Nominating Temporal Protected Areas erupted after the continuous collection of data on the nesting beaches, which highlighted specific beaches as the main nesting grounds for the Hawksbill turtles on the main island of Mahe.
For over 15 years, patrols were conducted year round, with the frequency depending on the peak and off-peak nesting season for the turtles. The procedure includes physically walking the full length of the beaches to identify sea turtle activities. Alternatively, drones are used to fly over the area of patrol, to facilitate the task. The data generated from the patrols are the number of tracks/emergences on the beaches, one set of the up and down track per turtle. Each set is then linked with an emergence, which states if the turtle successfully nested or not. Successful nests are marked, geo-located and monitored throughout the incubation until successful hatching is observed. Whenever encounters with turtles occur, patrol officers see through the whole nesting process to provide extra protection, and to ensure the nesting females return safely to the sea.
Human resource is of the utmost importance, the collection of data and monitoring activities would not be possible without the patrol officers.
A key point to keep in mind is that the community is an important stakeholder - without the community’s support the project can collapse. It is a must to establish a good relationship with all the stakeholders and ensure that the community is made aware of the benefits of giving their support towards the project.