Kia Kaha , Kia Toa
Be strong , be a warrior .
My Backyard From the Chapters
Junior Activists Partners
Getting involved Issue 1 l My Backyard
Australia
2012 proved to be a successful year for the Earthrace Australia chapter thanks to the team led by Alan Winstanley and Iztel Castillo . They worked alongside Bob Irwin and Colin Riddell in a campaign that aimed to change indigenous hunting laws in Queensland to protect the region ’ s sea turtles and dugongs .
and might feel they ’ ve done enough for now , by still allowing them to be killed even for ‘ ceremonial reasons ’ to keep indigenous populations appeased , and a lack of enforcement against poachers is nothing to celebrate .
there have been 55 recorded unprovoked attacks , which averages at about 1.1 attacks per year .
As one of the petitions stated , “ To put things in perspective , on average there are two to three deaths per year from bee stings in Australia ”.
We ’ ll continue fighting tooth and fin against this until we get reassurance
After a successful rally in front of the Queensland Parliament House in February , the first stage of the campaign was accomplished after the Queensland government changed the cruelty laws to include indigenous hunting methods of dugongs and turtles .
Alan , Bob Irwin and Itzel , dugong and turtle rally , Brisbane , February 2012
Thanks to our Aussie team , other Earthrace chapters organised rallies in support too with good crowds turning up outside embassies in New Zealand , the UK and the US .
No-one really knows how many dugongs or endangered sea turtles are being slaughtered cruelly each year or how many are left but a 2012 report stated it might be as few as fifty in the region .
These divers didn ’ t find this Great White dangerous !
© Daily Mail
CULL THREAT TO GREAT WHITES
A number of politicians called for a cull in late 2012 of Great White Sharks in response to attacks off the Western Australian coast with a potential A $ 6.85 million allocated towards the plan .
Earthrace joined with many other concerned groups and individual in protesting vehemently against this course of action . that it won ’ t be happening !
Plans for 2013
The Earthrace Australia chapter is
Last year , this green sea turtle was oneone of about 60 of the species that washed excited about this year as the team up dead in the region . make plans to work vigorously on a photo courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin campaign that will target proposed coal ports and the damage they do to the Great Barrier Reef and the marine life that exists there .
The Abbot Point coal port expansion ignores the 2012 United Nations Education , Scientific and Cultural Organisation report recommendations not to develop new ports outside those already existing adjacent to the Reef .
Although the Australian Government continue to downplay the issue According to The Australian Shark Attack File , in the last 50 years
Contact Earthrace Australia : alan @ earthrace . net
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