Over 150,000 hatchlings of endangered loggerhead sea turtles were released during the latest nesting season from hatcheries in the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde, including one in front of RIU’s hotels. What’s more, local eco organizations also reported successes in helping mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the critical turtle population.
The country of Cape Verde (also called Cabo Verde) is made up of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 500 miles west of the coast of Africa. A maritime hub in seafaring days, the country is now a growing holiday destination. Culturally, it’s a melting pot of African, Brazilian and Portuguese cultural influences. The islands of Cape Verde enjoy year-round sunshine, consistently pleasantly warm weather, volcanic mountains and lush valleys, not to mention crystal clear waters and stunning beaches on islands like Sal and Boa Vista.
The waters surrounding Cape Verde are rich in marine life, and visitors can go whale watching and encounter various other creatures of the sea. Notably, it has important nesting sites for loggerhead sea turtles, particularly on Boa Vista. From July to October, visitors can witness turtles laying eggs on the beaches. (Always do so responsibly with guidance from park authorities and environmental groups!)
RIU Hotels and Resorts operates six of its nearly 100 properties in Cape Verde. Through its sustainability initiative, the company supports two local conservation organizations involved in helping ensure the success of loggerhead sea turtle nesting to maintain and restore the threatened population of this majestic species.
Projeto Biodiversidade and BIOS Cabo Verde have set up hatcheries on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, which help make Cape Verde home to one of the world’s most important nesting populations of loggerhead sea turtles.
Turtle hatching by the numbers
In the latest season, almost 115,000 births were recorded on the island of Sal, while there were more than 34,500 on Boa Vista.
Boa Vista hosted 60% of Cape Verde’s turtle population last season, with 22,427 nests in the Tartarugas Natural Reserve alone. Six hundred of these nests were protected in hatcheries with a hatch rate of nearly 80%, which led to 34,592 hatchlings being released into the sea.
What’s more, 7,576 turtles were monitored, and 169 were rescued.
Projeto Biodiversidade recorded 36,587 nests on the island of Sal. A total of 2,225 were protected in hatcheries, one of which is located in front of RIU’s hotels. The hatch rate reached over 82%, and 115,962 hatchlings were released into the sea.
A 17-mile stretch of coastline was patrolled, and 1,645 turtles were monitored.
Mitigating the effects of climate change
On Sal, the hatcheries were shaded to help reduce the egg incubation temperature. Just a couple of degrees makes a difference in increasing the proportion of male turtles, a key measure to counteract the effects of climate change.
BIOS Cape Verde also continued experiments on nests to mitigate the effects of global warming and obtained promising results in terms of hatchling sex ratios.
Reducing poaching
The organizations also report good news that there has been a significant reduction in poaching over the last few years, falling from 440 cases in 2021 to just 110 in 2024 on the island of Sal. The nurseries are monitored by volunteers from both organizations, supported by RIU, which provides food at the beach surveillance team’s camps.
RIU support for wildlife in other countries
RIU is involved in programs to protect a variety of animal species and their habitats in Mexico, Jamaica, Mauritius and Aruba, where it supports projects that work to preserve jaguars, green macaws, whale sharks and cottontail rabbits, among other species that enrich our travels and our wonder of the world we live in.
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Images courtesy of RIU Hotels & Resorts and their partner organizations.
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