looking for head lamps
We are looking for people or organizations who would like to donate head lamps with red filter for our sea turtle conservation project in Indonesia. Should you wish to make a very useful gift, please contact us at:
. THANKS!
on the air
M O V I N G PICTURES FROM BOAVISTA
Turtle Foundation on Cape Verde Television "rtc"!
The following 2 minute footage has been aired regularly over the past few days on Cape Verde and Portuguese TV. It shows Turtle Foundation’s conservation work in collaboration with the local NGO “Clube Ambiental da Boavista". (Beware: this footage contains some shocking images, where sea turtles are being slaughtered!)
> To the film (Portuguese spoken!)
> English translation here (PDF)
> See also Blog entry
OLYMPIC TURTLE MISSION succeded!
How top athletes commit themselves to save sea turtles: > more information
The Turtle Foundation is an international charitable organization with offices in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Indonesia. The foundation is a dedicated volunteer effort. At most 8% of its total expenses are used for administration. The Turtle Foundation currently operates important protection projects in Cape Verde and in Indonesia. In order to continue its successful work the foundation urgently needs additional financial support.
Hotspot Cape Verde
Cape Verde is a beautiful holiday destination, but there is a dark side as well. In 2007, Turtle Foundation received reports of the widespread, brutal slaughter of female Loggerhead Turtles as they came ashore to nest. Poachers, in violation of Cape Verde laws, are killing the turtles for the meat, waiting on the beach to cut the turtles open while they are still alive. In 2008, Turtle Foundation, with the support of the Cape Verde military, began a beach protection program on Porto Ferreira beach on the island of Boavista. In 2008, mortality on this beach was reduced by 90%, from 600 on this beach alone in 2007, to 60 in 2008. In 2009, again with the support of the military and this time with the participation of international volunteers, our program was expanded to 4 beaches on Boavista. And again, on protected beaches the slaughter was greatly reduced. But there are still unprotected beaches, and large-scale construction projects threaten additional nesting areas. Turtle Foundation plans to expand our program even further for the 2010 nesting season.
> More information
> News
Hotspot Indonesia
Indonesia is a challenging place to do conservation work. Nevertheless, Turtle Foundation has been running a successful nesting beach protection program there since 2000. For decades, all the nests laid by the green sea turtles on these 5 islands off the east coast of Kalimantan, Indonesia were collected and sold. By the time we arrived, the numbers of turtles returning to nest on these islands was dropping precipitously. Turtle Foundation negotiated an agreement with the government to allow 20% of the nests laid on Sangalaki, the island with the majority of the nesting, to hatch. With continued pressure from Turtle Foundation and other conservation groups and tourists, in 2002 we received a mandate to protect the island from any egg collecting, and within a few years we had expanded this protection to two other islands in the region. Our project, in cooperation with the local Conservation Authority, supports 15 local jobs, and has resulted in more than 4 million hatchlings being allowed to hatch from their nests so far. With additional funds, we could include additional islands in the protection program, There is also a need for offshore patrolling, as recently there have been several instances of nets found in the water with turtles and other marine animals trapped and killed in the net. Reef bombing and shark-finning are also occurring in these rich, beautiful waters.
> More information
> News
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