Lemon Shark and Turtle Conservation in the Seychelles

Overview

The project is based on Curieuse Island a true tropical paradise. The entire island is a national park which is managed by our local partner, Seychelles National Parks Authority. Live beach front on the white sand beaches of Anse St Jose in small huts, inviting the natural environment into every aspect of your daily experience. Across the bay is Seychelles second largest island, Praslin, which is a quick boat ride away.

Spend your time learning about and contributing to critical conservation efforts being conducted on the island. Join an international team of passionate volunteers and qualified experts who are all dedicated to make a difference towards the survival of both the critically endangered hawksbill turtles and the sicklefin lemon sharks.



Partake in our lemon shark catch and release program. Track down shark pups in order to gather valuable data pertaining to population and growth rates on the elusive under studied species.

For sea turtles efforts will center around studying the nesting success and habits of both Hawksbill and Green turtles on the island. Collect and collate information such as tag numbers, carapace (shell) measurements and number of eggs laid, or carry out nest evacuations to measure hatching success rates.

Highlights

Living on a remote and stunningly beautiful national park on islands that most only dream of visiting (if they have even heard of them at all). Working alongside knowledgeable and dedicated national partners provides invaluable insight into the life and work of conservationists. Joining in on the work being done helps individual volunteers gain both hard and soft skills essential to productive research development. On your down time climb into a Coco de Mer Palm to gain stunning views out over the bay, explore the diversity of the island discovering the diverse birds that inhabit the area, take in the beauty of the mangroves around the island, and snorkel among the crystal clear water taking in the unique and fragile underwater ecosystems.

Testimonial

"I had such a great time on Curieuse! The staff were so friendly and welcoming and we had volunteers from all over the world. Base life is basic but it’s so worth it to share an island with more giant tortoises than people! In my short 2 week stay I managed to take part in 3 sharking surveys where the sickle fin lemon sharks are captured, scanned for any tags (tagged if none found), weighed, measured, photographed and released. You get to touch baby sharks! So awesome! But also awesome to know that many of these sharks are recaptured so data can be collected on growth over time. We also did at least one turtle survey per day as turtle activity is high at this time of year; measuring tracks, recording body pits/nests/egg chambers (if found) and if you’re lucky you’ll see a mum turtle come up and lay her eggs, measure and tag her!"

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.