By Suzanne Maxx ©
Living on a developed barrier island, Ponce Inlet Florida, USA, and floating in the ocean daily has built an even more intimate relationship with nature. What a contrast from the island of Manhattan, New York City to this island, and thinking back on the years being on the Small Island States, such as Fiji and Samoa. The opportunity to learn from biodiversity and interact with nature is immeasurable and teaches so much about how each species is organically wired to survive.
When I moved into a home on the beach during recovery to regain my health, floating with the dolphins led me to an ocean curriculum. Then two mama sea turtles chose to make their nests on the shore of the beach where I live. We have learned so much about being able to witness the life cycles of sea turtles during this time and these precious endangered species we are called to team-up with others here to help protect.
The mother lays her eggs onshore and goes back to the sea. Months later, the sea turtle hatchlings’ journey to the ocean for the first time by themselves. Watch this little leader:
The learning that is unfolding is immeasurable and inspires the sharing of the love for biodiversity with new experiences in the wild with birds, fish, crabs, whales, dolphins, and sea turtles grows from being in the ocean.
Being immersed in the ocean and island, life breath by breath strengthens that interconnection to all species. But the key is how to not merely survive, but to thrive, with interdependency on one another beyond siloed life systems, using both science, consciousness, and life’s ultimate mystery to discover how to better protect nature. Urgent action on both local and global levels to approach this change is needed, but it begins with becoming aware of the challenges and opportunities.
When we are immersed in nature, each one of us can come into a more balanced relationship, not just to the ocean, flora, and fauna, but one another. This island has a team that supports marine life, with wild species education, rehabilitation, all in the effort to support, conserve and preserve sea turtles, and more!
Actions on Biodiversity World Team Now is taking include:
- Mangroves
- Reverence of Nature’s Beauty Campaign
- Ocean Awareness Campaign
- Our Multistakeholder Partnership, SOS-IS Ocean Commitment
From a global view, biodiversity worldwide is rapidly decreasing. Urgent action is needed as witnessed in the United Nations’ just published 5th edition its Global Diversity Outlook.
The report calls for a shift away from “business as usual” across a range of human activities. It outlines eight transitions that recognize the value of biodiversity, the need to restore the ecosystems on which all human activity de-pends, and the urgency of reducing the negative impacts of such activity.
There was to be a UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon Portugal in 2020 but that is moved to 2021, date TBD.
Leading to COP26 in Glasgow Scottland 1-12 November 2021.
Observing nature, and organically discovering natural-based solutions from the ocean, is leading to new pathways forward for our common future.
World Team Now continues to find our truth in nature. The photo also represents our campaigns beginning with: the blue (ocean and sky), and the green (of nature), and the biodiversity in between. Nature and the highest part of our own human nature need to breathe. How do we take greater consideration in our “global economies” for our future? Learning to better listen to, not only, our own voices within, but also the rising “collective consciousness” is a task for us all. To live in consideration of the bigger picture that we are interconnected, and each of our choices matter, as everything changes.
World Team Now’s stand is to demonstrate 
