10 things to protect the marine environment that make you feel good!

If you’ve read a little about me you will know that I am interested in understanding how our relationship with nature, particularly marine environments, influences our wellness, and how this interrelationship may change our attitudes and promote positive behaviors.  In my involvement with our local green group, as a dive master and as a supporter and sometimes participant of marine conservation projects, I have observed some mixed outcomes!

Generally people feel good when they are involved in, or volunteer for an event that is designed to create awareness about the protection of our oceans and marine life.  However participants are often left wondering how they may carry on this good feeling or positive effect, whilst organizers are left wondering if the participants involvement will result in long term positive behaviors that continue to support marine environment protection.

So I have put together a list of just 10 simple things we can all incorporate into our daily lives, that will contribute to the health and protection of marine environments and marine life, and will make us feel good to boot!

Image via DB Green

This post will cover the first 5 on this list.

1.      Get in the water and underwater.  Learn to scuba-dive and snorkel and let your children learn

When humans can connect and interact with nature we develop a healthy appreciation for what that environment offers us, whilst at the same time improving our wellbeing.  One major obstacle to marine environment protection is the lack of sufficient funding for marine exploration and marine life evaluation and protection.  So little is known about what is below the surface of our oceans and therefore understanding our planet better, some argue, is precisely the reason more funding should be allocated to this endeavour, rather than space exploration for instance.

And herein lies the problem.  Out of sight, out of mind!

So the more young people who can see, interact with, and are in awe of the amazing diversity of life underwater, the more chance that some of these young people will be our future decision makers, if not explorers, who can support the exploration and protection of our oceans.

turtle 6-001

I recently heard Paul Rose of BBC fame speak about his many years exploring the oceans.  When asked the question of whether there are too many scuba divers in the world posing a potential threat to the sustainability of some marine environments, Paul replied that he believed more is better, because recreational scuba divers tend to develop an affinity to the marine environment and are more likely to be proactively supportive of marine conservation and education.

 2.      Make your marine based holiday choices count

If you live in Asia it is likely that you spend at least 1 or more of your holidays each year on or near the ocean.  If you do, make your choice of destination and location count by choosing resorts/towns that:

  • Support protection of local marine environments
  • Offer eco-tourism options
  • Source seafood locally and through sustainable fishing practices

Although I could name a few in Asia I want to especially highlight Lady Elliott Island in Queensland.  Perhaps not as cheap as other eco-tourism destinations, it is significantly more affordable compared to the uber luxurious resorts further up the GBR.  It ticks most of the boxes for an environmental education resort for both kids and adults, and you will see the most amazing marine life – a place where manta rays are almost guaranteed.

3.      Attend a beach cleanup event in your local community

A sure-fired way to make you feel good about doing something for your marine environment is helping to clean the local beach with others in your community.  We do them very regularly in Discovery Bay where I live, and you’ll even find some of our organizers down the beach doing this almost daily.  This activity ticks many wellness boxes:

  • Environmental wellness – for the environment that you are helping cleanup
  • Physical wellness – getting out in the fresh air and physically moving
  • Psychological wellness – being in nature softens the emotions and eases stress and being conscious and mindful in the supportive task you are performing, contributes to well-being
  • Social wellness – meaningful interacting with others in your community for a common cause

4.      Support Marine Conservation

Supporting marine conservation activities in your community and globally is one way you can find out more about the many issues facing our marine environments.  You can offer support through volunteering; in social media; through your political representatives; in schools; in community forums; signing petitions; and many other places online.  Here are a few which I support or visit regularly online for updated information.

5.      Buy only sustainable seafood

In Hong Kong WWF produce a sustainable seafood guide you can download here.

This may be a little bit more difficult for some living in cities like Hong Kong because our seafood choices can be from all over the world.  Unfortunately the waters around Hong Kong are so polluted that many of us will not eat locally caught seafood or that coming from China waters.  So if you do get your seafood from overseas then have a sustainability seafood guide from those countries on your iPhone or in your wallet.  You can find the WWF sustainable seafood guides for various countries here, for Australia here, and New Zealand here.

Why is buying and consuming only sustainable seafood important?

  • There’ll be none left for your grandchildren if we kill and eat it all now!
  • Some fish take a long time to get to maturity and reproductive age, so we need to let them live longer so they can reproduce and continue the species population growth into the future.
  • To prevent or stop destructive fishing techniques such as trawling and long lining which destroy large amounts of the ocean floor and ocean habitats and result in the death of by-catch such as turtles, sharks, dolphins, seabirds and many more.
  • To ensure that some species, essential to the balance of the entire marine eco-system, are available to feed higher species.  A good example of this is krill, which has become a trendy option in omega 3 supplementation.  But if krill are being caught for human consumption then what will marine life like whales, seals and other marine mammals feed on?
  • Overall to maintain a healthy balance  in the fragile ecosystem that is our oceans
    eco system

    The Antarctic EcoSystem
    Image via Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

     

So that’s the end of part 1.  Part 2 to follow next week.

Do you have something you would add to this list?  Join the conversation and let’s talk about how we can all take action that can protect our blue environments and improve our wellbeing at the same time.  

Be well

Angie

Feature image via oceanenthusiast.tumblr.com