Tourists in São Tomé gather to watch release of 400 baby turtles into the sea

The territorial sea of São Tomé and Príncipe is home to five of the seven species of sea turtles in the world.

Transcript

00:00Dozens of tourists have gathered at Villa Maria Beach on the central African island

00:06of São Tomé to watch as 400 baby sea turtles are released into the sea.

00:13The hatchlings have spent two months incubating in the sand in nesting sites monitored by

00:19islanders working to protect the endangered species.

00:23The release is overseen by the TATO Programme, an international NGO which manages the conservation

00:30of marine and coastal ecosystems.

00:33We have the last reproductive species of the West African coast. Other countries have,

00:39but they are few, but we have a population that if we protect, they can increase and

00:43repopulate this area.

00:45The TATO Programme has been the main driver of sea turtle conservation and community empowerment

00:51in São Tomé. Its work involves tackling the complex socio-economic challenges and

00:57the threats persisting on the island, which is home to five of the seven species of sea

01:02turtles in the world.