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Ten ways tour operators can help save the turtle

Without doubt the tourist industry is a major cause of the decline in turtle populations throughout the world. But as the world's biggest industry, generating billions of dollars from millions of customers every year, it is well placed to make the changes needed to help ensure the survival of one of the planet's most ancient and mysterious creatures.

WSPA's Turtle Alert! Campaign is urging tour operators in all countries to take up this challenge.


  1. Evaluate the status of turtle populations in all destinations
  2. Assess what measures each resort is taking to prevent disturbance to turtles
  3. Persuade hotels and other tourist facilities to eliminate distracting lights from beach fronts
  4. Ensure new hotel developments are appropriate to the local environment and do not damage important nesting habitats
  5. Avoid hotels which continue to cause major disturbances at important nesting sites
  6. Encourage planning authorities to adopt a turtle friendly policy and to protect key sites from all development
  7. Support awareness programmes to explain turtle protection measures to tourists
  8. Discourage tourists from visiting projects that charge money to release young turtles
  9. Support programmes to train and monitor the activities of turtle hatcheries and turtle watching guides
  10. Support the work of local turtle conservation groups to help turtles
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WSPA's campaign booklet - Turtle Alert! has been adapted for the WWW by EuroTurtle, which is a Web based project by MEDASSET International (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles), Exeter University (UK) and the Biology Department of King's College,Taunton, UK. EuroTurtle is Europe's first Sea Turtle Biology & Conservation Web Site for Science and Education.

Copyright © 1997, WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals).
These pages are the intellectual property of WSPA.
Permission to copy these materials must be obtained from WSPA.