Turtles are Crucial to the World

Marine turtles or pawikan in Filipino are those shy and elusive turtles we rarely see in the sea and oceans, but why are they so important that the government is trying to save their slowly decreasing number? Here's why. First of all, they are a precious gift from God; moreover, it is our duty to protect them from extinction. Did you know that they maintain the balance of ecology in the oceans and seas? They keep sea grass short which helps keep the sea grass bed healthy. The sea grass bed is a breeding and and developmental ground for fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. They also maintain the beach and dune systems. The pawikan eat jellyfish, which helps prevent large "blooms" and stinging jellyfish make damage to fisheries, recreation and other maritime activities in the ocean. 

A turtle eating sea grass

Global warming is the gradual rise in the earth's temperature caused by high levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. The temperature determines their their gender:

High temperature - Hatchlings have a high chance of being female

Low temperature - Hatchlings have a high chance of being male

Temperature is in the middle of low and high - The hatchlings will be a mix of male and female

Since the temperature is high, the hatchlings have a high chance of being female and because there are less males to impregnate the female turtles, this can also decrease the population of turtles. Global warming also has an impact on ocean temperatures, making the temperatures high and altering ocean currents that are crucial to the pawikan. This also affects the food resources for not only sea turtles, but all marine creatures. 

Knowing that the pawikan is on the brink of extinction and may only be seen in encyclopedias, as a student, we should be doing our part in helping conserve these marine creatures in our own simple way. By simply picking up garbage in coastal areas, we already saved one life of a marine turtle; we should throw our garbage in the proper place and not in oceans or seas because turtles might eat them accidentally. We should not patronize ornaments, products and food made out of turtles since the poor turtles are being used just to get money. Lastly,we can also report to the authorities about the people who smuggle and catch these marine turtles.

We should always remember to take care of the pawikan not only because they are important to the ecosystem of the ocean, but because they are from God. 


"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds in the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." - Genesis 1:26

Link

References:
http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=whycareaboutseaturtles
http://www.bonaireturtles.org/explore/are-sea-turtles-worth-saving/
http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?id=988
Collins Cobuild Advance Dictionary of English