The pressures
- Fishing. Queen conch remains depleted despite its permanent closed season, and several fish species are caught before they mature.[1]
- Infrastructure and beach use. The sandy ground and its grasslands would be the most affected by infrastructure and beach activities.[2] Tourism development plans have existed for decades; in 2007 the National Assembly ordered works halted because of the risk to the ecosystem.[3]
- Marine debris and ghost nets. Abandoned fishing nets trap and kill marine life; according to the FAO they make up about 10% of marine litter.[4]
- Invasive species. The exotic soft coral Unomia stolonifera has spread through Mochima, Aragua and Falcón.[4] Our sources do not report it at La Tortuga; it is worth watching for.
- Threatened wildlife. All the sea-turtle species that use the island are threatened.[2]
Fundación La Tortuga
Fundación La Tortuga is a socio-environmental platform for eastern Venezuela and its coasts (Anzoátegui, Mochima, Sucre), with more than two decades of work combining scientific research, conservation and on-the-ground projects.[4] Its published initiatives include removing marine debris (about 100 tonnes, by the foundation's count), campaigns on ghost nets, responding to sea-turtle hatchings and releasing hatchlings on Anzoátegui beaches, and the first paper (2015) to warn of the Unomia stolonifera invasion.[4] One of its members took part in the 2011 La Tortuga shorebird study.[5]
How to visit without leaving a trace
- Take all your rubbish back to the mainland, including cigarette butts and small plastics.
- Don't buy or eat queen conch, or lobster out of season or undersized.
- Anchor on sand, never on coral or seagrass.
- Don't use lights on the beach at night, and keep off turtle nesting areas.
- From August to December, when shorebirds arrive, keep your distance from the lagoons.[5]
- Don't feed wildlife or take shells, coral or plants.