Angola’s sea turtles are critically endangered

As first appeared in Wi.Ao in Angola, here. Written by Manuel David Sumbo.

February 20 2023

Illegal fishing, long reproductive cycles and climate change threaten the reptiles’ survival

A baby green turtle, one of the five species found in Angola. Image by Kitabanga Project.

In Angola there is a vast diversity of animal species, although there is still no clear idea of ​​their importance for our life and for the ecosystem, as is the case of sea turtles.

Turtles are more endangered than other species such as birds and butterflies because they have a longer reproductive cycle and take longer to adapt to changes.

Thus, the beaches where they spawn, which according to an immutable cycle are the same ones where they were born, are increasingly degraded by rising sea levels or erosion, and also by climate change that heats up the sand.

What is the importance of this species?

For Michel Morais, university professor and coordinator of the Kitabanga Project, this aspect needs to be looked at from various perspectives, including ecological, cultural and economic.

“From an economic perspective, it should be noted that for populations around the world, the turtle served as food and as a result, it declined on a large scale and was placed on the IUCN Red List of vulnerable animals and considered as critically endangered.”

“They are important, mainly because they are a connection in the marine trophic cascade (interactions that control ecosystems), that is, they directly influence many other species that also inhabit the sea. If turtles continue to be removed from their habitat this could throw the ecosystem out of balance, potentially affecting other species that inhabit the same ecosystem. In other words, they are extremely important for keeping the sea healthy,” he argued

Research shows that ecotourism for sea turtles generates more profits than the sale of their eggs, meat and shells – therefore, they are more valuable alive than dead.

According to NGO EcoAngola, in recent years, in Angola, these aquatic beings have become a major target for fishermen who encourage the illegal sale of the species, putting their survival at risk, being sold at a price of approximately 10 to 15 thousand kwanzas (£16.5 - £24.5)

It is important to remember that the sea turtle is protected by law in the national territory. Dispatch nº 1489/21 of March 26, restricts the occupation and fishing activity in the region of the mouth of the Longa River in favour of the conservation of sea turtles.

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.