Conservation group Parley for the Oceans is looking for your help to save our oceans one local beach at a time.

Together with the Jabalbina Rangers, Parley will be removing marine debris from North Wonga Beach on Friday 19 February and are inviting everyone to join them on their quest to keep our oceans clean.

The meeting point is on Wonga Beach at the end of the Pinnacle Village Holiday Park access road at 9:00am. The Traditional Owners will be present and perform a smoking ceremony and a traditional welcome.

The sad reality is if you go to a beach anywhere in the world, you will find evidence of major threats to our oceans and its marine life washing up just about everywhere.

“As a south-east facing beach, Wonga beach is exposed to marine debris washing up through the southern equatorial current and is therefore heavily impacted by marine debris,” said Maren Eibner, Operations Manager Parley for the Oceans Australia.

“As a natural habitat for many land and sea animals but also for rare birds such as the Gould's bronze cuckoo, double-eyed fig-parrot and the beach stone-curlew, it is an extremely important ecological site to protect,” she said.

From PET bottles, hard plastic items such as fuel canisters, household cleaning and personal hygiene bottles to toothbrushes, thongs, thousands of bottle caps, and fishing nets; massive amounts of materials have been cleaned from our beaches.

“On average, we usually collect between 150-500kg of debris during a regular day event in the Cairns and Port Douglas region.

“However, the more north we go, the more rubbish we find. When we clean up the beaches of Cape York, we collect up to one tonne of marine litter per kilometre of beach.

“At Wonga beach, we expect to collect around 500kg of debris, including some larger items that have been reported to have been washed up,” said Ms Eibner.

The vital work that Parley does to remove plastics from the ocean has direct and positive effects on the health of animals and the environment.

“Every second breath we take is powered by the oceans as they create 50% of the oxygen on earth. Marine pollution poisons the oceans and brings this vast eco system out of balance.

“Cleaning up beaches is important as it removes rubbish from the oceans by collecting what the sea has spat out and preventing it from going back into the ocean with the next big tide.

“It is also important to remove the washed-up rubbish as it becomes a dangerous hazard for animals that breed and live in this habitat and it conceals dangers of entanglement, suffocation and poisoning,” said Ms Eibner.

In the past the group has conducted clean ups around the Shire including Dickson Inlet.

"Over two cleanup events in the last four months, we removed almost 500kg of glass, aluminium cans, ship wreckage and rope from Magazine Island and the Port Douglas Harbour. After seeing the amount of debris collected in the mangroves of the inlet, we are returning to the Dickson inlet once every three months to maintain these cleanup efforts."

Parley for the Oceans is a network where creators, thinkers and leaders can raise awareness about the beauty and fragility of our oceans and act together on projects that can end their destruction. Parley wants to accelerate the process of change by inspiring major brands, governments, and our youth to become innovative about marine conservation.

Parley has been operating as a not-for-profit organization since 2018 with a mission that follows their A.I.R. strategy to end plastic pollution: Avoid, Intercept and Redesign. This involves community education, beach cleanup programs and material collaborations on a national level.

Volunteers are urgently needed to support their cleanup activities. To stay up to date with their cleanup schedule, individuals can join our Parley Australia Facebook Group or email.

Other clean up events around our area:

• Wonga Beach 19 February, 9am start
• Shipwreck Bay (Daintree) 3 March, 9 am start
• Ellie Point / Cairns Airport Mangroves (Cairns North) 8.45 am start (Clean Up Australia Day)
• Cape Tribulation 22 March, 9.30 am start