Inundating Christmas
Christmas Island lies about 500km south off the coast of Indonesia.
The Island itself forms the top of an underwater mountain, its basalt encased in a layer of limestone, providing a huge underground freshwater aquifer. This aquifer has helped sustain a large diversity of endemic species. The most well known is the red crab.
Humans have only occupied Christmas Island for the past ??? years and in this relatively short time have vastly changed this unique island paradise. Most notable is the introduction of ?? ants which are decimating whole populations of the red crabs.
The other very obvious issue on the island and one that island residents are constantly battling, is the tide of plastic rubbish that collects on the eastern beaches which the ??? current passes by. Within hours, some of these beaches can have tonnes of plastic rubbish dumped by the incoming tides, only to be washed back out to sea again on the outgoing tide.
Sea turtles, such as Green Sea Turtles, use these same beaches to nest, returning year after year. Not only are turtles fighting rising temperatures which is affecting the sex of turtles hatching, but up to meters thick of plastic debris.
What can you do? Refuse plastic, find alternatives, shop consciously.
