Hey there! I’m a little turtle that’s just hatched into a conservation centre off the coast of Sri Lanka. Whilst I’ve got your attention, I want to tell you about a few things that have helped little creatures like me and big humans like you too!
Many people come to visit little turtles like me and help out at the conservation centre, which is great! Ecotourism has brought many people over to our beautiful country to help preserve the vast blue beaches and luscious green landscapes so many of my friends call home. As this has directly helped to conserve ecosystems and maintain biodiversity, it has also helped the country’s economy which means that national parks can thrive and local wildlife reserves can stay afloat – pun intended! On a scale even bigger than my little flippers can show, this helps the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka – Goal 14 is my favourite as it aims to conserve marine resources!
Many people help at the conservation centre, one in particular was telling me that she was worried about the impact of her journey, she’d read on www.wwf.org.uk/learn/climate-change about the impact that it had on our climate and global warming. She’d calculated on www.clevel.co.uk her flight had released 3.161 tonnes of carbon dioxide. So, I asked her what she could do about it? She’d told me that she’d chosen an airline that works towards sustainable practises. Even then, she’d told me that she wanted to personally do more. So, I told her about a friend of mine who spent his time planting trees and collecting waste from rivers. She joined him each weekend and learned more from the local community than she ever thought possible. I asked her how she got there? She told me she chose the 45-minute walk over a 15-minute drive, to take in all the sights and sounds – even seeing a family of wild elephants! I told her that making a conscious effort to walk would minimise the impact whilst she was here, even if she couldn’t prevent the impact of the journey over. And those elephants she saw, their population is increasing thanks to the conservation work people like her are doing!
I’ll never forget the quote she told me from a great man called David Attenborough: “An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.” You see I’m only a little turtle and there’s a lot I don’t know, but learning about our world and taking steps to protect it is something I hope we can all have in common – regardless of our species! My friend told me to write down this short tale to raise awareness of the hope that’s being brought into our big wide world. She said without it we would be swallowed by plastic and choked by pollution but if a lot of people do a little there’ll always be hope.
Who knows? Maybe she’s the next David Attenborough!
