Browsing: Conservation

The waters of New Zealand are home to a number of colourful moray eel species and conger eels, which can be dived with in places such as the Poor Knights marine reserve in Northland. Spending time with eels isn’t restricted to scuba diving though, as the land of the long white cloud is also home to the Longfin eel; a freshwater species only found in New Zealand and declining in numbers.

It’s unnerving to think that each year, hundreds of whales and dolphins strand on the shores of New Zealand. In fact, New Zealand has the highest stranding rate in the world. Some are sick or injured; others are perfectly healthy and need a helping hand back into the water. 300 strand in New Zealand each year and mass stranding can also be common, which can involve 100s of animals at a time. But if you were to see a beached whale how many of us actually know how to help these magnificent marine mammals get back to the water?

The Whitsundays is a collection of 74 islands off of Australia’s central east coast and part of the majestic world heritage site, the Great Barrier Reef. Second only to Cairns, it is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit the reef. It attracts nearly 600,000 visitors each year with over 300 tour boats in operation. Due to the popularity of this particularly beautiful and accessible part of the reef, much damage has been caused due to the dropping of anchors. This habitat loss has then become one of the most widespread causes of marine species decline on the Great Barrier Reef.

Salmon have been swimming in Pacific Northwest waters for at least seven million years, as indicated by fossils of large saber-tooth salmon found in the area. During that time, they’ve been a key species in intricate, interconnected coastal ecosystems, bringing nitrogen and other nutrients from the ocean and up streams and rivers to spawning grounds, feeding whales, bears and eagles and fertilizing the magnificent coastal rainforests along the way.

Something can always be done to help prepare for marine events such as oil spills and coral and if we don’t put efforts in during our lifetime, the current state will not be any better for the next generations to come. We know that all journeys begin with a single step and it has to start somewhere, so at The World Federation for Coral Reef Conservation we work to ensure our actions will see results within years not lifetimes.

There are so many wonderful conservation projects around the world that support our fragile oceans and marine life, but how many do you know of that you can actually become involved in? Many conservation charities provide you with opportunities to donate money, read about their work and fund raise, but maybe not get involved with the actual work itself. There are always the conservation ‘gap year’ options, which definitely get you more hands on with projects. However, more often than not these trips are very far away, costing a small fortune in fees and flights, where a large amount is received by the travel company rather than the project itself.