Amanzule Marine Turtle Conservation Project

Four of the seven species of marine turtles (green turtle (Chelonia mydas, EN), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea, VU), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, VU) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata, EN)) that exist in the world lay eggs on the beaches of the Western Region of Ghana, 360 km from Accra. In 2011, 120 sea turtles (of the 4 species) were seen in this area, but it is estimated that around 70 of them were captured by local people for food, along with around 1,000 turtle eggs. Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) has already benefited from a PPI which has made it possible to classify a Ramsar site wetland, the Amanzury estuary, as a community reserve.

This project is justified by the fact that the NGO carried out activities in this area for the protection of marine turtles for 6 years but had to stop them due to lack of funding. These activities had nevertheless made it possible to considerably reduce the poaching of sea turtles along 50 km of coastline and to protect 1,500 nests and 80,000 eggs. GWS here wishes to resume actions in favor of sea turtles and extend them to other areas even further west of Ghana, on the border with Côte d’Ivoire.