Eco tourism......Watamu
WATAMU TURTLE WATCH / LOCAL OCEAN TRUST
Marine turtles have a history of over a 100 million years on earth with historical records reporting abundant populations in East African waters. Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley Turtles are known to nest on Kenyan beaches, with the green turtle the country's most common species. All species are red listed by the World Conservation Union
(IUCN) as either endangered or critically endangered. Despite international legislation and local protection of marine turtles by government legislation since 1977, marine turtles are still being extensively exploited throughout Kenya for their eggs, meat, oil and shell. Human population growth, economic factors and the breakdown of cultural controls has meant that the once sustainable use of marine turtles is now driving Kenyan marine turtle populations to the brink of extinction. Feeding habitats, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, are being destroyed by unsustainable harvesting and damaging fishing practices, while turtle nesting beaches are being disturbed by tourist industry development. In addition, hundreds of turtles are accidentally caught and drowned in fishing gear each year.
WATAMU TURTLE WATCH (WTW)
Background
Barbara Simpson, a long standing resident of Watamu and respected naturalist, formed WTW in 1997 to continue and further develop her personal marine turtle conservation efforts, which she had been undertaking in the area since the 1970's. In its first years WTW focussed its conservation efforts on sea turtles in Watamu Marine Park and northern shores of Mida Creek, with a related education
programme. Since then, WTW has broadened its conservation efforts to encompass these issues while maintaining a focus of activities in the Watamu area.
WTW works in close co-operation with the Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee
(KESCOM), of which it is a member, and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Fisheries Department.
Aims
WTW is a marine conservation organisation committed to the protection of sea turtles and the marine environment through research, education, hands-on conservation, community development and campaigning. The involvement of local communities in all aspects of our work is an essential part of the project with the aim of making it sustainable into the future.
WTW PROGRAMMES
A. Conservation & Research
Watamu & Malindi Marine Park marine turtle nest protection and research programme
In 1997 WTW initiated a nest protection programme in co-operation with local people, which protects all nests laid by sea turtles on Watamu beach. Local participation is encouraged through a financial incentive scheme. Daily patrols by community members check for nesting turtles, new nests, and protect and monitor incubating and hatching nests. Nesting turtles that are encountered are tagged and biometric data collected. Nests are allowed to incubate in situ unless laid in an area threatened by sea wash, in which case they are carefully relocated to a safe area. In April 2001 WTW extended this nest protection programme to Malindi Marine Park and works in close co-operation with KWS to protect all nests laid within the Park boundaries. As of December 2002 179 nests have been protected, with more than 16,500 hatchlings released.
Marine turtle net release and research programme
This programme was set up in co-operation with local fishing communities to encourage fishermen to release rather than slaughter turtles accidentally caught in their fishing gears. A financial incentive is provided by WTW to compensate for any fishing gear damage and inconvenience in notifying WTW about the captured turtle. WTW records biometric data and tags the turtle before releasing it. Tagging enables us to determine frequency of recapture, migrations and populations. In the period August 1998 to December 2002, 818 turtles have been saved and released under this programme in the Watamu area, with research data stored on a database and referred to KESCOM.
Watamu Marine Park and Reserve patrols
WTW field officers conduct daily patrols within Watamu Marine Park and Reserves collecting information on illegal and deleterious marine resource exploitation. This information is put into monthly reports for the authorities and stakeholders, for the purpose of awareness and enforcement. With Fisheries and KWS resources limited, these WTW patrols provide the authorities with invaluable 'undercover' information.
Mida Creek participatory research and conservation programme
WTW is just completing a 1-year programme of research and conservation development in Mida Creek. The aim of the research is to collect socio-economic information on the Creek fishing communities and their fishing practices; and ecological information related to the local creek environment and sea turtles and the level of resource exploitation. Information gathered will improve understanding of Mida Creek ecosystem, exploitation levels and related local issues. The surveys have also allowed us to identify gaps in local knowledge, which has become the basis of a conservation education programme targeting schools and fishermen in the Mida Creek area.
WTW is now assisting local fishermen in forming self-help community conservation groups, three of which have already been established. These groups will act as a forum for discussing identified local problems and finding sustainable solutions and alternatives to current destructive natural resource use activities, thereby ensuring long term community contribution to conservation of the local ecosystem and its threatened marine turtles.
National research
WTW has begun to conduct preliminary baseline surveys into the status of marine turtle populations and the threats they face along sections of the Kenyan coast.
B. Education & Awareness
WTW conducts marine environment and sea turtle conservation education and awareness programmes in Watamu area villages, fish landing sites, schools and hotels. We feel regular contact with these stakeholders is important in keeping conservation issues at the forefront of their minds and daily activities.
Children
The WTW education officer visits eight local schools in the Watamu area, as well as an orphanage, at least three to four times a term. Turtle Clubs have been set up at each school. WTW tries to instil in the children an appreciation of their natural heritage, with pupils learning about their local environment, marine turtles and the threats they face. Inter-active education techniques are used in classes, working on a fun and informal approach, often utilising drama, art, poetry and games to help get the message across. These workshops are supported by our mobile slide shows with various marine conservation themes. This slide show is now being taken to fish landing sites to target non-school attending children.
Fishermen and communities
WTW also conducts marine conservation education and awareness activities in local villages and fish landing sites.
Training
WTW assists individuals, conservation groups, and coastal Fisheries and KWS bodies in protecting sea turtle's and their nests by providing the necessary training in sound sea turtle conservation techniques. Further in our capacity building efforts, WTW now trains three Kenyan post-graduate students a year on month long intern experiences in the practicalities of marine conservation.
Tourists
WTW also has an education campaign directed at tourists. We have distributed KESCOM, KWS and WSPA marine environment and sea turtle conservation literature to hotels and tourists. We conduct educational slide shows at local hotels and guesthouses.
Information centre
WTW has an information centre for marine conservation at the WTW office, it includes a small library, local information relating to the marine environment, a database on sea turtle activity in the region, and educational displays relating to turtle conservation. The Centre receives visits from tourists, school children, local people and other interested Kenyans. We are also opening a larger more comprehensive Marine Education Centre in a central, easily accesible area of Watamu.
C. Community development
At the end of 2000 WTW began initiating a community development programme as an important means to support our conservation and education programmes. By holding discussions with some of the local fishing communities we began identifying conservation issues and their sources in poverty, population pressure and unsustainable resource use. The local fishermen were requesting assistance in dealing with these problems but had no organised structure to facilitate this or to begin taking action themselves. As a result WTW began assisting one group of sea fishermen based in Watamu village into organising themselves into a self-help group with a conservation orientation, by providing technical advice and initial funding for group formation and registration. Through the Mida Creek participatory research and conservation programme, described above, WTW is also exploring alternative income generating projects with local people and is already selling some locally produced crafts such as turtle designed bookmarks and keyrings.
D. Campaigning
WTW undertakes campaigns on the following important issues:
Illegal fishing and poaching of turtles and their eggs
Trawlers
At the end of 2000 campaign efforts by WTW and other stakeholders resulted in the Fisheries Dept. imposing a 3 month moratorium on all trawling in Kenya pending investigations by a specially selected Task Force representing stakeholders. The Task Force has since resolved to allow trawlers to operate for 1 year to allow scientific research into trawling socio-economic and environmental impacts by a specially selected scientific research committee. WTW was designated to represent all conservation groups on the Task Force and is a member of the government appointed scientific research committee.
Protect Riparian Strip of Watamu Marine Park
WTW campaigns against threats to the riparian strip of Watamu Marine Park. WTW works with the authorities to curb illegal land grabbing, destruction of protected habitat, and noise and light pollution. We also conduct awareness programmes on the Park laws and ecofriendly policy for tourism businesses and landowners bordering the riparian strip.