WILLEMSTAD - In its continued efforts to strengthen environmental stewardship across the region, the Sandals Foundation has partnered with Sea Turtle Conservation Cuarçao (STCC) for beach monitoring, public sea turtle education, scientific research, and rescues across Curaçao’s beaches. Curaçao sees Green turtles, Loggerheads, and Hawksbill turtles annually, during the critical nesting season from May to December. Through this latest partnership, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts has provided support in the value of approximately NAF 44,000 to Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao towards monitoring the activities of sea turtles and educating over two hundred and fifty (250) members of the wider community – students, volunteers, fishers, residents – about the importance of the marine animal.
“Globally, sea turtles are endangered, and, at the Sandals Foundation, we support their conservation to varying degrees to ensure the safety of the species. Maintaining partnerships with organisations like Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao brings awareness to the ecological importance of sea turtles and the risks facing them, including pollution and disease. Community involvement and education are key components of conservation efforts,” says Georgia Scarlett, Environmental Projects Coordinator at Sandals Foundation.
Additional capacity building efforts include training of more than seventy (70) new and existing volunteers through practical sessions in rescues and rehabilitation and data collection of nest activity. The Sandals Foundation also supports scientific research in Fibropapillomatosis, a tumourcausing disease affecting sea turtles on the island.
Since the start of the nesting season in May, Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao has hosted eight (8) awareness sessions for reaching more than two hundred and fifty (250) citizens, eleven (22) rescues, and sixty-five (65) turtles caught in 5 netting sessions, while motoring over 400 hatchlings.
Field Coordinator of Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao, Ard Vreugdenhil, says, “Thanks to the Sandals Foundation, we have increased our capacity to improve our presence at the beaches and make people aware of our efforts in promoting enjoying nature in a sustainable way”.
“We are working hard to create awareness. We have [our] beautiful creatures here in the sea – and they can be negatively affected by pollution and habitat destruction. What we want to achieve, together with Sandals, is a safe environment for animals where tourists can also enjoy nature. That is how it should always be – enjoying nature [but] with respect to wildlife,” he continued.
Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao, now in its 10th year of operation, is a non-profit organisation based on the island of Curaçao, that provides protection for sea turtles, marine animals, and their habitat. STCC is a member of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), strengthening its capacity to impact conservation activities across the region.
The Sandals Foundation’s involvement in conservation of sea turtles and their endangered species in Curaçao, Grenada, and Jamaica, represents its commitment to environmental sustainability in Caribbean communities.
