Benguela – About 68,000 baby turtles have already been returned to the sea, in the province of Benguela, in the last seven years, as part of the “Cambeú” project, ANGOP learned on Monday.
The project, created in the municipality of Lobito, aims to save and preserve sea turtles, through the protection of their eggs after spawning along the local coast.
These eggs are later placed in nurseries and incubator boxes where they remain for 55 to 60 days, with technical and scientific care, and when they are born, the babies are returned to the sea, in the exact places where they were spawned. This happens because when turtles reach adulthood (16 to 20 years old) they return to lay their eggs where they were born.
According to the project coordinator, Sónia Ferreira, who was speaking to ANGOP today, they also protected 350 mothers from attacks by poachers, rescued 530 nests, carried out a thousand patrols and 90 community awareness actions with the participation of 80 volunteers trained by Cambeú.
Sónia Ferreira reported, on the other hand, that more than two thousand children visited the project.
She added that during this period only two species of the five existing species were discovered, and points to poaching as the main cause of their extinction.
Sónia Ferreira pointed out birds, fish and crabs as the main predators of sea turtles in their first phase of life.
However, the coordinator expressed greater concern about human action, which constitutes the main threat to the survival of the species.
“If we continue to have humans as predators of mother sea turtles we will be left without the species, since of the five types that the coast had available, only Oliva appears. The green one hasn’t been seen for three years,” she lamented.
Sea turtles are the main predators of jellyfish or jellyfish, which, in turn, are the biggest predators of larvae and eggs of fish such as tilapia, horse mackerel, conch and sardines, which are the most consumed in the country. 'This could also be one of the major causes of the scarcity of these fish species at the moment', stated the coordinator.
They are true “guardians” of the oceans, playing a fundamental role in maintaining the balance of coastal ecosystems. These creatures are not only icons of marine life, but are also crucially important to the health of the marine environments they inhabit.
The species plays a crucial role in regulating the populations of its prey, such as jellyfish, sea urchins and seaweed. By feeding on these organisms, they help maintain the balance of marine ecosystems, preventing the overpopulation of some species and the consequent imbalance of the food chain.
Sea turtles are herbivores and feed on algae that grow on coral reefs. By doing this, they prevent algae from becoming excessive and suffocating the corals, allowing the corals to stay healthy and thrive. Corals are the foundation of many marine ecosystems, providing shelter and food for a multitude of other species.
The species plays an important role in transporting nutrients between different areas of the ocean. When they migrate, they take nutrients from one location to another, contributing to the fertilization of remote marine areas and increasing the ecosystem's productivity.
Sea turtles also play an important role as a food source for various predators such as sharks, crocodiles, seabirds and other animals. This natural situation helps regulate turtle populations and maintains the balance of ecosystems.
In addition to their ecological importance, sea turtles also have great value for sustainable tourism. Many diving destinations offer the unique opportunity to observe these creatures in their natural environment, which encourages the conservation of marine areas and supports the local economy.
Although sea turtles play a vital role in marine ecosystems, they face numerous threats around the world, such as overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change. CRB/DOJ
