photo of our visit to Berau (Indonesia)

This is our team on the islands of Mataha and Bilang-Bilangan with visitors from Germany: (from left to right) Yusuf, Ben, Mudhar, Otto, Aidin, Thomas, Thorsten, Girboy, Ayoub (wants to go to Boavista next year!), Petra, Agung, Hilli

Sangalaki in danger!

Project manager Dr. Hiltrud Cordes and scientific director Dr. Thomas Reischig just arrived from a three weeks project visit in eastern Borneo. We were very glad to experience the strong dedication and commitment of our local collaborators for the sake of sea turtle protection, and to witness the excellent work they are doing. Our collaborators often live for several months on these remote islands before they take their well-deserved vacation on their home islandsSangalaki in danger! or on the mainland. Due to their activity, illegal egg theft is nearly history on our monitored islands of Sangalaki, Bilang-Bilangan, and Mataha. Until end of 2012, we have saved about 6,200,000 turtle hatchlings within our twelve years of activity.

However, recently our work is overshadowed by some unfortunate events. In late September, our staff has unexpectedly been expelled from the island by the local government, thus rendering the island unprotected against egg collectors from the neighboring island. So far, the future of our ranger station on Sangalaki is unclear. Of course, we will try everything that is possible for us to continue our work on this so important nesting island of the green sea turtle. In the meantime, we sent an urgent request to the appropriate ministry in Jakarta to clarify the situation on Sangalaki. Should there be no quick solution to continue our protection program we will soon launch a campaign to save Sangalaki. We will immediately inform you about any new development in this case.

Sangalaki in Gefahr!

Gerade sind wir, Projektmanagerin Dr. Hiltrud Cordes und wissenschaftlicher Leiter Dr. Thomas Reischig, von einem dreiwöchigen Projektbesuch in Ost-Borneo zurückgekehrt. Es freute uns sehr zu sehen, mit welcher Hingabe und Engagement unsere Mitarbeiter vor Ort im Sinne des Schildkrötenschutzes tätig sind und welch hervorragende Arbeit sie dort leisten. Unsere Mitarbeiter sind teils mehrere Monate ununterbrochen auf den einsamen Inseln stationiert, bevor sie ihren wohlverdienten Urlaub auf dem Festland antreten. Durch ihre Tätigkeit gehört der illegale Eierdiebstahl auf den von ihnen bewachten Inseln Sangalaki, Bilang-Bilangan und Mataha praktisch der Vergangenheit an. Bis zum Ende des Jahres 2012 konnten damit in der dann zwölfjährigen Tätigkeit der Turtle Foundation auf diesen Inseln etwa 6.200.000 Schildkrötenschlüpflinge gerettet werden!

Leider wird aber unsere Arbeit derzeit von einem unerfreulichen Ereignis überschattet. Völlig unerwartet sind unsere Mitarbeiter durch die Lokalregierung Ende September von der Insel Sangalaki verwiesen worden. Damit sind unsere Schildkröten vorerst wieder schutzlos den Eiersammlern von der Nachbarinsel ausgesetzt. Die Zukunft unserer Rangerstation auf Sangalaki und die der Schildkröten ist im Moment leider völlig ungewiß. Selbstverständlich werden wir alle uns zur Verfügung stehenden Hebel in Bewegung setzen, um den Fortgang unserer Arbeit auf dieser wichtigen Nistinsel sicherzustellen. Unterdessen haben wir eine dringende Anfrage zur Klärung der Situation auf Sangalaki beim zuständigen Ministerium in Jakarta eingereicht. Sollte sich keine rasche Lösung abzeichnen, die es möglich macht, das Schutzprogramm wieder aufzunehmen, werden wir in Kürze eine Kampagne zur Rettung von Sangalaki starten. Über neue Entwicklungen zur Sangalaki-Frage werden wir Sie hier auf dem Laufenden halten.

Good Bye Amanda

After one last push on Friday the Lacacão camp got packed down and put away in the storage, waiting for the next turtle season to come.


It has been a season of plenty: Plenty of turtles, plenty of work that came with them, plenty of rain, adventures, good memories and plenty of amazing people with great spirits that helped to make this year's project very special.


One of those people and our dearest turtle foundation friend, has decided to go for new adventures starting this November. We would like to take this opportunity to say good-bye to our ever-smiling guardian angel of the volunteers, Amanda. Amanda just had her last working day with us and is now on a her way to a well-earned little holiday to Santiago island.


We want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! For the support you gave to the Foundation in the past seasons... we are still amazed how easy you made it look! We will miss your passion for the conservation work, your patience and of course your cute Brazilian accent. Have a great time - wherever your next project will take you.

The TF Team

Amanda and Nusco

Record number of nesting turtles on Boavista

Translation of article.  Original article can be found at:

  http://noticias.sapo.cv/vida/noticias/artigo/1276627.html

17 October 2012
A record number of about six thousand turtles visited the beaches of Boa Vista island to nest during this summer, according to data presented today by the two NGOs working with the turtles on the island.
The numbers were presented this morning to celebrate the International Day of Sea Turtles at the headquarters of Project Consolidation System of Protected Areas of Boa Vista, in the presence of the Director General of the Environment, Moses Borges, and representatives of two NGOs, Natura 2000 and Turtle Foundation.
The estimated number of female turtles comes from dividing the approximately 30 thousand nests counted by five, since females nest an average of 5 times per season, approximately 15 days between nesting events, and then wait two years before returning for another nesting season, according to Ana Liria, scientific coordinator of the project Natura 2000.
According to the same data, about 30 turtles were killed for their meat on the beaches where these NGO’s work.
The two organizations have approached the Director General for the Environment in an ongoing effort to raise awareness in the local community and to help continue to reduce the slaughtering of turtles in Cape Verde.
The Natura 2000 Project covers an area of ​​20 kilometers and Turtle Foundation is responsible for protecting 25 miles of beach. (The original text has a typo in the expanse of beach protected by TF - the correct is 25 km and not 225).
The number of turtles coming to nest in Boavista, according to Natura 2000, increased from 1998 to 2009, but decreased significantly in the following two years.
Ana Liria explained that the life cycle of turtles is very complex, but the temperature of the currents is directly linked with reproduction.  Liria pointed out, "if the water is cold and they feed poorly, their digestion is slow and they do not get the energy needed to produce eggs. "
The island of Boa Vista has the third most important nesting ground for loggerhead turtles in the world and the only nesting on the east coast of the Atlantic.  

According Liria, the number 80 is special for turtles: they lay about 80 eggs at a time; live about 80 years and weigh about 80 kgs.
Liria explained that out of every thousand hatchlings born, an average of only one reaches adulthood, and stressed it is very important to carry out long-term studies on the turtle populations.
Males arrive in Cape Verde in May and in June the females arrive to nest.  The hatchlings begin to emerge in late August and hatching can last up to the end of November, but most hatchlings are born during the month of September after an incubation of about two months.

Cape Verde 2012: Record Nesting Season - Temporada de Desova Recorde em Cabo Verde

A record number of nesting turtles (6000!) visited Boavista this year. 

From: http://noticias.sapo.cv/vida/noticias/artigo/1276627.html

Cerca de seis mil tartarugas desovaram este ano nas praias da ilha da Boa Vista

17 de Outubro de 2012, 16:50

Um número recorde de cerca de seis mil tartarugas visitaram as praias da ilha da Boa Vista para nidificarem durante o Verão, de acordo dados apresentados hoje pelas duas ONG que trabalham com as tartarugas na ilha.

Os números foram apresentados esta manhã em comemoração ao Dia Internacional das Tartarugas Marinhas, na sede do Projecto de Consolidação do Sistema das Áreas protegidas da Boa Vista, na presença do director -geral do Ambiente, Moisés Borges, e de representantes das duas ONG, Natura 2000 e Fundação Tartaruga.

O número apresentado advém da contagem dos cerca de 30 mil ninhos divididos por cinco, segundo Ana Liria, coordenadora científica do Projecto Natura 2000, que explico que mesmo ano a fêmea nidifica cinco vezes a cada 15 dias e depois espera dois anos para voltar às praias.

De acordo com os mesmos dados, cerca de 30 tartarugas foram mortas para consumo/venda da carne, nas praias onde trabalham.

As duas organizações apresentaram queixaram-se unto ao Director Geral do Ambiente das dificuldades na sensibilização da comunidade civil, embora reconheçam que o número de abates esteja a diminuir  a cada ano.

O Projecto Natura 2000 cobre uma área de 20 quilómetros e a Fundação Tartaruga está encarregue pela protecção de 25 km de praia. (o texto original apresenta erro de digitaçao na extensao de praia protegida pela TF - o correto é 25 km, e nao 225).

O número de tartarugas que visita a ilha vinha, segundo a Natura 2000, aumentando desde 1998 até 2009, tendo este número sofrido uma “grande queda” nos dois anos seguintes.

Ana Liria explicou que o ciclo de vida das tartarugas é muito complexo, mas a temperatura das correntes está directamente ligada com a reprodução, ou seja, assinalou, “se apanham águas frias alimentam-se mal, a digestão é lenta e não produzem a energia necessário para produzir os ovos”. 

A ilha da Boa Vista tem a terceira população mais importante do mundo e a única nidificante na costa Este do Atlântico, abriga cerca de 70 por dos ninhos do país. A frente da Boa Vista estão a Costa Este, dos EUA,  e Omã, na Península Arábica.

Segundo Liria, o numero 80 é especial para as tartarugas: colocam cerca de 80 ovos de cada vez; vivem  mais ou menos 80 anos e pesam aproximadamente 80 quilos.

Explicou ainda que a cada mil tartarugas que nascem, só uma chega à idade adulta, ainda sublinhou, “é muito importante fazer estudos a largo prazo”.

Os machos chegam a Cabo Verde em Maio e as fêmeas em Junho, as tartarugas começam a nascer em finais de Agosto e pode estender –se até finais de Novembro, mas, a maior parte nasce durante o mês de Setembro, sendo que a eclosão dá-se em dois meses.

@Inforpress/Fim