Lemon Shark and Turtle Conservation in the Seychelles

Project Life

This project focuses on the preservation of both the lemon sharks and turtles on the island, you will rotate between contributing to research for both species. The majority of work will be done on the beaches and in the mangroves, where you will get the chance to learn and practice various field techniques which vary between the projects.

After working full time during the days you will retire to base with other volunteers and staff on the island. You will share small huts with other volunteers in a dormitory style set up. Evenings are spent enjoying the serenity of the island, relaxing with the other volunteers, and contributing to a range of camp duties.

You should expect to work 5 days each week, Monday to Friday, with weekends free for you to explore the surrounding area, snorkel, dive or just enjoy island living.

Project Details

On this project, you will focus on two key conservation projects within Curieuse Island National Park focusing on lemon sharks and turtles.

Lemon Shark Project:

The mangrove system on Curieuse Island is an important nursery ground for the sicklefin lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens). GVI Seychelles is conducting a capture and release study of the shark population using P.I.T. tags and acoustic tracking. Presently, very little is known about these creatures and we hope to answer many questions such as what time of the year do they pup, what is the survival and growth rate and in which areas are they found.

Hawksbill Turtle Surveys:

Curieuse Island has some of the most important hawksbill turtle nesting beaches within Seychelles. Throughout nesting season, GVI conducts patrols of the beaches, recording data on nesting turtles and tagging females.

In conjunction with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, you may also find yourself participating in various educational campaigns and activities including mangrove replanting, endemic flora re-vegetation, beach cleans and environmental education classes.

Curieuse's short, mid, and long-term objectives:

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualize their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfill our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Learn about the long-term objectives you will be contributing to in Curieuse:

1. Increase scientific knowledge and baseline data on the health of ecosystems on Curieuse Island
2. Increase awareness of GVI Seychelles projects and the ecological value of the Curieuse Island National Parks in-country
3. Build local capacity to support long-term conservation of biodiversity and sustainable community development in Seychelles
4. Continue to minimize our environmental impact on Curieuse Island and raise awareness of environmental issues amongst volunteers and visitors

How this project makes a difference:

Our partnership with the Seychelles National Parks Authority means that all data collected will be collated into a growing collection of vital research. All data will be passed on the Seychelles Ministry of Environment and various local NGOs. This ensures that all data will be used to inform conservations surrounding local conservation policies and will be furthermore shared with other conservation organizations, teams, and efforts worldwide.

In conjunction with our local partners we are one of the leading marine and terrestrial data and collection organizations in the Seychelles. Our volunteers are essential in helping local organizations execute research projects and data collection initiatives that they do not have the resources to complete on their own.

What's Included

What's Not Included

Exploration

Volunteering with GVI not only allows you to participate in programmes assisting disadvantaged communities or endangeredecosystems, but it also offers wonderful opportunities to travel in the local area in your downtime or further afield either before or after your programme. Below is some information on trips and travel options in the Seychelles.

Optional Side Trips

Volunteers may have the opportunity to visit the islands of Praslin and La Digue. Praslin is home to the Vallee de Mai (a world heritage site) thought by early explorers to be the original “Garden of Eden”, that is home of the famous Coco de Mer palm tree that produces the huge double nut famous for its provocative shape. La Digue is the picture perfect tropical island, small and intimate with quaint guest houses and arguably the most beautiful beach in the world – Anse Source d’Argent.

Public transport is cheap and frequent and many parts of Praslin can be explored easily by catching a bus.

Further Travelling Opportunities

With 115 islands in the Seychelles group stretching over 800 miles, the possibilities of exploring this tropical paradise are endless. The inner islands, situated closer to Mahe are easily accessible by fast ferry. Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, Felicity and Sister, to name a few, all have their own unique charms with hotels and guest houses within most people’s price range.

The outer islands such as Desroche, Bird, Dennis, Farquar and the Amirantes group are harder to get to and can only be reached by small plane or charter yacht. Most have small exclusive resorts which can be extremely expensive, but the marine environment and bird life at these outposts of civilization have been barely marked by the hand of man, and as such are in a pristine condition rarely found anywhere in the world today.