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Cape Verde Turtle Conservation

General Information | Location & Weather

Volunteer in Cape Verde in your gap year, year out or career break

The Cape Verde islands lie like an exquisite jewel necklace scattered in the endless blue of the vast Atlantic Ocean. Positioned off the coast of Western Africa, its culture is a heady mix of Brazilian and Senegalese influences; you will find the hypnotising rythym of South America infiltrating the French Colonial and Moorish elements, inspired by Dakar's ancient mystique. The waters that surround this serene island archipelago are abundant in marine life, including six of the eight sea turtle species. These placid creatures have followed ocean currents to the shores of the islands for more than 150 million years, the females seeking out the safety of the beaches to lay their precious cargo of eggs in a carefully dug nest. Tragically however, in recent decades thousands of these mothers to be have been slaughtered before they are able to lay, literally crawling into the arms of the poachers. This vital project seeks to provide an action group to patrol beaches, rescue injured turtles, monitor numbers and much more. Travel to Cape Verde for an amazing conservation experience and discover an island idyll that is one of Africa's best kept secrets!

Project Dates & Contribution:

• Departs   June to October/Volunteers welcome anytime 
• Duration  from 4 weeks
• Costs      £1250 for 4 weeks

Before you go: Extensive pre-departure support, travel & medical advice and documentation, equipment advice, discounted medical kit, Frontier T-shirt.

In-country:  Airport pickup, accommodation, food, internal ground transfers and in-transit accommodation, local orientation and comprehensive project training, project equipment and materials, in-country emergency support and 24 hour international HQ backup.

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Project Details

Transportation
You will fly into Boavista airport where you will be met on arrival.  From here you will be escorted to your project site on Boavista Island.  Once on site, you will be within walking distance of your work site- the beach!

Accommodation
Whilst you are on this project you will enjoy authentic beach camp life as you stay in shared tents on the shore. There are washing facilities and a washing machine is available.

Food
Camp food is delicious, simple and nutritious and consists largely of rice, vegetables, beans and noodles, all of which are purchased locally in order to help support the local economy. If you try local restaurants or cafes, popular local dishes include melon with local cheese, salted goat meat, or the famous 'diable dentro' which translates as pastry with the devil inside, and is pastry filled with tuna, onions and tomatoes.

Work
Your work on the project will take place mainly from dusk until dawn. It will include a wide range of activities that all contribute to the successful monitoring and protection of six species of sea turtle- Leatherback, Green, Olive Ridley, Kemp's Ridley, Loggerhead and Hawksbill. The site has been selected on account of its suitability and high biodiversity value. The activities that you are participating in include;

• contributing ecological and other information to the national environmental databases;
• identification and population assessments of the different species
• establishing the location and excavating nests
• rescuing and rehabilitating injured or sick hatchlings
• day and night beach patrols to prevent the poaching of eggs

If this is your first time doing conservation work, don't worry! It will only take a short while for you to feel totally at home on camp and confident with the conservation work. Although the work is intense you'll find that living in such a beautiful and inaccessible environment alongside friends who share your passion for turtle conservation will be the experience of a lifetime!

This is a Frontier Supported Project What does this mean?   Where does my contribution go?

Staff & Volunteers
Depending on when you join you may find yourself working alongside other committed and highly motivated   volunteers who all share a passion for travelling in developing countries and saving endangered life. Your project staff will be experienced and friendly individuals dedicated to turtle preservation.

Extras

Cape Verde is a wonderful archipelago to explore because of its unusual combination of Latin American and African culture. Discover each islands unique identity as you enjoy your spare time in this beguiling tropical haven. Santiago and Praia are home to diverse and dynamic nightlife, and other attractions include crumbling castles and ancient citadels lingering from the days of Portuguese settlers. On some of the smaller islands, discover tiny fishing villages clinging to the rocky Atlantic coastline, and try some of the fiery but delicious local rum or 'grog' as it is known. Make sure you visit the fine white sanded beaches of Sal, and the contrasting ebony sanded beaches of Sao Nicolau. Also available in Cape Verde is of course a huge range of sea based sports, including wreck diving where you can venture into the skeletons of ships that were lost to the treacherous Atlantic Ocean. At certain times of year you may be lucky enough to enjoy the Sao Vicente carnival, which is world renowned. But don't worry if you miss it- there is fabulous live music in every little cafe and bar in Cape Verde!

Project Aims

Saving Cape Verde's Turtles

Cape Verde's pristine beaches are fringed by the tempting waters of the Atlantic Ocean and this provides a home for an incredible array of marine flora and fauna. Explore its shallows to see clown fish, starry triggerfish, barrier reef anemone fish and eagle rays, amongst many more. Venture to deeper waters, by taking a boat trip or scuba dive and see marlin, dolphins and maybe even catch a glimpse of a blue whale. By spending time in this exotic paradise, you will begin to appreciate how precious and valuable these ecosystems are.

The unregulated use of marine habitats is the biggest threat to species and habitats. Five of the world’s seven species of sea-turtle, all highly endangered, nest along the coastline and have suffered massive overexploitation for eggs, meat and shells. The threat to these beautiful creatures actually comes from a variety of sources; the extensive and unplanned development of tourism, the unsustainable harvesting of turtle feeding grounds and the polluting and bleaching of the coral reefs, however the continued exploitation of both turtle meat and eggs for sale on the illegal market remains the single biggest threat- surveys have revealed that egg collection rates have been unsustainably high for at least the last 30 years. Action must be taken to initiate and facilitate the implementation of sustainable marine turtle conservation strategies through education, research and community participation. As a volunteer you will be an integral part of this process, as well as taking practical action to track and protect the turtle populations, all this along with having an unforgettable travel experience.

Traditional Cultures
Your environmental education and awareness-raising work will focus on encouraging indigenous people away from harmful practices such as harvesting turtles, and encourage marginalised communities to recognise that rational use of these coastal resources are key to their preservation for the future. You will live the Cape Verde lifestyle, camping on beach survey sites and tasting the best in native local cooking. We try and ensure that in every way possible, our project work is sympathetic to the lives of local community members.

Learn more about Cape Verde!

Alternatives

Why not have a look at our other volunteer projects in Africa such as in Tanzania and Madagascar! Some of our other turtle projects include:

• Nicaragua Sea Turtle & Forest Conservation
• Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation
• Sri Lanka Sea Turtle Conservation
• Thailand Sea Turtle Conservation Adventure
• Uruguay Sea Turtle Conservation
• Guatemala Sea Turtle Conservation
• South African Ethical Adventure Trail
• Comoros Islands Conservation Programme
• Thailand Sea Turtles, Coral Reef and Community

What now?

If you like the sound of the Cape Verde Turtle Conservation project, then request a callback from one of our travel advisers or use our online booking form to apply now and secure your adventure of a lifetime!