Barbados can lead the way in turtle conservation
CARLA Daniel of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project says the all-out attempt to save the nesting sites of turtles on Drill Hall beach last weekend was worth it.
She was speaking during a media briefing to update the public on an event which was scheduled to take place recently, but was cancelled. A post on social media Daniel did early on Sunday morning raised the alarm about the erection of the stage, tents, vehicles driving the beach which could have potentially destroyed the scores of fragile turtle nests which as she explained were a few inches from the surface of the sand.
Her call sparked the attention and ire of the country. By Sunday afternoon Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw met with Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey, Minister of the Environment Trevor Prescod along with representatives from the National Conservation Commission, as well as the promoter of the event and title sponsor. The meeting from all accounts was amicable, with Daniel who a few hours earlier was distressed, said she was heartened by the show of solidarity with respect to the protection of the island’s natural environment and nature.
According to Daniel, “I will say that I am fully cognisant that a sacrifice has been made by the promoters, by the sponsors, that money has been spent that cannot be recouped, that perhaps there might have been some inconvenience to persons who might have been looking forward to this event. I am very sorry about those issues, but I will say that our sea turtles deserve it. They are worth it.”
“The value of sea turtles to Barbados; you cannot put a dollar amount on it. Not just a value that is direct, in terms of tourism funds coming in, people coming to the island to see turtles. Turtles give Barbados the edge perhaps over competing countries, where there is also pretty sand, wonderful culture and good music. There is also sunshine all year-round but they don’t have the opportunity to come down and sea hatchlings going into the sea on a beach, they don’t have the opportunity to see turtles.”
In fact, Daniel believes that Barbados has a unique opportunity to lead the way when it comes to sea turtle conservation.
“There are still countries within our region that have open seasons on turtles. We have a moratorium that has been in place since 1998. We have a beautiful history of respecting our environment, maintaining the beach habitat that is so vital for turtles.”
The conservation activist stressed that for this endangered species, every nest is important.
“I think that we came to the best resolution here. All parties have agreed and I am definitely satisfied that going forward we will be able to chart a course that allows to have events that allows Barbados to’ wuk-up’ and enjoy their soca music but turtles can also come up and nest in a safe environment,” she said. (JH)