What you can do to help
• We don't yet know the full effect that run-off has on turtles, however it is worth remembering that the chemicals we flush down our toilets, apply to our gardens, spray on crops, or use in factories can end up in our river systems and ultimately the ocean.
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Turtle hatchlings use light and reflections from the moon to find their way to the water at night. Artificial lighting confuses them, so turn off lights visible from nesting beaches. Similarly, torches and people can disturb female turtles when they’re nesting. Give turtles – large and small – plenty of space as they emerge from or move toward the ocean.
• Never litter, and do your part to pick up any rubbish you see on the beach, in the park, or on the side of the road. Litter can be carried by the wind into our waterways and onto our beaches. Turtles can mistake garbage as food, especially plastic bags and balloons, which look like jellyfish.
• Don't buy products that have been made from sea turtle parts. Guitars, ashtrays, jewellery and other products made from sea turtles are sold to tourists around the world.
Find out if green turtles or other threatened wildlife live near you using WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool, and
learn how you can help them thrive again.
DISCOVER WHO LIVES IN YOUR BACKYARD