Eleven sea turtles rescued by SAVA civil society

The city of Vohémar, in the SAVA region (Sambava, Antalaha, Vohémar, Andapa) is facing an upsurge in the illegal hunting of sea turtles.

To combat this situation, civil society in the region has directly intervened to save eleven turtles from poachers. With the help of the regional bureau of fisheries and the Gendarmerie, the turtles were seized and quarantined. This was very welcome news to coincide with World Sea Turtle Day, this 16th June.

The intervention was led by the nature protection network (Tambazotra Miaro ny Tontolo Iainana) in northeastern Madagascar. For Sylvain Velomora, TMTI, turtle hunting only hinders the development of the region. "I’m telling you, it is not with the hunt for sea turtles that we will enrich ourselves. We make a solemn appeal to all the citizens of our region. Stop the illegal hunting of turtles which is a shame for our region.”

As a reminder, TMTI is a consortium of 34 civil society organizations (Associations, NGOs, ...). It is an environmental platform that creates lobbies and advocacy groups at the regional level for the preservation of the forest corridor Marojejy - Anjanaharibe south - Tsaratanàna (COMATSA). With the support of WWF and USAID, the TMTI network has been conducting advocacy campaigns in the SAVA region since 2014. Their campaigns have focused upon improving forest management, fostering communities’ abilities to sustainably manage resources, and fighting against climate change.

Heureuse Journée Mondiale des tortues marines!