Fund-raising campaign launched to conserve Côn Đảo sea turtles

Park rangers from the Bảy Cạnh Island Ranger Station (Côn Đảo National Park Management Board) collected eggs from the mother turtle’s nest at night to put them in an artificial incubation lake on the island. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — A campaign named “Save The Ocean” was launched on Côn Đảo island in the southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu on Wednesday to raise fund for habitat conservation of sea turtles.

According to statistics from the Management Board of Côn Đảo National Park, only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. Therefore, sea turtle conservation is always given special attention by the unit.

The launch of the campaign shows that there are currently many domestic and international organisations and individuals taking practical actions to join hands with the board in preserving sea turtles in particular and biodiversity in Côn Đảo in general.

The board is the first in Việt Nam to successfully implement a sea turtle conservation programme.

As of October, it had successfully rescued nearly 2,200 turtle nests with over 195,000 eggs, tagged 390 mother turtles, hatched 1,761 nests, and released under control 142,319 hatchlings into the sea.

In response to the campaign, the suitcase and luggage supermarket system MIA.vn, an organiser of the campaign, committed to contributing VNĐ100,000 (US$4.1 USD) per suitcase sold to the work in Côn Đảo National Park. It also donated VNĐ150 million to the management board to serve the conservation of sea turtles. — VNS

Turtles being released back into sea. — VNA/VNS Photo