The conservation of marine turtles is everyone’s responsibility. If we want to keep marine
turtles in our world then all of us need to work together. The turtles that nest on your
community’s beaches spend many months of their life visiting the waters of other countries for
feeding and breeding. In many parts of the world people from very different backgrounds are
working together to help conserve marine turtles, from rural villagers and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) to government offi cials and scientists. Cooperative efforts between these
groups of people ensure that a wide range of knowledge, including scientific and traditional
knowledge, is being collected. This knowledge can then be used to ensure the conservation and
sustainable management of marine turtle populations.

In several areas of the South Pacific, including Solomon Islands, NGOs, government
and scientists have begun working with communities for turtle conservation. The South
Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Samoa has a long established turtle
conservation programme and works with many of these groups to support turtle research and
turtle conservation programmes. SPREP also maintains a regional turtle database, in which
all countries in the South Pacific who are active in turtle conservation work can share their
information.

In Solomons Islands, Arnavon Marine Conservation Area in Isabel Province is the longest
established turtle conservation programme. The Department of Forests, Environment and
Conservation works in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and with local communities
to protect nesting areas and feeding grounds of green and hawksbill turtles.
Leatherback turtle conservation work is underway on Rendova and Tetepare Islands in Western
Province. Tetepare Descendants’ Association has been working with its members in Baniata,
Havilla and Retavo communities on Rendova to protect leatherback nesting beaches and to
prevent the killing of adult turtles and harvesting of eggs. TDA has also assisted Baniata
community to establish a small-scale eco-tourism venture where visitors can assist trained
community turtle monitors with conservation work.

People involved in marine turtle conservation work use a number of tools for their work. One
of the most common tools used by scientists and community monitors to learn about turtles
is the flipper tag. When a turtle comes up to make a nest, these people put a special metal tag
on the turtle’s flipper. Each tag has a unique number. If a turtle with flipper tag is then seen
or caught again, we know which turtle it is and where it comes from. Using flipper tags has
taught us how often different kinds of turtles come up to nest, and where they might travel to
in between nesting seasons. Part of SPREP’s database includes keeping records of these flipper
tags. If you find a turtle with a flipper tag, you should never try to remove it. Instead write
down all the information on that tag and give it to your local fisheries offi ce or a conservation
organization like WWF or TDA. These people will ensure that that information is passed on to
the people who tagged the turtle and to SPREP. By collecting this information and giving it to
the right people, you will have made a contribution to understanding marine turtles’ behavior
and migration routes.