Dear friends of Turtle Foundation,
for us, the year began very promising. In January, we were invited to the shared area “love your ocean“ at the trade fair boot in Düsseldorf, Germany. Together with 80 other organisations we have presented the subject of marine conservation to a diverse audience. Apart from a stand we have organised together with our Cologne friends from the clean-up initiative K.R.A.K.E. we had the opportunity to present important topics on stage. Overall, we draw a very positive conclusion from this event: In countless conversations and two critical presentations on the topics of “turtleshell trade” and “headstarting facilities for sea turtles” we were able to draw the attention of the audience to our work. Besides, we had the opportunity to network with other people involved in environmental protection.
In this newsletter, we would like to tell you what else has happened in our project areas over the last few months.
Biodiversity survey launched on Boa Vista
Together with two other local organisations and the Ministry of Environment, Fundação Tartaruga has launched an extensive biodiversity survey in two protected areas on Boa Vista. The aim is to assess abundance of animal and plant species and collect data on the effects of climate change and the harmful impacts of uncontrolled tourism activities. In the coming years, we want to use the results of this study to help improve the management of these protected areas which also contain the island’s most important nesting beaches. Specifically, we want to ensure that the influx of visitors to the nesting beaches and the use of cars and quad bikes in these areas is regulated.
The extensive survey phase which is being carried out by teams of conservationists with the involvement of the local population will run until June. The introductory training program led by two biodiversity experts has already brought a great deal of knowledge about the fragile ecosystem of the island to all those involved. The results of the study and the recommendations for action derived from it will be published on our website in a few months’ time.
Alliance for leatherback turtle conservation in the north-eastern Indian Ocean
A small population of leatherback turtles nest in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. So far, little is known about this subpopulation – the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as “data deficient”. In order to change this, we have joined forces with our Indonesian sister organisation Yayasan Penyu Indonesia and two other organisations in Sumatra and India – Ecosystem Impact and the Dakshin Foundation. In December, the founding meeting of EIOLA (Eastern Indian Ocean Leatherback Alliance) took place on the island of Simeulue (province Aceh). It was also attended by the management and parts of the board of the German Turtle Foundation.
After signing the cooperation agreement we got down to practical work: On the beach Along we equipped two nesting leatherback turtles with satellite transmitters. We can now track their migration routes in the Indian Ocean for up to a year. We hope that this will provide us with information about their feeding grounds so that we can also protect them from potential dangers away from their nesting beaches.
Volunteers needed for loggerhead nesting season
Currently, major preparations are underway for the nesting season on Boa Vista. All the equipment including tents, cooking utensils, and food supplies must be ready to go when the beach protection camps are set up at the beginning of June. Besides, we need active support for data collection and night patrols on the loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches!
We call for international volunteers who would like to support us for a period of at least two weeks. Unforgettable experiences are waiting to be created! Do you know someone who would like to take an extraordinary break on the island that attracts thousands of loggerhead turtles every year to lay their eggs? Please forward the link to our website!
Annual Report 2023 at the ready
At our Cologne office, we are currently busy preparing the Annual Report for the past year. As always, you can expect exciting background stories about our projects in Indonesia and Cabo Verde. In this issue, we report on new activities in our leatherback project in Indonesia and provide information on our plans regarding the waste problem on Boa Vista. If you don’t want to miss the publication date, keep an eye on our social media channels!