Projeto TAMAR

Tamar was born in the late 1970’s. There there were no records of marine conservation work in Brazil. Sea turtles were included on the list of threatened species as populations were diminishing due to incidental capture by fishermen and direct take of nesting females and of eggs.

The five sea turtle species found in Brazil are threatened with extinction according to the Brazilian and IUCN list of endangered species. Of the five species the occur on the Brazilian coast, the four listed as most threatenednest on the continental coastwhere they are more exposed to anthropogenic threats. These four species are loggerhead (Caretta caretta), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea).
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting occurs mainly on oceanic islands (Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade), where human activityis are more controlled, contributing to a stable population.

Tamar protects approximately 1.100 km of Brazilian coastal beaches, through 19 research stations at the main sea turtle nesting and feeding areas located in the States of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco (Fernando de Noronha), Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santa Catarina.

The sea turtle nesting season occurs from September to March along the mainland, and from December to June at the oceanic islands. Tamar works in nesting, feeding, growth and resting areas. At the nesting beaches, Tamar researchers monitor the sea turtle nests at their original nesting sites, and transfer those that are at risk to open-air hatcheries at Tamar stations. A research team patrols the beaches each night in order to find nesting turtles, observe their behavior, take body measurements, apply metal tags to the flippers and collect biological samples for subsequent studies.

The first Tamar partners were fishermen, their families and coastal communities. Early on, even at the time of the survey of nesting areas aiming at the implementation of the project, they played a key role in defining the priority beaches. Based on the accumulated knowledge by the experience, they guided the work with precious information on the occurrence and behavior of sea turtles during the nesting period.

In order to effectively accomplish Tamar’s mission it was important to support the development of coastal communities by offering economic alternatives that alleviated human pressure on sea turtles.

In areas with high tourism potential, visitor centers have been established serving as research centers, environmental education and leisure areas. These centers also provide guided tours to schools and universities, visitors and fishermen.