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ASF has taken on the challenge of protecting sea turtle populations and their habitat against continued threats to their survival. Since those early days, and thanks in large part to the efforts of ASF, sea turtles have become one of the flagship species for a flourishing environmental movement throughout the country, and the focus of the organization has shifted from discovery to research and protection of marine ecosystems. In parallel with the depletion of Gabon’s non-renewable resources, tourism is fast emerging as a sustainable low impact source of revenue for the country. And environmental tourism has been recognised as a way to value and conserve endangered species, while enhancing public awareness on their plight.

Four species of sea turtles occur in Gabon, the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). Gabon hosts large reproductive populations of leatherbacks (and, to a lesser extent olive ridleys, green turtles and hawksbills), and Gabonese coastal waters are feeding and developmental habitat for adult and immature green turtles and hawksbills. Human and animal predation remain major land-based threats. High demand for turtle products, including meat and eggs, from urban areas and impoverished coastal villagers, means that sea turtle exploitation has become commercially lucrative. Marine threats include intentional capture by artisanal fisheries, incidental capture by industrial trawlers (often dragging their nets much closer to shore than the legal limit), and pollution.

Our work programme spans a wide range of activities, from scientific monitoring and surveys to environmental education and ecotourism. We have been maintaining four field sites along the Gabonese coastline: Pongara, Mayumba, Cap Esterias and Iguela. Seasonal activities include beach surveys and monitoring of nesting populations, while the mitigation of human threats is pursued year-round. We are working closely with the Gabonese authorities in seeking ways to protect turtles through the legal system – both at a national and international level. Developing environmental tourism, raising awareness and promoting sustainable local initiatives are all current priorities.

Pongara

Pongara is located approximately 11 km across the estuary from Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Its fine-sand beaches host a large population of nesting leatherbacks (estimated at approximately 300-500 nesting females per season),which ASF has been monitoring and protecting since 1996. The Pongara programme is one of ASF’s major strengths, through which we have the unparalleled opportunity to reach the 500,000 people living in nearby Libreville (50% of the country’s total), most of whom have never even seen the magnificent creatures nesting so close. Thanks to its easy access from the city, its natural beauty and the abundance of wildlife, the area has become a favourite destination for numerous visitors. However, local resort development and lighting, as well as indiscriminate beach use, quad bikes and speedboats represent serious threats to this nesting population. Other threats include beach erosion and nest flooding, occasional poaching and obstruction of the beach by washed-up timber (from logging operations in the interior which use rivers to transport logs).

In addition to our baseline scientific research on the population (including track counts, tagging, nest monitoring and threat assessment over 5 km), we are placing great emphasis on public outreach and education. We are currently completing an Education and Information Center, with exhibits on sea turtle natural history and conservation, which will represent a focal point for “turtle observation tours”, as well as a research station for ASF and visiting scientists. Priorities include raising awareness on sea turtle conservation through formal and informal seminars, dissemination of educational materials, as well as, field trips for students from Libreville schools.

Since the creation of Pongara National Park in August 2002 (with the main objective of protecting the sea turtle rookery), strong emphasis is being placed on regulation and management of the natural resources, and on minimising the impact of tourists, while maximising their nature appreciation and environmental awareness. ASF and the new national park authorities are working closely in order to decrease the negative impact of tourism on the nesting beach, to manage the flow of visitors during the nesting season and to enforce protective legislation and “turtle-friendly” behavior in the park. Our ecotourism programme builds on our partnerships with local tourist operators, developers and members of the community.

Corisco Bay

Corisco Bay is one of the most important feeding grounds on the west coast of Africa, hosting green turtle seagrass and algal beds of enormous conservation value, as well as developmental, feeding and nesting sites for all four of the sea turtle species occurring in Gabon. The Benga tribe in this area are traditional turtle hunters and green turtles captured near the islands of Corisco and Mbanie are transported alive towards Bata (Equatorial Guinea) or, through Cap Esterias, towards Libreville, where they support an urban demand for turtle meat. This more recent commercial exploitation represents the greatest threat to the sea turtles of Corisco Bay, almost certainly exceeding the traditional cultural use of turtles by the people of the area.

Unfortunately, the eagerly awaited change in national legislation outlawing the commercial exploitation of all species of sea turtles has yet to be signed into law. Despite ASF’s intense lobbying, the Gabonese government has been slow to take up the challenge of the endangered green turtle populations, although leatherbacks are already partially protected. Meanwhile, raising awareness, environmental education and scientific research remain major priorities of our activities in the area. Attitudes are already beginning to shift among local fishermen, who have become aware of the importance of the need to preserve their natural resources.

Our work to date has focused on several aspects: (1) monitoring the hunting pressure on sea turtles andevaluating the level of cultural and traditional use, as opposed to non-local commercialisation; (2) seeking alternative sources of livelihood for the Benga; (3) supporting environmental education in the local school and overseas programme exchanges; (4) monitoring the illegal activities of industrial trawlers, which represent a grave threat to both sea turtles and fish harvests for artisanal fishermen; (5) collaborating with overseas scientists for genetic analysis of the feeding population (Cardiff University, UK), a study of green turtle diet (Karumbe, Uruguay) and histopathological analysis of suspected fibropapillomatosis (in collaboration with G. Balazs, A. Billes and T. Spraker).

Mayumba

The Mayumba leatherback nesting population has been estimated as being among the two largest in the world. In addition to leatherbacks, this 90 km beach between the town of Mayumba and the Congo border hosts olive ridley nesting and occasional green turtles and hawksbills. We have gathered a large dataset since 1999, based on dawn patrols to count emergence tracks along a 10 km stretch, as well as night-time patrols to tag individual females and study their nesting behaviour. Although apparently large, the Mayumba population is vulnerable to threats both at the nesting beach and away from it, along migratory pathways and feeding areas. The ultimate goal of our research is to describe the population we are trying to conserve, its size, demography and distribution, in order to protect it more effectively. We will continue to work in partnership with the authorities of Mayumba National Park so that our efforts can be translated in direct benefits to management and conservation of the population.

Given the global importance of the Mayumba leatherback population, we are planning to extend our operations from basic monitoring of the nesting activity to delving into more advanced scientific research. This inevitably involves scientific collaborations with other research groups worldwide. For instance, a study of the genetic characteristics of the leatherback population is underway in collaboration with P. Dutton (US Southwest Fisheries Science Center, California).

Iguela

Thanks to a partnership with Loango National Park, we have been monitoring 35 km of nesting beach in the Iguela area, southern Gabon. Although the site is not as significant as Pongara or Mayumba in terms of nesting numbers, our main objectives here include the establishment of a threat reduction programme and collaboration with the local hotel owners to develop turtle ecotourism. Part of our study area is outside of the park borders and is subject to intense exploitation from nest poachers. Illegal trawling, beach pollution and oil exploitation activities are widespread problems, which we plan to address through an aggressive campaign in collaboration with park authorities. Scientific research and training of the park eco-guides is being pursued, especially with respect to standardising methodology in data collection across study sites.

The recent creation of 13 new national parks in August 2002, protecting over 11% of the national territory, represented a very strong signal on the part of the Gabonese government that environmental protection is in the country’s best interest and a more durable alternative to exploitation of non-renewable resources. This bodes well for sea turtles and for ecotourism based on the enjoyment of nature and wildlife. ASF has been instrumental in this shift in attitude and we believe that our efforts in favor of sea turtles and their habitats will continue to generate benefits for local people and the ecosystems on which they depend.