Escalão A2 | Article in english
Coastline areas: waste or untouched nature?
The Young Reporters for the Environment
Escola Profissional do Pico, Azores30/04/2009
Resumo
Pico Island's shore is essentially characterized by its very irregular lava streams all along the coastline. The seafront of our island is the main issue of our research as Young Reporters f or the Environment from Pico's Vocational School.
Artigo
Pico Island's shore is essentially characterized by its very irregular lava streams all along the coastline. The seafront of our island is the main issue of our research as Young Reporters f or the Environment from Pico's Vocational School.
Unfortunately some of these areas along the shore are still polluted with several kinds of waste, what means that the environmental conscience of our island's population is not totally well shaped.
The shore is a portrait of our island and an area that must be protected due to its beauty, as well as to the species living there, which need to have their habitat in good conditions to survive; it is also a really appealing touristic point to those who visit us, where the most appreciated activities to the tourists take place, such as whale watching, swimming with dolphins or simply strolling along the coastline.
At international level, in the United States of America for example, the ships officers that pollute the American coastline are punished by the coast police going to jail. All around the country, mainly in the touristic harbours, brochures about the importance of protecting the sea are available. These campaigns against sea pollution are supported by volunteers and organized social groups.
The existing waste in the sea and in the coastline areas can be an environmental menace to the local fauna. Plastic and glass are dangerous mainly to marine mammals and turtles; there are even animals that die because they are wrapped up by plastic bags or swallow them thinking they are seaweeds.
What future for us with this type of image?
The dolphins are the biggest victims of the plastic ingestion. These animals' vision is not very sharp and they use to confuse this kind of waste with the squid, which is their favourite prey. In 1998 an adult dolphin was found dead in Brazil without injury signs; in the autopsy the vets found in its stomach a rice bag of a North-American brand. In 2000 one more animal was victim of marine pollution: a baby whale about one year old had swallowed three bottle caps and died because they got stuck in the animal's throat and it couldn't be correctly breast-fed. And there are many more…
The three countries with more packages found along the coastline are the United States of America, South Africa and Germany.
Some pollution can be found on Pico's shore, mainly solid waste; nevertheless, a significant decreasing of it could be noticed throughout the years.
The beauty of the sea taken by the waste...
We believe that the pollution of our island's coastline can be reduced with the action of governmental entities, as well as with the environmental awareness in each person's mind and heart. We should all protect our coastline.
It is necessary to find solutions against this pollution wave, for example:
- to print posters to be worldwide distributed in harbours, tourism cruisers, shipment companies, cargo and navy ships, private boats and yachts;
- to print brochures in several languages;
- to arouse an environmental conscience in state and private schools;
- to hold lectures on these issues;
- to form local work groups to collect waste.
If we love our island and enjoy living here, we all should contribute to keep it clean, not only for us that are inhabitants, but also for the tourists who visit us and are a source of local development.
The Young Reporters for the Environment from Escola Profissional do Pico, Azores, Portugal.