Sea turtles have played vital roles in maintaining the health of the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years. These roles range from maintaining productive coral reef ecosystems to transporting essential nutrients from the oceans to beaches and coastal dunes.
Major changes have occurred in the oceans because sea turtles have been virtually eliminated in many areas of the globe. Commercial fishing, loss of nesting habitat and climate change are among the human-‐caused threats pushing sea turtles towards extinction. As sea turtle populations decline, so does their ability to fulfil Vital functions in ocean ecosystems.
Now a new initiative is launching in Manchester will help in a little way towards their conservation.
TOMS shoes, a for-profit company based in Playa Del Rey, California has partnered with Oceana to help support its critical advocacy work to protect sea turtles and other marine life, in a special collaboration which aims to raise awareness about the ecological importance and Oceana’s work. For every pair of TOMS x Oceana Sea Turtle shoes purchased, TOMS will donate £5 to Oceana to help save marine life. As always with every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.
The initiative is launching exclusively at the Selfridges store at Trafford Park
Founded in 2001, Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Every year, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are caught as unintentional catch (known as bycatch) in commercial fisheries. Oceana advocates for habitat protection and responsible fishing policies that will prevent turtle capture, killing and injury, as well as the destruction of the coral reefs and sea grass beds where turtles live. Oceana campaigns help to protect sea turtles and help their populations rebound and, when combined with land based conservation efforts, give hope for the long-term survival of sea turtles around the world. Since2001, Oceana has protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. More than 600,000 supporters have already joined Oceana. Global in scope, Oceana has offices in North, South and Central America, Asia, and Europe.
In addition to their ecological impacts, sea turtles are central figures in the heritage and folklore of many cultures around the world, including those of the United States. North America is referred to as “Turtle Island” by many Native American tribes, Including the Iroquois, Abenaki and Huron.
TOMS is excited to partner with Oceana to help support its critical advocacy work to protect sea turtles and other marine life. Sea turtles face constant threats fromhuman activities, and this special collection aims to raise awareness about their ecological importance and Oceana’s work to protect them.
