“You are on ‘Turtle Island’ Jody! Tell us about all the wondrous TURTLES!!!” Well, I wish I could. A very sad thing about reality here is, guess what life from is not visible in the waters around ‘Turtle Island?’ Yep, you guessed it: turtles. To get a name like ‘Turtle Island,’ of course at one time there were hundreds of them frolicking around these waters. Well, turtles aren’t to be seen anywhere around the island anymore…not a one.
The influx of tourists over the last 20 years has made life here impossible for them. They’ve either been killed or scared away. Too many boats and all the people moving around in the sea send them away in search of more peaceful surroundings. Furthermore, all the action on the beaches deprives the turtles of the necessary peaceful areas in the sand in which to lay their eggs. And then there are the effects of toxins in the water and the prevalent use of my favorite friend: plastic (not!)…
On a good note, I have been very impressed with how many, ‘What You Can Do to Preserve the Reef,’ posters I have seen around, listing simple ecofriendly tips for travelers, such as: Avoid the use of plastic products and bags (nearly 90% of marine debris is plastic, which does NOT biodegrade; it just breaks apart into tiny pieces which the fish don’t realize is poison as they nibble away on it); Don’t throw your butts on the ground! (the filters in cigarettes are made of plastic and other toxins so when they make their way into the sea, fish and turtles mistake them for food and then unable to digest it, they die; not to mention the other toxins dissipating into the sea poisoning even more marine life); Buy locally made goods to support the livelihood of the locals (ie, avoid shopping at the ever pervasive 7-11’s on every corner…yes, even here in Thailand…I just read there are 3800 here in this little country); Dispose of trash properly (every year 6 million TONS of trash is deposited in our oceans, and 80% originates as litter which ends up there simply from being propelled from land via wind and water runoff; consequently, 100,000 marine animals such as dolphins, whales, seals, and turtles choke or become entangled every year)… This is Bad News people!!! PLEASE do your part to prevent this, even from where you live, today.
There is a wonderful collaboration amongst the many dive shops on the island to spread environmental awareness to all of their customers. Donation boxes abound for tourists to give towards the local’s efforts to preserve the reef. They are raising money to build a BioRock, an electronic reef structure that uses low voltage current to cause minerals to dissolve out of seawater. (Optimal conditions are thrown out of balance by the pollution and sewage that is dumped into the sea from all over the world.) This creates more optimal growth conditions; coral, sponges, and clams have been shown to grow 3-5 times faster when in close proximity to the BioRock structure. Growth has also been shown to be enhanced in areas with decreased water quality. For more info on this fabulous project, go to: www.MarineConservationKohTao.com
I’d like to take this moment to say YOORAH!! for the many worldwide efforts to preserve this wondrous, breath-taking beautiful planet that serves as home to ALL of us. What small positive difference can you make today?…Thank you!!!
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