FROM campaigns to boycott wildlife products to the celebrated “retirement” of two belugas from aquariums, Chinese society has been making positive efforts in protecting the world’s marine biodiversity.

Chinese actor Eddie Peng joined WildAid, a nonprofit organization which focuses on reducing market demand for endangered species products, to call for more people in China to play their part in protecting the oceans and endangered sea turtles.

“Don’t be fooled by the beauty of hawksbill products, because they all come from an illegal and devastating trade,” said Eddie Peng in the campaign video. “This natural beauty belongs in the ocean.”

He urged the Chinese public to reject illegal marine products such as tortoiseshell even when they are disguised as travel souvenirs.

The huge decline in sea turtle populations in recent decades is one consequence of habitat loss by catching, pollution as well as illegal trade of their eggs, meat and shells, said Steve Blake of WildAid in China.

“We all need to act fast to help reverse these alarming trends,” he said. “There are simple things we can all do such as reducing the amount of plastic we use and saying no to all illegal marine products, especially from sea turtles.”

Sea turtles are under second-degree State-level protection. In 2017, over 2,000 pieces of green sea turtle and tortoise products were confiscated in the four southern regions of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian.

Regarding plastic pollution, another severe threat that sea turtles and all marine life are facing, the southernmost Chinese province of Hainan announced a total ban on single-use, non-degradable plastic last month, marking the first step of China’s wholesome effort to mitigate the environmental impacts of hazardous waste.

After 15 years living in captivity and performing at a Chinese aquarium, two belugas named “Little White” and “Little Grey” will embark on a 9,000-kilometer journey to be released in the world’s first beluga sanctuary in Iceland.

The release of the belugas is seen as a ground-breaking marine mammal welfare project between Sea Life Trust, a charity established by Merlin Entertainments in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

It is the first time in history that a sanctuary of this kind has been created to rehabilitate captive cetaceans such as whales and dolphins, Shen said.

With the release of the Chang Feng belugas, Merlin Entertainments hopes to offer an effective solution to all cetaceans in captivity inside the aquarium business, Shen said.

(Xinhua)