Nature Seekers
Encyclopedia
Nature Seekers is a community-based conservation
organization formed in 1990 to protect nesting leatherback turtles in Trinidad and Tobago
. Their main conservation efforts are based around providing tour guide
services to visitors of Matura Beach, tagging turtles for tracking, and patrolling the beach to protect the turtles and their nest
s, although they are also concerned with reforestation
and keeping the beach clean. In addition to being instrumental in efforts towards protecting Trinidad's leatherback turtles, they have also demonstrated the importance of community involvement in the conservation
efforts, and have strengthened the ecotourism
industry in Trinidad.
, and it was from this program that Nature Seekers was formed. Although initially Nature Seekers operated purely on a volunteer basis, and had great difficulty in obtaining funds, they were later commissioned by the government to patrol the beach and to provide a mandatory tour guide service to visitors. While Nature Seekers has remained a non-governmental organization
, they have frequently worked in cooperation with the government to protect the leatherback turtles.
Another important project under the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme is the Pilot Sea Turtle Tagging Project, which is carried out in association with the Forestry Division, WIDECAST (the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network), and the Institute of Marine Affairs. This project involves tagging sea turtles to track their migration patterns
and gathering data from hatched nests.
The Trinidad Leatherback Project is another part of the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme. This project involves an association with Earthwatch, which sends volunteers to help the Nature Seekers as a form of volunteer travel
. In addition to providing volunteers and funding for Nature Seekers, this project also helps create more global awareness of the endangered status of the leatherback turtles.
The Matura Turtle Conservation Programme also consists of an annual effort to clean up Matura Beach and a study of methods of reducing the impact of tourism on turtles and their nests. Both are part of an effort by Nature Seekers to make Matura Beach a suitable place for both the turtle and the visitors. They also run an Adopt a Turtle program, which provides funds for other projects and educates participants about the turtles they adopt.
Besides the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme, Nature Seekers also participate in the National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme. The organization manages one of 55 projects in Trinidad as part of this program, which involves reforestation and the development of ecotourism activities that have a low impact on the environment.
and eggs
, and were worried that the restrictions of the beach would interfere with their ability to survive. Even more resented the beach being closed off during nesting season, as many locals used the beach for recreation. However, over time, Nature Seekers has had a positive effect on the community. In addition to creating jobs within the organization, the increased tourism
brought to Matura by Nature Seekers created a strong tourism industry in the village, with many villagers operating bed and breakfasts and other tourism-related businesses. Nature Seekers has also been successful in generating community awareness about the importance of conservation. Even some poachers and their families became convinced of the importance of conservation, and some even joined the Nature Seekers. Through this and their patrolling efforts, Nature Seekers claims to have brought down the rate of turtles being slaughtered from 30% to zero. Because of the effectiveness of the conservation efforts, Nature Seekers has become a model for similar programs in other parts of Trinidad.
to form an organization called Turtle Village Trust. The stated goal of the organization is to establish Trinidad & Tobago as “the Premier Turtle Tourism Destination.” It plans to accomplish this goal by assisting in the formation of partnerships between conservation groups and local communities, the like of which was responsible for the success of Nature Seekers in the Matura community.
Community-based conservation
Community-based conservation is a res conservation movements that emerged in the 1980s through escalating protests and subsequent dialogue with local communities affected by international attempts to protect the biodiversity of the earth. Older conservation movements disregarded the interests of...
organization formed in 1990 to protect nesting leatherback turtles in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. Their main conservation efforts are based around providing tour guide
Tour guide
A tour guide provides assistance, information and cultural, historical and contemporary heritage interpretation to people on organized tours, individual clients, educational establishments, at religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest...
services to visitors of Matura Beach, tagging turtles for tracking, and patrolling the beach to protect the turtles and their nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s, although they are also concerned with reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
and keeping the beach clean. In addition to being instrumental in efforts towards protecting Trinidad's leatherback turtles, they have also demonstrated the importance of community involvement in the conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
efforts, and have strengthened the ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
industry in Trinidad.
Foundation
Prior to the foundation of Nature Seekers, the killing of female leatherback turtles by poachers had become such a serious problem that in 1990 Matura Beach was declared a Prohibited Area under the Forest Act. In order to find a long-term solution to this problem, the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division worked together with the Matura community to establish a tour guide training program. The intent of this program was to educate the community about the need to protect the environmentEnvironment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
, and it was from this program that Nature Seekers was formed. Although initially Nature Seekers operated purely on a volunteer basis, and had great difficulty in obtaining funds, they were later commissioned by the government to patrol the beach and to provide a mandatory tour guide service to visitors. While Nature Seekers has remained a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
, they have frequently worked in cooperation with the government to protect the leatherback turtles.
Projects
The main project of Nature Seekers is the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme, which is also their first project that was begun with the foundation of the organization. This project consists of several smaller programs aimed at the protection of leatherback turtles in Trinidad. One of these programs involves patrolling the beach in order to protect the turtles from poachers and assist with the nesting process, as well as providing tour guide services to visitors in order to promote greater awareness of the necessity of conservation. In addition to tours of the beach, they also conduct tours of several other natural attractions in the area.Another important project under the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme is the Pilot Sea Turtle Tagging Project, which is carried out in association with the Forestry Division, WIDECAST (the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network), and the Institute of Marine Affairs. This project involves tagging sea turtles to track their migration patterns
Tracking animal migration
For years scientists have been tracking animals and the ways they migrate. One of the many goals of animal migration research has been, of course, to determine where the animals are going; however, researchers also want to know why they are going "there"...
and gathering data from hatched nests.
The Trinidad Leatherback Project is another part of the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme. This project involves an association with Earthwatch, which sends volunteers to help the Nature Seekers as a form of volunteer travel
Volunteer travel
Volunteer travel, volunteer vacations, voluntourism, or vacanteerism is travel which includes volunteering for a charitable cause. In recent years, "bite-sized" volunteer vacations have grown in popularity. The types of volunteer vacations are diverse, from low-skill work cleaning up local...
. In addition to providing volunteers and funding for Nature Seekers, this project also helps create more global awareness of the endangered status of the leatherback turtles.
The Matura Turtle Conservation Programme also consists of an annual effort to clean up Matura Beach and a study of methods of reducing the impact of tourism on turtles and their nests. Both are part of an effort by Nature Seekers to make Matura Beach a suitable place for both the turtle and the visitors. They also run an Adopt a Turtle program, which provides funds for other projects and educates participants about the turtles they adopt.
Besides the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme, Nature Seekers also participate in the National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme. The organization manages one of 55 projects in Trinidad as part of this program, which involves reforestation and the development of ecotourism activities that have a low impact on the environment.
Impact
At first, there was much opposition in the Matura community towards the new conservation efforts. Many people made a living off of turtle meatMeat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
and eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
, and were worried that the restrictions of the beach would interfere with their ability to survive. Even more resented the beach being closed off during nesting season, as many locals used the beach for recreation. However, over time, Nature Seekers has had a positive effect on the community. In addition to creating jobs within the organization, the increased tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
brought to Matura by Nature Seekers created a strong tourism industry in the village, with many villagers operating bed and breakfasts and other tourism-related businesses. Nature Seekers has also been successful in generating community awareness about the importance of conservation. Even some poachers and their families became convinced of the importance of conservation, and some even joined the Nature Seekers. Through this and their patrolling efforts, Nature Seekers claims to have brought down the rate of turtles being slaughtered from 30% to zero. Because of the effectiveness of the conservation efforts, Nature Seekers has become a model for similar programs in other parts of Trinidad.
Turtle Village Trust
In 2006, Nature Seekers joined other community organizations as well as the Forestry Division and BHP Billiton Trinidad & TobagoBHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
to form an organization called Turtle Village Trust. The stated goal of the organization is to establish Trinidad & Tobago as “the Premier Turtle Tourism Destination.” It plans to accomplish this goal by assisting in the formation of partnerships between conservation groups and local communities, the like of which was responsible for the success of Nature Seekers in the Matura community.