United we Stand, Divided we Fall

Saturday 28^th March was 2015’s Earth Hour day, a day where people across the planet united in the fight against climate change. Between the hour of 2030 and 2130, people turned off their lights to raise awareness and combat the growing pressure on our climate from energy consumption.

The overall impact of turning the lights off for one hour could be minimal, but if everyone, everywhere did it, it can be huge, which is what Earth Hour is all about. Uniting the nations and people to a common goal. At 2030 on Saturday, we joined the movement and turned off our electricity and wandered down to the beach to sit in semi darkness, talk, tell jokes and riddles and do our part.

Of course, regular followers of Blue Temple will know that Dave suggested we all attempt to make something out of rubbish. The guys from the Ecoteer community project got involved as well and we saw some exciting and creative designs. So a massive well done to everyone involved!

Sereena created a lifelike elephant from an old kettle,
some cans, rope and milk cartons

Stevie, Aleasha and Tiffany created an awesome Turtle mosaic
 from old bottle caps and beer cans

Shauna created a ghostly candle holder from an
old detergent bottle

Rachel made these beautiful flowers and vase from old egg cartons,
old fishing wire and an upcycled plastic bottle

Dave's vertical hanging garden with origami, tin can flowers!

Dave's signpost for local cafe to encourage tourists
to dress respectfully

Along with the mini projects, the guys from Ecoteer Turtle project, Ecoteer Community Project and the Blue Temple team united in a team effort to clean up the Turtle nesting beach at Tiga Ruang on the big island. A hard-working morning saw the teams collect 15 bags of rubbish from along the beach, large portions of which was plastic, the scourge on our environment (more on this to follow later in the week).

The teams united for one cause!

15 bags!

 “Great things are done by a series of small things being brought together.”

Vincent Van Gogh

Coral Nursery

As we await the the decision on the permits for coral nursery development and reef monitoring, we have had to establish our other research targets first. However, thanks to the Dept. of Marine Parks, we were lucky enough to be invited to a local MP training event for the construction and deployment of a 3rd generation coral nursery frame.

Thanks to Albert of the Marine Parks for the demonstration and information!

Two identical layers create the nursery frame and are first laid out on the ground ready

The local Marine Park guys had the first crack at putting together the frame

Then, alongside Ecoteer we had a go. We used PVC glue to hold the frames together

The two frames were aligned and legs established

Then glued together to create a sturdy frame for new coral nubbins

The frames stand 2m x 1m and are made of UPVC plastic pipes and held together with PVC glue. A large and solid structure that houses a coral nubbin every 10cm, meaning one nursery tray can be home to 60 individual colonies. Aiming to 10 trays per site means 600 colonies being restored! Amazing

Zip ties were inserted into pre-drilled holes ready for transplanting coral nubbins easily and quickly

The Marine Park team then deployed the frame into the water at Tuna Bay to add to the growing artificial reef/nursery they have there. With them they took some old toothbrushes to clean some of the older frames.

We will soon visit the site to get an idea of what it looks like underwater. A fantastic morning full of educational information. A massive thank you to the Department of Marine Parks for inviting us along to see how it is done. Fingers crossed the permits get approved and we can get our own nursery up and running!

Litter in our Oceans; Blue Temple Earth Hour initiative

Litter is something so regularly discussed on the internet and by us that is hardly seems useful mentioning again. However, the last few weeks have seen a huge effort from the volunteers and team to get as much litter and trash cleaned up as we can.

Litter comes in many shapes, sizes and forms. Perhaps the most damaging and long-lasting type is plastic. Plastic is a (mostly) synthetic product, often derived from petrochemical processes and materials, resulting in a light, cheap and easy to produce material which has become one of the most commonly used materials for packaging.

An interesting fact often said about plastic is the length of time it takes to break down. Except of potentially organic plastics, any plastic made from synthetic materials will never biodegrade, they simple get weaker and break into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming so small they can appear as grains of sand or float unseen in our waters, filling the bellies of marine and freshwater species, resulting in illness and death.

It is estimated that 8 million tonnes of plastic reach our oceans annually, that is almost 23 tonnes of plastic EVERY DAY entering our planets life source. People could be forgiven in thinking our oceans are a large space ideal for trash disposal due to their size and our relative lack of knowledge of the deep. But no one can begin to argue that 23 tonnes of plastic every day is a long term sustainable scenario.

People state plastic is difficult to recycle due to the huge variety in types of plastic, and they’d be right. The answer isn’t necessarily recycling, it is instead reducing the amount we use. Instead of using plastic bags when you go shopping, take a back-pack or your own ‘bag for life’, they are cheap and long lasting. Thankfully, some states in the USA are taking positive action against the plastic world we are living, New York have bannedpolystyrene containers whilst California are trying to ban plastic bags. These are steps we all need to take if we are to make a difference.

The team after a long clean up at Long Beach - 10 full bin bags collected

For our part, we recently conducted an underwater clean up with Universal Diver, Pulau Perhentian, where, over two dives, we collected up to 500kg of plaster board.

Universal Diver and Blue Temple unite to clean up the ocean

We have also conducted numerous beach and village clean ups, collecting close to 300kg in plastic, fishing and glass trash. We have not even scratched the surface of the litter problem.

Our only answer is to cut it out of our lives, think before we buy and try to buy fresh with paper of tote bags. You can be the difference. Get involved in our Earth Hour initiative and build something cool out of trash you find on the beach, in the woods, in the street. Our team are creating bracelets out of straws, clocks from old bottle caps, musical instruments and flowers. Join in and post your pictures to our Facebook page.

World Wildlife Day; Getting Serious about Wildlife Crime

#seriousaboutwildlifecrime

www.wildlifeday.org

This Tuesday, 03-March-2015, Blue Temple Conservation will be celebrating World Wildlife Day. Introduced by the United Nations General Assembly, World Wildlife Day is held on the day of the adoption of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). As well as providing an opportunity for us to celebrate our privileged interactions with the world’s diverse forms of wild plants and animals, World Wildlife Day also seeks to raise awareness of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and the multitude of economic, environmental and social impacts that stem from crimes against wildlife. In recognition of this, we’ve investigated three contemporary issues that are having a significant impact on the world’s marine environment.

(Photo Source: Ocean.si.edu)

Extraction and Distribution of Shark Fins (Source: WildAid and Shark Savers)

Current estimates suggest that approximately 100 million sharks are killed every year. The removal of these apex predators is having a devastating impact on marine ecosystems the world over, upsetting the delicate balance that exists in these fragile environments. Close to 73 million of these sharks are murdered in support of the destructive and inhumane shark fin industry. As part of this industry, the most valuable piece of the shark, its fins, are removed and the remainder of the catch is often simply thrown overboard (up to 98% of the shark is wasted as part of this process). Shark fins are then distributed to those regions where demand for shark fin soup exists. It is important to note too that there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that the end product provides any medicinal or health benefits for the consumer. If this practice is allowed to continue at current rates, many shark species (including, Hammerhead, Dusky, Bull and Tiger shark species) will be in danger of extinction. You can do your bit by signing WildAid’s shark pledge online and letting the world know that #I’mFINishedwithFINS.

Further information regarding finning can be found at Wild Aid and Shark Savers

(Photo Source: Science Daily)

Aquarium Trade of Tropical Fish (Source: Sea Shepherd)

Most of us are familiar with Finding Nemo and, perhaps more embarrassingly, Deuce Bigalow, and the prominence of tropical fish in each of these fictional movies. However, did you ever stop and think about the impact of the aquarium trade of tropical fish on the world’s marine environment. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society certainly has and their estimates indicate that more than 11 million reef fish and millions of other reef dwellers are removed from our ocean’s each year to support demand created by aquarium hobbyists in the United States, alone. Global demand sees these figures doubled. If this extraction continues unmonitored, the forecast for biodiversity in our ocean’s coral reef ecosystems is bleak with both species extinction and ecosystem collapse very real possibilities. You can make a difference by providing financial support for Sea Shepherd’s, Operation Reef Defense, or investigating the origins of tropical fish in your local pet store.

Further information regarding aquarium trade can be found at National Geographic

(Photo Source: Ensia.com)

Hunting and Poaching of Sea Turtles (Source: WWF)

The illegal trade and direct consumption of the world’s sea turtles coupled with further destructive human activities and the exceptionally high natural mortality of hatchlings and juveniles means that an increasing number of sea turtles are failing to live long enough to reproduce. If hunting and poaching practices are allowed to continue at current rates, the result will be a rather depressing forecast for the future of the world’s seven sea turtle species. As recognised by the World Wildlife Fund, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) now prohibits international trade in all sea turtle species and their parts. However, unfortunately, illegal trafficking persists. By supporting the WWF’s StopWildlife Crime campaign and refusing to buy products made from sea turtle parts, you can help to reduce the impact of hunting and poaching on the world’s sea turtle populations.

Further information regarding hunting and poaching can be found WWF's website