Remember how all of Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs were born female? Global warming may soon render the same fate for the world’s sea turtles – unless we act now.
Sea turtles have been around for some 200 million years, when dinosaurs and pterosaurs still ruled the Earth. Seven species survive today, five of which can be found in the Philippines. The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) are considered critically-endangered – a conservation status next only to extinct.
Female turtles swim ashore, dig shallow sand nests, lay their eggs and drag themselves back to sea, all before the beach heats up. However, climate change may soon cause incubation temperatures to breach 32 degrees Celsius. When this happens, nests can only ever produce females. Further raising the temperature a paltry one degree kills the entire nest – meaning there will be less and less sea turtles to replenish wild populations.
A third of all species at risk
“Rising sea levels brought about by climate change also threaten to swallow up turtle rookeries or nesting beaches,” explains WWF Conservation Programmes Head and turtle specialist Joel Palma. “Palawan’s Tubbataha North Islet, a rookery for both seabirds and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), has a maximum height of only about two meters. Since 1911, it has already shrunk from 60,000 square meters to less than 17,000. It’s easy to see how rising waters can obliterate many low-lying biodiversity oases.”
Sea turtles are just a few of many animals threatened by climate change. In 2007, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that if global temperatures rise over two or three degrees above current levels – up to a third of all species on Earth can disappear for good.
Indeed climate change will impact animals far worse than humans, who have the ability to alter their immediate environment. So what to do? Top environmental solutions-provider WWF has an answer – to link climate change effects to wildlife conservation and more importantly – to come up with pragmatic solutions to reduce human impacts on biodiversity.
WWF and BDO plant Seeds of the Future
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) recently partnered with Banco de Oro Unibank (BDO) to teach public elementary students about both climate change impacts on biodiversity and how they can minimize their ecological footprints.
“WWF’s education drives have always focused on either climate change solutions or biodiversity conservation,” says WWF-Philippines Environmental Education Head Obel Resurreccion. “Finally, we’re directly linking these two subjects. How does global warming affect sea turtles in Palawan or Tawi-Tawi? How does the loss of a forest in Isabela contribute to global climate change? How will this all affect our own existence? These are some of the questions we plan to raise and answer with our new programme, entitled Seeds of the Future.”
Since mid-2011, BDO has supported WWF by allowing ATM users to donate PHP5 to a host of field programmes. Funds generated from ATM donations have already allowed WWF to craft a new whale shark exhibit, to be displayed from December 2011 onwards at the Donsol Visitor Center in Sorsogon. Mangrove planting drives and stakeholder consultations have also been conducted.
“We are very excited and happy to provide a convenient channel for our cardholders to participate in WWF-Philippines’ environmental work throughout the country,” says BDO ATM Product Development Head Edgar Alan Fernando. “We were overwhelmed by the response to this transactional ATM donation program, which generates over 2000 donations daily. This proves that Filipinos are conscious of the environment and would like to take part in environmental preservation programs.”
Next up is a watershed management project in Isabela plus a livelihood project to ensure a steady supply of seafood in Palawan. Seeds of the Future shall begin inculcating keen young minds from January through March of 2012.
WWF’s newest environmental education drive features interactive hour-long modules composed of games, videos, slide presentations, crafts and live skits. “Children must realize that we are all connected,” says Resurreccion.
“Trash thrown carelessly in Manila Bay might choke a sea turtle in far-off Batangas. Through constant browsing, sea turtles keep seagrass meadows pruned and healthy. Healthy seagrass meadows provide commercially-valuable fish and invertebrates with refuge. Will fishing communities survive when the turtles don’t? Everything is connected – reducing our use of plastic bags directly impacts levels of biodiversity.”
WWF enjoins all BDO cardholders to make a PHP5 donation when making transactions. Adds Palma, “PHP5 is all that’s needed to mould minds and modify attitudes. As with biodiversity conservation, authentic education always thinks of long-term results. As we ‘Find Ways’ to change the future, we must look to the present … and plant the seeds of stewardship early on.”
