R300 000 fundraising initiative for at-risk sea turtles in KwaZulu-Natal
NESTING turtles of the Maputaland coastline in northern KwaZulu-Natal need more security – and your help to pay for it.
The Ezemvelo Turtle Monitoring Programme employs Maputaland residents to monitor and protect vulnerable loggerhead and leatherback turtles visiting the shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site.
Backed by WildOceans SA, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Different.org, the aim is to raise R300000 for the programme by the end of December.
Leatherback turtles are critically endangered and loggerhead turtles are on the Red Data book list of threatened species.
Senior marine ecologist Santosh Bachoo said the consumption of turtles by humans had historically been one of the main causes of decline in turtle populations globally, but now poor fishery practices were the main factor.
“Sixty years ago, nesting turtles were being poached as they emerged to nest on the beaches. Today, turtles, especially leatherbacks, get accidentally caught and killed in pelagic long-line fisheries that target tuna and swordfish
“The nesting protection programme is very intensive and is undertaken annually,” he said.
It is an expensive project because it needs many people to be involved, and because of the equipment required.
Click the link to read more…
The project funding can be found here at different.org
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Photo from IOL.
