Turtle Guidelines
6 December 2024
Conservation
Ascension Island’s green turtles have begun to arrive back to the island to breed once again. We hope this year will be another successful breeding season.
Ascension is one of the most important nesting sites in the world for the endangered green turtle and so it is important we continue to do all we can to help them recover their population to historical figures. To help them achieve this, the public should observe the following behaviours to help minimise disturbance to Ascension’s turtles:
- Do not intentionally or recklessly disturb, damage or injure a turtle, hatchling or egg
- Do not occupy or have lights at beach huts after 21:00
- Do not let dogs off their leash between sunset and sunrise
- Do not water ski or operate jet skis
- Do not pitch a tent on the beach
- Do not install artificial lighting fixtures that are directly visible or which indirectly illuminate the beach
- Do not start open fires on the beach
- If driving to the beach, do not park or drive on the beach. Dim your headlights as early as is safe, and park in a designated car park with your car facing away from the beach
- Only use red light torches and refrain from using flash photography
- Do not walk along the water’s edge as turtles are emerging
The above actions are best practice for all of Ascension’s beaches, but under the National Protected Areas Regulations, 2014 the first eight bullets are offences on the Nature Reserves of Long Beach, South West Bay (Pan Am) and North East Bay from December to July. Under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 2013 it is also an offence to molest or cause deliberate harm to a turtle through any stage of its lifecycle whether adults, hatchlings or eggs.
Following these guidelines when visiting Ascension’s beaches will ensure that green turtles continue visiting Ascension for many years to come, and will ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the spectacle.
For more information on how to safely observe turtles please visit the Conservation Centre in Georgetown please email conservationenquiries@ascension.gov.ac.
