Despite several conservation efforts over the last decade, sea turtles are still heavily exploited for human consumption in São Tomé Island, West Africa. This has contributed to the eminent extinction of the critically endangered Eastern Atlantic Hawksbill sea turtle, and is affecting the populations of three other threatened sea turtle species (olive ridley, leatherback and green sea turtles). This project’s overall aim is to develop and implement a campaign to reduce the demand for sea turtle meat and eggs in São Tomé Island, a key threat to sea turtle populations given it drives the removal of reproducing individuals from the population. To ensure the long-term impact of this campaign, it is crucial to understand the drivers of sea turtle trade and consumption. In the first phase we will characterize the demographic, social and spatial aspects of sea turtle trade and identify the social and cultural contexts in which its meat and eggs are consumed.

This will allow us to quantify levels of trade of sea turtle meat and eggs and gain a better understanding of the ecological impacts of harvesting. This information will be the base for implementing the second phase of the project, where we will (1) design and implement a targeted social marketing campaign, to influence consumer behaviour and diminish the consumption of sea turtle meat and eggs in five coastal villages known for their tradition on sea turtle exploitation and, (2) identify and develop viable alternative livelihoods for those groups whose livelihood is linked to the sale of turtle, to ensure that the recent restrictions on sea turtle harvesting does not become an unfair burden on some groups of society. This bottom-up approach, strongly based on stakeholder consultation and involvement, will ensure that the new legal restrictions on sea turtle consumption can be enforced in a socially just manner, and thus promote a long-term behavioural change and the recovery of sea turtle populations.