19 May 2010

Reef Guardian schools in the Townsville region are showing their support for marine turtles this week during "go green for turtles week" (17 – 23 May), an education initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).

Go green for turtles week activities kicked off on Monday 17 May and finish on Sunday 23 May, which also happens to be World Turtle Day.

GBRMPA Reef Guardian Schools Program Manager Megan Sperring said it is great to see Reef Guardian schools throw their support behind marine turtles.

"The Reef Guardian schools will be undertaking a wide range of turtle focused activities and will learn about protecting these amazing marine reptiles," she said.

"All species of marine turtle in the Marine Park are threatened and under pressure and it is important that everyone realises that we can make a difference to their future."

Activities that Reef Guardian schools will be undertaking include, dressing in green for the day, colouring in competitions, displays that features marine turtles, art and craft activities, and visits by turtle experts to discuss marine turtle conservation.

The schools will also be raising funds for the Reef HQ Aquarium turtle hospital. This vital facility cares for and rehabilitates sick and injured marine turtles.

Six of the world's seven species of marine turtle can be found in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Human activities on land and at sea can cause several different types of impacts on marine turtles including entanglement in discarded rubbish, boat strike and the impacts of coastal development.

The Reef Guardian Schools program is an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and, in the Burdekin region, it is run in partnership with the natural resource management group NQ Dry Tropics. In its eighth year, this education program sees more than 60 000 students across 194 Queensland schools committed to the protection and conservation of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.

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