WLG | impact '24: Giving Back in Bali

WLG | impact: The Plight of Baby Sea Turtles 

Exciting announcement for WLG | impact! This year, we have expanded the program by adding in-person activities at our WLG | regional and WLG | summit events. These events allow our delegates to make a positive impact in the local community of each host firm and increase awareness of the WLG | impact program.

As our first WLG | impact activity at a summit, delegates and guests at WLG | summit Bali '24 released baby sea turtles, an endangered species, from the beach into the Indian Ocean.  

"As part of the release of 140 baby sea turtles, we learned of their treacherous and dramatic journeys of the turtles reaching as far as Portland, Oregon before returning to Bali to lay their eggs in 15 years. WLG | impact brings out the heart of World Law Group. We are so much more than a legal network." –Janet Pahima, Herzog Fox & Neeman (CSR Forum Chair)

Sea turtles are very important to coastal economies and native communities, as many destinations rely on turtle watching or diving for jobs and income, and many Indigenous communities revere sea turtles as part of their cultures. They are also a "keystone species," which means they are an essential part of their environment and influence other species around them. Some of the many benefits  that they offer to their habitats are: 

-Managing other species, such as jellyfish, a main food source for turtles;

-Revitalizing beaches through their nesting practices via the nutrients left behind by eggs and hatchlings that don't survive;

-Supporting ecosystems through the life cycle, as birds, fish, and mammals like raccoons rely on plentiful hatchlings as a food source to survive during nesting season;

- Keeping seagrass beds healthy, through grazing by sea turtles benefiting many species and storing carbon.

"Our first in-person activity at a WLG | summit was a huge success. It was a wonderful opportunity to see delegates and guests connecting over a shared mission: supporting the sea turtles. It's safe to say everyone enjoyed learning about baby sea turtles and releasing these important creatures to their new home!" –Tori Mowery, World Law Group (Senior Specialist, Technology & Knowledge Management)