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Spring 2018 VOLUME 19/1 Supporter Newsletter CREATURE FEATURE Green Sea Turtles Page 2 Green Sea Turtles © Troy Mayne Oceanic Imagery Mayne Oceanic Troy © Turtles Sea Green Whaling Marine Win For Back On Sanctuaries Australian The Agenda Under Threat Sea Lions! Page 10 Page 9 Page 13 With Thanks to YOU Hatchling green sea turtle © AMCS sea turtle © green Hatchling AMCS Plastic pollution © Creature Feature The voice for Australia’s ocean wildlife. Plastic Pollution Australians taking action to end plastic pollution thanks to you… Together we can turn the tide on plastic pollution. Green Sea Turtles Plastic Pollution – In Hot Water A Silent Killer Green sea turtles are named not for the Throughout our world’s oceans lurks a silent Phase out Plastic Microbeads colour of their shell, but for the greenish Facts & Figures killer. The killer is plastic and it’s on a beach n Australian businesses are ending the use colour of their flesh. These gentle ocean or floating in an ocean near you. Plastic of microbeads in products via a voluntary COMMON NAME: Green Sea Turtle wanderers can live for 80 years and weigh pollution is flowing into our oceans at an industry phase-out. The Australian SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chelonia mydas up to 318 kilograms, making green turtles alarming rate, entangling and choking our Government must now introduce a legal ban among the largest sea turtles in the world. TYPE: Reptiles marine life. on microbeads. They inhabit tropical and subtropical DIET: Adults are Herbivorous. Juveniles It’s clear that Australians want clean, healthy Reducing single use plastic continues to gain coastal waters across our blue planet and eat jellyfish, crabs and molluscs oceans full of life. Together we can ramp many call our Great Barrier Reef home. worldwide momentum. Here in Australia we’ve GROUP NAME: Bale up our campaign and turn the tide on just had some huge wins, with some big steps plastic pollution. Like other sea turtles, green turtles undertake AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 80+ years lengthy migrations from feeding sites to nesting being taken to reduce our plastic pollution SIZE: Up to 1.5 metres grounds, normally on sandy beaches. Mating footprint: occurs every two to four years, in shallow WEIGHT: Up to 318kgs Single Use Plastic Bags on the way out: Plastic Free July waters close to the shore. Females often return n On 1st July 2018, Queensland and Western Did you know that by 2050 there to the same beach used by their mothers, to lay adulthood, climate change puts sea turtles at Australia commenced their bans on single could be more plastic than fish in our their eggs. severe risk of not being able to reproduce in use plastic bags, joining the majority of oceans? Around 80% of the plastic Climate change is impacting our sea turtles. the future. Australian states with bans already in place. in our seas comes from land-based Raine Island in the Northern Great Barrier Reef Victoria is scheduled to ban plastic bags in sources. That’s why over 6,000 people Green turtles are already listed as a vulnerable is the world’s largest green turtle rookery. Last 2020, leaving New South Wales as the only like you took the Plastic Free July year an alarming study showed that due to to extinction in Australia, and listed as hold out state. challenge. Together we took action increased sand temperatures, 99% of hatchlings ‘Endangered’ internationally on the IUCN Red every day to turn the tide on plastic in the northern green sea turtle population were list. We can’t allow our turtles to become extinct Container Deposit Schemes on the way in: pollution in our oceans. born female. This presents a huge challenge for under our watch. We must act urgently to help n Queensland and Western Australia have the survival of this ancient species. them by combating climate change. committed to introducing container refund Ocean warming, more extreme weather and and deposit schemes within the next six rising sea levels affects turtles’ nesting grounds. In this edition months, joining the Northern Territory, South It’s not too late! On low-lying islands, such as those in our Australia, Australian Capital Territory and precious Coral Sea, nesting beaches could In our latest edition of Turning the Join the movement and pledge to stop New South Wales to drive down plastic plastic pollution today! soon be underwater, affecting the mating and Tide you’ll find ways to take action on pollution and ramp up recycling. Victoria To find out more, visit nesting rituals of our magnificent sea turtles. plastic pollution, marine sanctuaries and climate change to help our and Tasmania remain the only states without www.marineconservation.org.au/ With only 1% of turtle hatchlings surviving until precious green sea turtles. plans for Container Deposit Schemes. plasticfreepledge 2 Turning The Tide With Thanks to YOU 3 Great Barrier Reef © AMCS © Reef Barrier Great AMCS Queensland © Gold Coast AMCS Billboard, Great Barrier Reef Thank you for protecting our Great Barrier Reef. Fight For Our Reef You make this possible. Reef Tourism Operators Make Your Billboard Glenn Takes Action Locally Historic Climate Change Declaration Gets Attention While Thinking Globally For the first time ever, the Great Barrier welcomed the In April, we asked our supporters to fund Over the last year, Glenn Reef tourism industry has united with AMCS tourism industry’s a billboard campaign to expose further Conroy, has joined our in the fight against climate change. strong stance on attempts from mining giant Adani to access Fight for Our Reef team, our taxes to fund their polluting coal project in In May this year, AMCS and the Australian climate change. volunteering at local stalls central Queensland. Marine Parks Tourism Operators (AMPTO) “It’s not too and spreading the word. co-hosted a ground-breaking summit late to save Your powerful billboard was driven around In semi-retirement in Cairns. Together we released a joint the Reef but at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Glenn decided to declaration on climate change, which time is critical. the Gold Coast for five days - grabbing volunteer with AMCS to Glenn Conroy represents the first time this powerful The federal attention wherever it went. The reaction was “take action locally while industry has spoken out about the threat government has overwhelmingly supportive, with people thinking globally”. After of global warming and called for urgent a responsibility David Cazzulino, cheering as we drove by, and other drivers a 40-year career first in public relations; AMCS Campaigner and tough action from the Australian to protect the and Col McKenzie, honking their support! then trained as a lawyer with a focus on CEO of the Government. Reef and the Association of The world is watching. Around 672,000 people environment law; now a postgraduate local jobs that Marine Park in climate change science – Glenn is Col McKenzie, CEO of AMPTO said, “The Tourism Operators visited the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Reef is still a dynamic, vibrant, awesome depend on it. Games and 1.5 billion people watched committed to protecting our environment. place but it is under serious threat from Yet our representatives continue to worldwide. Thanks to your support, we were He said: climate change and we need our leaders support the expansion of the fossil fuel able to shine a spotlight on Adani’s Reef “Nature is everything and I quote Andrew to put in place strong climate and energy industry, such as Adani’s coal mine and wrecking plans on the world stage. Denton; the environment is not the elephant policies to protect its future. still have no national energy policy.” We succeeded in our plan to expose Adani in the room when you discuss humanity’s and get the attention of key decision maker The Reef is our livelihood, it generates This call for action is a game changer, future - the environment is the room.” and local MP, Minister Steven Ciobo. He $6 billion each year and sustains 64,000 driven by AMCS, our Reef Team and you. Glenn can be found most weekends with was left in no doubt; Australians are against jobs. Reef tourism businesses love the Reef Government can no longer hide behind our volunteer teams doing “anything and Adani’s Reef wrecking mine! and we take seriously our responsibility to perceived divisions between tourism and everything - from wearing a turtle costume, look after this incredible place. conservation. Thank you staffing stalls, to door-knocking businesses.” Today we’re calling on all our political leaders to stand up for Far North Thank you for your donations. It’s Volunteer with AMCS Queensland businesses and jobs and Sign up today because of people like you we can demonstrate leadership on climate change continue to defend our iconic reefs, Want to volunteer? Join fellow ocean beautiful oceans and the marine life lovers like Glenn by calling AMCS to protect the future of our Reef.” We love the Great Barrier Reef. If you haven’t already signed up, visit that depend on them. You are an on 07 3846 6777 or emailing David Cazzulino, Great Barrier Reef www.fightforourreef.org.au to read integral part of the AMCS team, and [email protected] to register Community Campaigner for AMCS, the full statement and get involved. we’ll continue to keep you updated your interest to join one of our many every step of the way. volunteer teams. 4 Turning The Tide With Thanks to YOU 5 Scalloped hammerhead sharks © AMCS © hammerhead sharks Scalloped Great Australian Bight, South Australia coast © AMCS © coast Australia South Bight, Australian Great Great Coasts From the Top to the Bight we’re protecting our coasts with your help.