Thirty staff members from various departments and agencies under the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy and Natural Resources (MECENR) recently participated in a one-day training session on sea turtle monitoring and conservation.
The training, held at Olympic House in Roche Caiman, was conducted by Dr Jeanne Mortimer, a Seychellois conservation biologist and internationally recognised sea turtle expert. The session aimed to strengthen the Ministry’s capacity to monitor sea turtle populations, protect nesting sites and support conservation efforts across Seychelles.
The training covered the different species of sea turtles found in Seychelles waters, with particular attention to hawksbill and green turtles, the two species that regularly nest in Seychelles. Participants included enforcement officers, conservation officers and staff from the Legal Department, among others. They learnt how to identify nesting activity, record turtle tracks, monitor nests, collect data and understand the importance of turtle tagging in conservation.
“What I learnt from this training is that protecting a living sea turtle preserves its future contribution to the population; killing it removes that contribution permanently. This is why we must continue with monitoring and awareness,” said Christie Roselie, an intern from the Public Awareness and Community Outreach Section.
Mithila Mudalige from the Seychelles Marine Spatial Planning Agency highlighted the importance of protecting sea turtles throughout their life cycle.
“The session reinforced why we must contribute to protecting sea turtles, especially as they take many years to reach reproductive maturity. It was an eye-opening experience,” she said.
The session also highlighted the importance of regular, systematic and accurate monitoring to better understand sea turtle populations and identify threats to their survival. This is particularly important as the nesting season for the critically endangered hawksbill turtle has begun.
“Being on the beach, focusing on poaching, being present, and counting the tracks and how many turtles are coming in is of the utmost importance for the Ministry,” said Dr Mortimer. She also shared her extensive experience in sea turtle research, monitoring and conservation, including efforts to address poaching across the Inner and Outer Islands of Seychelles.
Staff were encouraged to apply their newly acquired knowledge to improve monitoring, maintain accurate records of nesting activity and pay greater attention to beaches where turtles nest regularly or where the risk of poaching is high.
Conservation Officer Fredo Dubel explained that the training was organised to increase the number of personnel from the Ministry and its agencies equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to monitor sea turtles effectively.
“We are currently in the sea turtle nesting season, and we must ensure that we collect as much data as possible to have a clear picture of the current populations of the two species in the Inner Islands. This will also help us improve our monitoring methods and maintain a more reliable database of sea turtle nesting activity,” said Dubel.
The training comes at an important time, as the Ministry is also working on new regulations aimed at strengthening the protection of selected beaches during the sea turtle nesting season. These measures are intended to reduce disturbances to nesting turtles, protect their habitats and support long-term conservation efforts.
By strengthening staff skills and improving the collection of monitoring data, the Ministry aims to support more effective conservation and enforcement efforts, helping to ensure that sea turtles continue to nest safely on Seychelles’ beaches for generations to come.