The China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance and Public Welfare Ambassador Peng Yuyan promoted the release of the Chinese sea turtle protection - marine protection documentary "Sea Turtle Strange 'Aid'" in Shanghai

10 On the afternoon of January 28, the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance, WildAid, and Youku jointly released the marine protection documentary series "Sea Turtle Strange 'Aid'" in Shanghai. Leaders of the Fisheries and Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Shanghai Commissioner's Office of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Li Yanliang, President of the National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Branch and Chairman of the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance, Zhang Wei (Qunlin), Director of Youku Documentary Center, Steve, Chief Representative of Wildlife Rescue Beijing, Public Welfare Ambassador Peng Yuyan, and Andrew Wegst, Chief Director of "Turtle Strange 'Aid'", attended the press conference.

"Turtle Strange 'Aid'" is a series of popular science documentaries with the theme of sea turtle conservation, which can help the public understand sea turtles and enhance their awareness of marine protection. From the script design to the final film, "Turtle Strange 'Aid'" has received guidance and support from the Fisheries and Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration. "Turtle Rescue" is directed and chief cinematographer by Andrew Wegst, who won the "Best Cinematography" award at the 38th American News and Documentary Emmy Awards, with public welfare ambassador Peng Yuyan's personal experience of participating in field conservation as the main line, passing through Costa Rica, Ecuador, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and China and other places, spanning three continents, with a total journey of more than 30,000 kilometers, comprehensively showing the survival status of sea turtles in China, Southeast Asia and South America and other regions, the necessity of protection, and the main threats and challenges faced. "Turtle Strange 'Aid'" consists of three episodes, each about 25 minutes, and will be broadcast exclusively on Youku at the end of this year.

Sea turtles are ancient and amazing marine animals. Its friendly and longevity characteristics symbolize auspiciousness and health, and are deeply admired by people; It is one of the few species that have survived since the age of dinosaurs, and has irreplaceable value in the history of biological evolution, known as the "living fossil" of the ocean, and is an important flagship and indicator species in the marine ecosystem. In recent years, due to human activities and global climate change, the habitat of sea turtles has been destroyed, coupled with continuous illegal trade and accidental catch, and the wild population of sea turtles has shrunk rapidly. In order to protect sea turtles, all species of sea turtles have been listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Appendix II of the Convention on the Protection of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and have been evaluated as threatened species on the IUCN Red List. China has listed all sea turtles as national second-level key protected wild animals, and has intensified its crackdown on illegal and criminal acts of sea turtles.

With the guidance and support of the Fisheries and Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance was officially established on May 23, 2018. In December 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the "Sea Turtle Conservation Action Plan (2019-2033)", which aims to strengthen the protection and management of sea turtles in China, effectively respond to the new problems and challenges faced by sea turtle protection, and make unified deployments for sea turtle protection and management across the country. In order to further strengthen conservation publicity and education and encourage public participation in sea turtle conservation, the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance has organized the "World Turtle Day Theme Publicity Campaign" for two consecutive years. Li Yanliang, chairman of the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance, said: "Since its establishment in 2018, nearly 100 member units of the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance have carried out different forms of activities across the country to widely publicize sea turtle protection knowledge, improve public awareness of protection, and hold many sea turtle release activities. We hope that through extensive and in-depth publicity, we can guide correct conservation behaviors, give full play to the active role of the public in turtle conservation, and form a sound public participation and supervision mechanism. In the next step, the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance will also actively promote publicity and education activities for fishermen in coastal communities, so that more people can know sea turtles, understand sea turtles, and jointly protect sea turtles. ”

At the press conference, Peng Yuyan showed the audience some highlights from the documentary and shared his experience in the turtle habitat, including rescuing turtles injured by fishing nets and oars and releasing them back into the sea, working with rangers to find newly laid turtle eggs, measuring the length and weight of newborn baby turtles, and more. Peng Yuyan said: "This trip gave me the opportunity to understand the survival challenges faced by sea turtles and present them to everyone. At the same time, I have the privilege of working with people who are engaged in turtle conservation on the front line, and they are an admirable group of "turtle warriors". In fact, each of us can become a "turtle warrior", as long as we start with some small things, such as: not buying illegal turtle products, reducing the use of plastic bags, etc. ”

Protecting sea turtles, protecting wild animals, and protecting the ecological environment requires extensive attention and active participation from the whole society, in addition to government departments increasing law enforcement and supervision. We hope that after the release of the documentary and its broadcast on various platforms, more people can understand sea turtles and the significance of marine ecological environmental protection. Let us all join hands to protect sea turtles and aquatic wildlife with practical actions, and contribute to building a beautiful marine home! our country's sea turtle protection work will surely reach a new level.