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26 Years of Marine Turtle Conservation on Shell Beach
From sea turtle hunting to protection of sea turtles is an amazing tale of challenges, dedication and self esteem for local Amerindian Conservationists of Moruca, Region One.
Their fight is part of the global effort in the protection of the environment, and involves the tagging and monitoring of the nesting marine turtles and awareness campaigns which had influenced the path that journeyed to the declaration of Shell Beach as a Protected Area.
The Marine turtle conservation program had been created in 1988 and since then the local team had been monitoring the nesting population, along the Shell Beach of the north western coast of Guyana.
Romeo De Freitas (front left) and team on Shell Beach
A special education awareness package was developed in 1990, which was designed to target local students from the fisher using communities within the Moruca district. Numerous students visit the beach project during the peak of the nesting season May and June, and participate in a one week per school educational awareness activities.
The Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) was founded in 2000, and continues the effort of protecting the Marine turtles and its environment. The GMTCS had also managed and spearhead many communities outreach programmes pertaining to the conservation of the marine turtles, in collaboration with the local stake holders, governmental and donor agencies alike.
Romeo De Freitas, Country coordinator for the Marine Turtle Project (GMTCS), said that the society faced countless challenges with the conservation program. The development and sustainability of this program is ongoing.
He noted that the society does not use their funding as a business to generate profits.
“We always face the same challenges and fund raising becomes a major part of our activities. GMTCS had been blessed by having committed donor agencies, which not only support in funds and in kinds but also engage in technical supports throughout the years. Among the many funding agencies, whose support may have been for a season or even three years such as Eeripami,” he said.
The three main donor agencies, which had been the back bone of the project from the beginning are: Chelonian Research Institute, Simpson Oil Limited Inc. (earlier Shell Antilles Guyana) and the World Wildlife Funds.
The turtle population over the years had developed in relating data analysis and nesting females on the beaches at nights.
Human intervention and engagement, such as fishing activities in the nearby coastal waters and in front of nesting beaches, contribute to the lost of many adult turtles that had been caught accidently and drowned in nets.
“Nature had also played a major role in redesigning the nesting habitat by erosion, some of which becomes wonderful nesting spots, while others have been blocked by mud bars and become unsuitable for nesting, these natural cause had impacted in many disadvantages for the nesting turtles, especially those that may venture to other beaches, unprotected by rangers and suffer the consequences by the hands of the local fishermen,” he added.
De Freitas also noted that the marine turtle nesting and monitoring activities will begin in February and conclude in the later part of August.
GMTCS will continue to record and tag marine turtles, data collection on all monitoring activities, and promote its annual Education Awareness program. Moreover, the ranger training program will be conducted in the first quarter of the project, at the GMTCS field station on Almond beach, he added.
Special programs will be initiated to strengthen rangers’ capacities, and will be conducted by GMTCS and other agencies, such as The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), Protected Area Commission, WWF, Iwokrama, Repsol and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard.
De Freitas indicated that he is looking forward for a more positive outcome this season, and is calling on all stakeholders especially from the local fishing communities to support the conservation efforts, and avoid the practice of turtle eggs harvesting and killing of the adult female turtles, and even the purchasing of the meat and eggs with in the communities.
He noted that the Shell Beach is now a Protected Area and there is legislation that governor the illegal take of all the endangered species from within that area. And anyone who is caught or found doing that illegal act; will be facing the consequences of the law.
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