BQLive: Marine Conservation!!

What drew me to this event?

Eversince I was young, I have always been interested in marine life. However, I did not know a lot about the marine life specifically in Singapore. As such I decided to take this opportunity to learn more about it through this live, especially through a marine conservationist 😀

What are the three things I learnt through this?

Firstly, I have learnt about how us humans can impact marine life significantly, both directly and indirectly. An example is the trash we generate. These trash can smoulder marine reefs affecting habitats, entangling wildlife etc. Another example is trampling by humans when they visit coral reefs. This has urged me to want to raise awareness about how we are harming marine life and how we can take action to protect them.

Secondly, I have learnt more about turtles in Singapore. Turtle eggs face the threat of being predated on by ghost crabs and monitor lizards due to their acute sense of smell. Furthermore, they may possibly get washed away by coastal erosion.

Lastly, the relocation of eggs to the hatchery on sisters’ island. The turtle eggs are very fragile and they can only be handled in the first two hours (golden time). After the 2 hours they cannot be shifted as the embryo will be affected, affecting the turtle’s development. If it is past the 2 hours they would have to wait another 2-3 weeks before being able to relocate the eggs. During the relocation, the orientation of the egg must be maintained as well to ensure that the embryo does not collapse. As such the egg would not usually be relocated unless they are in danger of being predated on.

Something surprising I learnt

The plastic waste which are entering the oceans and harming marine life may actually be harming us humans as well. The microplastics formed when plastic breaks down enter the food chain as they are consumed by fish and corals. When we consume seafood, we are eating the microplastics as well and they may potentially be harmful to our health.

An insight about marine conservation

Anyone can contribute to marine conservation whether it is through going for beach cleanups, volunteering with NParks or even as simple as sharing on social media or reducing our plastic consumption.