The Year of the Sea Turtle may be coming to a close but don’t forget that there are many things we can do every day to protect our ocean and make the Pacific a safer place for our endangered sea turtles.

Make every year a by:

• Reporting turtle sighting to fisheries or environment departments
• Not disturbing turtle feeding or nesting grounds
• Taking reusable bags to the shops and say no to plastic
• Disposing of rubbish properly and looking after our local beaches
• Talking to family and friends about sea turtle conservation
• Stopping excess harvesting
• Not buying products made from turtle shell

SPREP would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this exciting campaign, in particular the individuals and the communities throughout the Pacific who every day play such an important role in protecting our sea turtles!

The 2006-2007 Pacific Year of the Sea Turtle campaign

March 2006 to March 2007 has been the Pacific Year of the Sea Turtle, a yearlong campaign aimed at increasing conservation of these ancient Pacific voyagers.

On 1 March 2006, SPREP with its member countries and territories formally launched the Pacific Year of the Sea Turtle, a regional initiative to promote community, national and regional collaboration in turtle conservation efforts.

For centuries, turtles have been an integral part of Pacific culture and heritage. However, numbers are rapidly decreasing marking an urgent call for a coordinated and committed effort to increase turtle stocks in the Pacific.

The Year of the Sea Turtle had three key aims:

• Promote community conservation of turtle foraging and nesting sites
• Strengthen national legislation and policies to encourage sustainable management
• Facilitate long-term partnerships for turtle conservation

This regional campaign has been coordinated by SPREP with its key partners that include national governments, intergovernmental organizations, local communities, the fishing industry, fisheries and tourism authorities, donors, NGOs, institutes and organizations.

As a shared resource, turtle conservation is a shared responsibility, and SPREP has used the YOST campaign as a vehicle to promote a regional partnership, with communities, governments and industry working together to increase turtle conservation.

The participation of partners is a crucial element of the campaign’s success and the Year of the Sea Turtle has been made possible by the integration of campaign activities into new or existing programme activities across the region.

For more information about sea turtle conservation in the Pacific, please contact Lui Bell, Marine Species Officer, SPREP