Two sea turtles swimming in the ocean
Kindness

WildAid Working to End Sea Turtle Trade in China #WATWB

In Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, we are blessed. Four of the seven sea turtle species in the world live and breed here. The four species that live here are endangered (I wrote about them here) so breeding is critical.

 

Two sea turtles near boat in Ecuador
Two sea turtles near my boat

Machalilla National Park works to increase the sea turtle population through research, education and a sea turtle rehabilitation center. This week, they hosted Meagan Brosnan of WildAid. She praised local efforts to increase sea turtle populations.

While Machalilla National Park is helping sea turtles locally, WildAid is helping those in Asia. Check out their new campaign to end the sea turtle trade in China. Excerpts from the article:

In a new effort to protect increasingly endangered sea turtles, WildAid launched a new campaign to reduce demand for sea turtle products in China.

WildAid released a new series of TV messages and billboards featuring popular actor Liu Ye and his wife Anais Martane to raise awareness about the threats while calling on the public to stop buying sea turtle products.  Speaking at the launch event this week, Liu Ye said “we can all do something really simple to help protect sea turtles, and that is simply not buying sea turtle products. We should all also reduce our use of plastics, and keep plastic waste away from coastlines.”

 

WildAid ambassador Liu Ye releases a rescued sea turtle in the Paracel Islands (Photo Courtesy of WildAid)
WildAid ambassador Liu Ye releases a rescued sea turtle in the Paracel Islands
(Photo Courtesy of WildAid)

A WildAid survey of 1,500 people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beihai, and Sanya found that 17% of respondents have purchased sea turtle products in the past, and 22% expressed interest in purchasing the products in the future.Consumer awareness is necessary, as evidenced by a survey:

 

Nearly half of consumers bought the products as souvenirs, with 69% of purchases taking place at domestic souvenir shops, the majority upon recommendation by their tour group guide. Only 57% of respondents knew that it was illegal to purchase sea turtle products in China.

Thank you to WildAid for helping raise awareness for these beautiful creatures!

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It is the last Friday of the month, when participants in We Are The World Blogfest bring you positive stories from around the world. Thank you to this month’s co-hosts: Peter NenaInderpreet Kaur UppalShilpa GargRoshan RadhakrishnanSylvia McGrath and Belinda Witzenhausen. Please visit their pages for more positive stories.

WATWB
WildAid working to end sea turtle trade in China

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Want to read more positive stories from around the world? Click here to find a list of blogs participating in the We are the World Blogfest or search for #WATWB on social media.

Want to participate? Please sign up for the We are the World Blogfest in the linky list here. Guidelines can be found here. Get to know others who are spreading positive news on the last Friday of each month! 

I am a US Expat in Ecuador. I grew up on a Minnesota farm, worked in IT in California's Silicon Valley, then moved to a coastal Ecuador fishing village. My goal is to share Ecuador with you, one snippet at a time. Topics include attractions, compassion, ecotourism, Ecuador products, everyday Ecuador, and flora and fauna. Please let me know what you would like to read more about!

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