Recently, the United Nations News posted a podcast describing the successful work done by the Barbados Sea Turtle Project (June 23, 2022). Barbados is a small island nation in the Windward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Barbados Sea Project began at the University of the West Indies in the 1980s. In the podcast, Field Director Carla Daniels describes the Barbados Sea Project, the risks that turtles face when laying their eggs on the beach, and what the Barbados Sea Project has done to increase the sea turtle population successfully.


Nature is quite interdependent, and holistic solutions are most effective. Sea turtles are important because they feed on sponges, and sponges feed on coral. Coral reefs are essential in the ecosystem because they provide habitat to many marine species. Coral reefs also buffer the island's beautiful beaches by providing natural wave breaks that slow waves and reduce the force of the waves when they hit land. Coral reefs are facing many threats because of increasing ocean water temperatures, and reducing the threat of sponges devasting the reefs is one solution. That is achieved, in part, by protecting and nurturing the native sea turtle population. Sea turtles play many valuable functions in the Caribbean marine ecology, and this is only one relationship (sea turtles and coral reef protection) described.


One threat to sea turtle loss is habitat loss due to coastal development, coastal armoring (seawalls, jetties), and increasing water temperatures. Coastal development and coastal armoring result in narrower beaches that do not provide the nesting space necessary for sea turtles. Without the room to spread out, turtles will inadvertently dig up and destroy each other's eggs. Narrower beaches also mean they often stray off the beaches and go onto private properties and roads, risking death. Warmer temperatures affect sex determination in sea turtles. As the temperature increases, the hatchlings are more likely to be female. Though just a few males can service several females, when the males get older and die, the females will be unable to find a mate if temperatures continue to rise. Also, naturally occurring black sand beaches are getting very hot, negatively affecting hatching.


Volunteers staff the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, and the United Nations Development Program partially funds it. The Barbados Sea Project provides a 24-hour hotline for people to call in instances where turtles need rescue, report turtle sightings and tracks, and when things do not seem right. The hotline runs 365 days a year. The project has a team of volunteers to help with the rescues and protect turtles where they are laying their eggs on the beach. Young people, retirees, and working people who can carve time out of their schedules comprise the nightly work patrol. The project has three patrol teams working every night during the turtle nesting season, which runs from June 1 to November 15. The patrols work in the evening from 7:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Each patrol team must patrol its assigned beach each hour. Each team views and records all the turtles and nests found on their designated beach. The goal is to see and record 95-99 percent of all the turtles nesting and compare the numbers with the preceding years' populations. The Barbados Sea Turtle Project has successfully increased the sea turtle population using local volunteers passionate about conserving them. The volunteers staff the 24-hour hotline and the beach patrols.


There are species throughout the world that need conservation help. Chances are that endangered animals and plants struggle to survive in your local area. Consider starting a volunteer conservation corps in your hometown. It can be an engaging activity for young people, and a fun way to build social connections while supporting a good cause. For example, one community picks up trash from their beaches and local waterways to protect pelicans and sea turtles. Another community plants native wildflowers and removes invasive plants to protect and balance their native ecosystem.


Always check with wildlife and conservation specialists in government and non-profit organizations to ensure your project is sound. Keep your mission simple and the tasks straightforward. Involve as many organizations to partner with you to spread the influence of your work. Keep good records of your progress and celebrate your successes. If you're looking for a rewarding way to give back to the world, this could be it.


Photo by Karl Callwood on Unsplash.