Trinidad Drastically Increases Turtle Protection Efforts
February 27th, 2011
Minister of Housing Housing and the Environment Roodal Moonilal says $653,340 was approved for payment of community personnel to patrol 15 beaches for the protection of nesting turtles. He made this comment at the launch of the 2011 Turtle Nesting Season, at the Sangre Grande Civic Centre, Foster Road, Sangre Grande yesterday. The leatherback turtles, which are classified as an endangered species, nest on north-eastern beaches including Grande Riviere and Matura. Among the species which date back to the dinosaur age are the greenback, hawksbill, loggerhead and olive ridley.
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Moonilal said: “From a budget of $10,000 in 1990, this year, the ministry has approved a total of $653,340 for the payment of community personnel to patrol 15 beaches.” He also said it was important to provide adequate financial and legislative support since “an estimated 10,000 turtles now nest in Trinidad compared to 500 in 1987.” “In the past, members of some of the communities were also appointed as honorary Game Wardens to patrol some of the beaches in an attempt to boost the protection effort. They were fully authorised under the Conservation of Wild Life Act to apprehend persons found committing offences on the nesting turtles.”
Moonilal added: “My ministry became actively involved in saving the leatherback turtles in the 1980s when they were being slaughtered at an alarming rate of 30 to 40 per night.” Moonilal noted strides had been made toward reducing the slaughter of turtles on the beaches. He said: “Despite best efforts, some poaching still occurs as reports indicate a total of five out of ten leatherback turtles are killed annually on land.” He said despite the strides made there was a need to be more vigilant in ensuring there is continued collaboration with all the stakeholders as they work towards ensuring turtles continue to be present on T&T beaches and territorial waters. He also gave kudos to the Forestry Division for its initiative, saying it started the week by “saving a cougar (mountain lion)...now ending the week by saving turtles.”
source: Guardian
