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Fund Transport for Sea Turtle Protection in Sal Island, Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde is home of the 3rd world largest population of the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). However, the subpopulation that nests in the islands of the archipelago is listed as one of the 11 most threatened populations of sea turtles in the world. Unfortunately, this is only exacerbated by persistent illegal poaching of the female Loggerhead for her meat.

Since its inception in 2015, the story of Project Biodiversity has been one of strength, resilience, and determination. Each season, over 50 staff members and volunteers dedicate their time to protecting nesting Loggerhead turtles from poachers by patroling the beaches each night. With over 19 kilometers of beaches to patrol, staff rely heavily on reliable transport in order to effectively patrol beaches, and, in turn, protect and save nesting turtles. For the last two seasons, numerous obstacles - from faulty gears to perpetually overheated engines - have made safe transport for our patrol teams an enormous challenge. 

That's why this year, we're dreaming big. We're hoping to raise 14.000 € - enough to purchase a reliable truck in good working order - and we need your help. Support us by making a donation on this page - any donations over 25€ will receive a special gift as a token of our appreciation.

Need some convincing? Start by reading below!

What would having our own truck mean to us?

For different team members, having a truck in good working order means  different, but equally critical things: 

For our patrol teams and field assistants, it means reassurance that in an emergency, someone will be able to reach them quickly and safely.

For our camp coordinators, this means a dependable way to reach teams when they receive an emergency call about a turtle being taken or direct threat from a poacher. 

For our project managers, this means having reliable transport to bring patrol teams to and from their respective beaches, many of which are far away from the project base camp.

For everyone on our team, it means more efficient and effective efforts to protect nesting turtles.

What happens when we meet our goal?

The received donations will go towards financing a reliable vehicle for the project, which will allow us to improve the patrols, cover more beaches and ensure a fast response in emergency situations. Any additional funding will go straight towards improving our capacity for better turtle protection, including new equipment, educational material, and outreach opportunities for the coming nesting seasons.

I made a donation! How else can I help?

As supporters, you are part of our extended team, with networks spanning across the globe. In addition to making a donation, Fundrazr also gives you the option to set up your own fundraising page on behalf of the project, and has the potential to help us expand the campaign's reach even farther. To set up your own page on behalf of the campaign, click here and follow the directions for easy set up! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/a1B8L5/customize 

A bit of background on Turtle conservation in Sal Island – if you still don’t know…!

Sal Island is the second most important nesting island of the archipelago after Boa Vista. In 2016 Project Biodiversity recorded a record 4.120 nests, beating the preceding record of 2.606 in 2012. Despite this good numbers, the population faces a high rate of mortality due to human activities. The main threats are poaching of the adult females for their meat and eggs, loss of habitat, light pollution and plastic pollution. Only in 2016 more than 18% of the population was illegally slaughtered by poachers, counting more than 200 dead turtles.

Project Biodiversity is the only non-profit organization working in Sal Island for the conservation of marine turtles. During the nesting season, from June to October, we set up a field camp with international volunteers and local Cabo Verdeans that will patrol the main nesting beaches every night. By doing this we avoid poaching and we also collect biometric data from the nesting turtles that will help us better understand the health of the population. We also relocate and monitor the nests that are threatened to our hatchery where we monitor the nests until they are ready to hatch. In 2016, we released more than 51.800 baby turtles safely into the sea.

For more information, please visit:

Video Endangered Sea Turtles in Cabo Verde, by Nakawe Project

Video about the Work of the Volunteers during the Sea Turtle Protection Campaign, by Nakawe Project

SeeTurtles.org: http://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-info/

IUCN – Marine Turtle Specialist Group: https://iucn-mtsg.org