Establishment of a model sea turtle tagging programme (TRI/95/G52/2101/008) (TRI/95/G52/2101/008)

Project Details & Results

Nature Seekers Inc. is a community-based organisation which maintains a sea turtle conservation, education and research programme within the Matura Beach Prohibited Area on the east coast of Trinidad. The pilot project implemented in collaboration with local government agencies and the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), addresses capacity-building of a rural CBO (NSI) to implement a tagging and database programme on the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) which nests annually in large numbers at the Matura Beach.

Grant funds would be used for administrative/personnel support and equipment and materials (tags, tools, tag readers).

Project Results
Policy influence:
a) Trained CBO members in tagging, data recording, assimilation and interpretation.
b) Upgrading in 1999 to a sub-regional Caribbean programme.
c) Enhanced management capacity in the region, based on partnerships between Government agencies and CBOs.

Project sustainability:
a) NSI is strengthening and diversifying its turtle ecotour programme and income-generation potential to cover the annual recurrent costs of the tagging programme.