WWF On The Ground for Marine Turtles in KwaZulu Natal
From left to right: Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchling; Project Monitor July Ngubane delves into an egg chamber after the hatchlings have rushed to the ocean to recover the empty eggshells.
Turtle Monitoring in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
WWF has long recognised the Maputaland region as one of the most important conservation areas in southeast Africa, and has funded the Turtle Monitoring and Conservation effort for prolonged periods throughout the entire life of the Project.
It is the longest running, continuous loggerhead and leatherback monitoring programmes in the world, and one of the most sustained marine turtle monitoring programmes ever mounted anywhere in the world.
"WWF has kept the Project going in many years when the funds have been scarce," said current Project Manager, EKZN Wildlife Regional Marine Ecologist Dr Ronel Nel.
"WWF has funded the monitors and ongoing operational activities," she said, "and enabled the Project to expand into new areas - such as sustainability and alternative livelihoods. The Project could not have been maintained over such a long period without WWF."
