June 16 - International Marine Turtle Day - Ambiente e Boas Praticas

This day is celebrated by several environmentalists and nature conservation organizations as International Sea Turtle Day in honor of the birth of the great researcher Dr. Archie Carr.

In the 1950s, he began working on sea turtle conservation in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, and became one of the most important researchers in the field.
Through his studies and work, he was responsible for much of what is known about the biology and life cycle of these animals.

There is another date for turtles, May 23, celebrated as World Turtle Day. This day has been promoted annually since 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue organization with the aim of drawing attention to and increasing knowledge and respect for turtles and tortoises, and encouraging human action to help them survive and thrive.

The creation of these two dates aims to draw attention to the threats that sea turtles have been facing: pollution, hunting, accidental fishing, destruction of nests, climate change, degradation of their habitats.

The Kitabanga Project has been working on the conservation of sea turtles in the country since 2003 and currently covers 105 km of beach in the regions of Kissembo, Longa, Cuio and Manono.
It develops awareness-raising actions among the population about the danger of extinction of these species and about their importance for the health of the environment in a fun and creative way.
Of the seven species existing in the world, three spawn on Angolan beaches and two occur in our waters.

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