They Used To Be Wildlife Poachers. Now, They Make A Living Protecting Critically Endangered Sea Turtles

They Used To Be Wildlife Poachers. Now, They Make A Living Protecting Critically Endangered Sea Turtles

They Used To Be Wildlife Poachers. Now, They Make A Living Protecting Critically Endangered Sea Turtles Conservation organizations are employing Cabo Verdeans, who formerly hunted endangered and threatened sea turtles, as rangers who now monitor and patrol beaches. From 2007-24, illegal catches of female turtles on one island plummeted from 1,253 to a mere 20, while nesting sites of vulnerable loggerhead turtles increased sevenfold, according to data by a conservation NGO. Locals traditionally consume turtle parts, use them in traditional medicine and now sell them in black markets; however, conservation activities, legislation and tourism have led to a reduction in turtle harvesting, researchers say. Conservationists say threats persist for sea turtles from at-sea captures, industrial fishing and plastic pollution, and that stricter laws and increased participation of the fisher community in conservation activities are needed. Seven years into patrolling on Cabo Verde’s islands, Roni Nels…