Beneath the Waves- Protecting Marine Wildlife
IFAW’s Animal Action Week Focuses on Impacts of Plastic in the Ocean
Oct 6, 2008
Even adults can become overwhelmed when learning about oil spill pollution, ocean noise, seal and whale hunting, climate change and the many other pressures on marine wildlife. IFAW's Animal Action Week program teaches children about the threats animals in the sea face, then makes them part of the solution. This year they help tackle the problem of plastics in the ocean.
Animal Action Week
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) developed the Animal Action Week campaign as a way to directly involve young people in helping animals. Each year through classroom education packs children learn about the dangers animals face. They are then shown ways to become directly involved in helping those animals.
Learning About Marine Animals
The classroom materials cover background information about the ocean and marine mammals before introducing the students to the threats these animals face. For younger children (Grades 3-4) more emphasis is placed on learning about the animals while the older children (Grades 5-9) spend more time on the threats to the ocean environment. Videos are provided in addition to the downloadable school and home packs.
Protecting Marine Wildlife by Reducing Plastic Debris
According to Nick Jenkins, who heads the Animal Action Week program, this year’s campaign became focused on the role of plastics in the ocean when Rebecca Hosking was nominated for an Animal Action Award. Ms Hosking was the driving force behind making Modbury the first plastic bag free town in the UK, after she witnessed Laysan albatross killed by plastic debris while she was filming on Midway Island.
Plastic Takes a Toll on Many Marine Animals
While the albatross was the catalyst for Ms Hosking’s plastic bag free town campaign, it is just one of many species affected by plastic debris. Sea turtles die from eating plastic bags, which look like jellyfish. Seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals all become entangled in discarded plastic, dying when they are unable to forage for food.
An important aspect of Animal Action Week is to provide youngsters with a tangible way to contribute to solving the problem. From taking a pledge to reduce plastic use to organizing local clean-up programs, the children get involved in protecting marine wildlife, even if they live far from the ocean.
In the process they gain an understanding of how careless disposal of plastic waste kills marine animals and how everyone can do their part to prevent more plastic debris from finding its way into the sea. Art competitions, Animal Action Award nominations, a teacher’s contest, reusable shopping bags for participants and a whale adoption option round out the campaign.
Animal Action Week 2008, the first week in October, is just the start of the yearlong effort to reduce the impact of plastics on the marine environment.
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