Activists Fight to Save Nigeria's Endangered Sea Turtles from Poaching and Pollution

Threats to Sea Turtles in Nigeria

• 🐢 Endangered sea turtles face numerous threats along Nigeria's coastline, including entanglement in discarded fishing nets and habitat loss.
• 🎣 Local fishermen admit to catching turtles and selling their eggs and meat, with turtles fetching up to $60 each.
• ⚠️ Plastic pollution and coastal development further exacerbate the dangers, turning the coastline into a trap for these animals.
• 🚫 The lack of marine protected areas and shrinking nesting grounds contribute to the severe decline of sea turtle populations.

Conservation Efforts and Challenges

• 🤝 Conservationist China Makbo, founder of the green fingers wildlife conservative initiative, rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles.
• ♻️ His organization has rescued over 70 sea turtles in the past five years, highlighting a significant conservation effort.
• ⚖️ Makbo emphasizes the delicate balance between conservation and community livelihoods, acknowledging the need for income within fishing communities.
• 🛠️ The environmental group provides net repair kits as an incentive for the community to participate in conservation, exchanging them for rescued turtles or protected nests.
• 📢 Conservationists are calling for state protection for the at least five endangered or threatened sea turtle species found in Nigerian waters.
• 🏢 Nigeria's environmental agency has not yet responded to requests for comment on the issue.