangered wildlife, you would be helping to conserve healthy marine and forest ecosystems, thus protecting our food, freshwater and other ecological services; and ultimately, our wellbeing. We cannot allow irresponsible consumption to deplete our natural resources. When we lose these endangered species; we will lose their habitats and free environmental services that come with those healthy marine and terrestrial spaces; we will lose our good quality of life,” explained WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.

You can pledge to "Live Green" by clicking the banner above or check out this link www.wwf.org.my/. Healthy ecosystems need wildlife like marine turtles, just as healthy humans depend on healthy ecosystems and the ecological services that they provide. So guys, pledge to "Live Green" now via the online form on WWF-Malaysia’s home page.

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[Attention to bloggers]
Yes bloggers you can contribute too! All bloggers are invited to participate in the contest by driving as many of their readers as possible to pledge to not consume turtle parts or eggs, and support amending Malaysian laws to fully ban the sale and consumption of all turtle eggs.

The two bloggers who refer the most followers to pledge to “Live Green” at wwf.org.my will win a trip for themselves and a friend to the scenic Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu, one of WWF-Malaysia’s marine turtle and wetlands ecosystem conservation project sites, from 13th to 15th July 2012. For more information visit WWF-Malaysia's web page.


Watch this video to understand more about sea turtles during the Turtle Ecotourism

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