New conservation partnerships include first Seacology project in Sierra Leone
Majestic sea turtles. Elusive lemurs. A rare butterfly found only in one area of a remote Pacific island. These are just a few of the many threatened species that will benefit from Seacology’s 14 latest projects!
These new partnerships with island communities, including our first in the West African country of Sierra Leone, will protect thousands of acres of fragile island habitat while benefiting local people. They will create new nature reserves, help dedicated local conservationists fight poaching and habitat destruction, and support environmental education to strengthen stewardship across generations. They will also help local people meet their material needs by bolstering food and water security, investing in local ecotourism, and building economic opportunity in the face of social stigmas.
Learn more about each of these exciting new projects below:
Chile: Curaco de Vélez
The village of Curaco de Vélez has been protecting 100 acres of critical wetland bird habitat since 2013. A new agreement with the community ensures that this important area is protected for another decade. A Seacology grant is funding improvements to the visitors center, which is used for environmental education and outreach.
Croatia: Pakleni Islands
These small islands have some legal protection, but the waters around them, which contain coral reefs, seagrass meadows, caves, and mudflats, do not. This project’s goals are to expedite creation of a new marine protected area, where fishing and tourism would be heavily regulated, and to remove marine debris.
Dutch Caribbean: Curaçao Sea Turtles
Populations of three species of endangered sea turtles–green, hawksbill, and loggerhead–have declined significantly here. Seacology is funding a turtle rehabilitation facility that will provide life-saving care for turtles and teach visitors how to avoid harming them.
Fiji: Navetau Village
Navetau Village sits on a peninsula that is home to several endangered species and to bird and butterfly species that live only on the peninsula. The community is protecting both marine and forest areas for 25 years. The village is using a Seacology grant to build a village hall to replace one damaged by a tsunami.
Guatemala: El Jiote
This project is helping to protect green, Pacific leatherback, and olive ridley marine turtles by expanding the Manuelita Turtle Hatchery. The community will also plant and protect mangroves and other trees. Households that donate turtle eggs to the hatchery will receive hens, to increase food security on the island.
Guatemala: La Barrita and Tres Cruces Islands
These island communities want to create a fishing protection zone near La Barrita village. Only artisanal fishing methods will be allowed – no nets, harpoons, or other destructive gear. Families will get clean drinking water from new water purification systems, and children will participate in environmental education.
Honduras: Boca del Rio Viejo Island
Community members will patrol this island, a critical nesting spot for marine turtles, to deter illegal fishing and mangrove cutting. They will also replant five acres of mangroves and educate students about conservation. Seacology funds will go toward construction of a two-classroom primary school, to replace a crowded and dilapidated one.
India: Khatisahi Island
The community will replant 10 acres of mangroves on their island in Chilika Lake, an enormous and wildlife-filled lagoon. A Seacology grant will fund a center for education and vocational training, where about 50 children in this Dalit community, who do not attend school because of their “untouchable” status, can get an education, and women can earn income from basket-making.
Indonesia: Arborek Village
Arborek Village, in the stunning Raja Ampat region, will patrol a bay at Gam Island, which boasts mangrove forests, reefs, and dramatic limestone formations, to stop illegal fishing. They will create a no-take zone and build a conservation center that includes a monitoring post.
Madagascar: Angavo Protected Area
The Turtle Survival Alliance, which manages a large protected area that is home to endangered lemurs and tortoises, will work with communities to replant cleared forest and prevent logging and poaching. They will build a school and a water cistern—very important in an area where water is scarce and only about 33% of children finish primary school.
Madagascar: Vilanandro Village
The villagers of Vilanandro will monitor and conserve 2,461 acres of a national park that is home to critically endangered lemurs and other important wildlife. They will also maintain firebreaks. The village will use a Seacology grant to rebuild two of the primary school’s three buildings, which were destroyed by a cyclone.
Photo by Adam Moore | Edges Of Earth
New Zealand (Aotearoa): Mill Creek
This project will restore creekside habitat around Lake Hayes (Waiwhakaata), on the South Island, helping to return the lake to a healthy state and bring back native wildlife, including fish, birds, and lizards. The Māori organization Mana Tāhuna will buy native plants and oversee replanting.
The Philippines: Barangay Dulao
Barangay Dulao is surrounded by forest that is home to critically endangered plants and animals. The community, predominantly inhabited by the Mabaka tribe, has long banned tree-cutting and hunting on about 25 acres of forest. Now, they will patrol and help replant a greatly expanded area, and maintain firebreaks. With a Seacology grant, they will install a solar power system for important public buildings.
Sierra Leone: Tiwai Island
Tiwai Island has 11 species of non-human primates, including chimpanzees, as well as forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and 135 species of birds. This project expands a beekeeping initiative that helps conserve forest and lets families earn sustainable income without logging or poaching. It will also establish a community fish pond, giving families protein and more economic stability.