‘Oceans fitter without our litter’ launched

MANILA, Philippines — Citing figures from the United Nations Environment Program, biodiversity experts said that worldwide, one million seabirds and over 100,000 marine animals die from plastic pollution every year.

The ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) said that to help address the issue of plastic pollution, they launched a campaign dubbed “Oceans Are Fitter without Our Litter.”

“This campaign complements the commitment of the ASEAN member states to the Bangkok Declaration Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN region. Each nation works toward the reduction and prevention of marine debris. These actions are critical as plastic pollution is a serious threat to biodiversity,” said ACB executive director Theresa Mundita Lim.

She added, “Let us, through our individual and collective efforts, reduce our consumption of single-use plastic like plastic bottles. Let us encourage each other and our leaders in our communities, in the private sector, and in our respective nations, to initiate transformative change for clean and thriving aquatic ecosystems. Truly, oceans, and the marine life living there, will be fitter without our litter.”

As part of the ACB’s campaign, it recently collaborated with the Center for Possibilities Foundation on the staging of an art exhibit on biodiversity featuring a talented artist diagnosed with autism. The project promotes biodiversity projects as well as autism awareness.

The Foundation, Lim noted, is dedicated to helping families with children with special needs, and is actively promoting autism awareness through the arts.

The project, “Biodiversity through My Eyes: An Art Exhibit for Biodiversity and Autism Awareness,” featured Samantha Kaspar’s works which were put on display at Enderun Colleges located in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

“Samantha has been inspired by her encounters with nature and what she sees around her. After witnessing the release of turtle hatchlings in a beach in Bataan, she included turtles among her painting subjects. Meanwhile, her painting of the blissful movement of a school of fish was inspired by a visit to an aquarium in Monterey, California. Samantha’s artist’s eye, her creativity, and her love for patterns, evoke the richness and beauty of ASEAN’s biodiversity,” Lim said.

Moreover, Lim added, many of Samantha’s artworks in the exhibit feature flora and fauna in the ASEAN region, like the orchid Spathoglottis plicata, which can be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Lim pointed out, “The subjects in the paintings in the exhibit, and our campaign against plastic pollution are just a few of ASEAN’s natural treasures. The ASEAN region is only three percent of the earth’s surface, but is home to 18 percent of the world’s known plants and animals. The Philippines, meanwhile, is one of the world’s most mega-biodiverse countries, hosting 70 to 80 percent of species around the world.”

“The exhibit reaches out to different kinds of audience, and puts two advocacies together: biodiversity conservation and autism awareness. Proceeds will go to autism awareness and biodiversity conservation projects all over Southeast Asia,” she added.