As leaders plan legislative changes affecting the management and conservation of sea turtles, residents are invited to view a related documentary and take an online survey to provide input on the way forward.
The project is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; the Marine Conservation Society, a United Kingdom-based non-profit organisation; and the VI-based Association of Reef Keepers.
Titled “Turtles in the Virgin Islands: Balancing Conservation and Culture,” the documentary film was previously launched by the conservation society in observance of World Sea Turtle Day on June 16.
Collecting input
It was also shown at a series of workshops in the territory that drew about 150 people, according to DAF Director Theodore James.
Workshops attendees, he said, discussed the future of sea turtle conservation and use, thereby helping the department understand the community’s views on the topics.
“The online survey continues to collect these local views and values, which we will take into account along with social and biological scientific evidence to inform legislative changes we are planning this year,” he said. “Persons who are interested in sea turtles are invited to view this informative film, which also touches on the Virgin Islands’ culture, its marine spaces and the wildlife it supports.”
Mr. James encouraged community members to take the survey.
Population numbers
ARK Managing Director Dr Shannon Gore said sea-turtle research carried out in the VI for more than two decades shows significant changes in the reptiles’ numbers.
“During that time, there has also been a lot of controversy over the turtle fishery,” she said. “The Sustaining Turtles, Environment Economies and Livelihoods (STEEL) Project seeks to improve turtle conservation in the Virgin Islands while taking into consideration local culture and values associated with turtle use.”
ARK has coordinated the project’s biological research, such as turtle tagging and habitat surveys, with the support of the DAF and the University of Exeter in the UK.
Meanwhile, the Marine Conservation Society has coordinated the social science element of the project using its “Community Voice Method,” which engages communities through film and workshops, according to government.
Similar projects
The conservation society has used similar techniques to help reform turtle fisheries in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Montserrat, and it filmed interviews with community members across the VI to produce the documentary here.