Attacks on Members of the West African Sea Turtles Conservation Network: WASTCON condemn an act

Attacks on Members of the West African Sea Turtles Conservation Network (WASTCON) in the Exercise of their Marine Turtle Protection Function in Ghana.

03 October 2023

The West Africa Sea Turtles Conservation Network (WASTCON), in its capacity as a regional network of marine turtle conservation stakeholders, strongly condemns the recent attacks on two of its members and calls on the competent Ghanaian authorities to guarantee their safety.

The story:

On 9 September 2023, one of our active members from the Keta Ramsar Centre NGO, working in the Volta region, reported a poacher to the wildlife division of the forestry commission in his region. The poacher was not immediately arrested, but subsequently threatened with death and then violently assaulted our colleague. The poacher\’s life was saved when bystanders came to his aid.

On the night of 1 October 2023, two representatives of the Wildseas organisation, who are also active members of our network and work in the Western region, were patrolling the beach together to deter poaching and protect the nesting turtles they came across. At around 1.45am, they came across a group of 30 to 40 people from local communities who had come to poach nesting turtles. Irritated by the presence of the two defenders, the crowd attacked them at around 1.45am. The two men tried to calm the situation, but to no avail and had no choice but to flee the beach and get to safety away from the crowd. Despite this, a number of poachers pursued them back to their accommodation, where they vandalised and stole the personal and professional belongings of our colleagues before physically attacking them at around 3am with machetes and other improvised weapons.

These acts of violence against Ghanaian citizens defending the environment are intolerable and constitute a serious threat to the conservation of our common natural heritage.

WASTCON therefore reminds everyone that the protection of sea turtles :

1. is essential for the balance of marine ecosystems and the preservation of biodiversity. Sea turtles play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the oceans, helping to regulate jellyfish populations and supporting sustainable fishing activities.
2. The conservation of marine turtles is first and foremost the responsibility of the Ghanaian government, which is a signatory to CITES and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

We therefore urge the local authorities and the forces of law and order to carry out a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators of the various attacks and to take strict measures to bring them to justice. We also call for increased security at sea turtle nesting sites to ensure the safety of WASTCON members and volunteers committed to protecting these vulnerable species.

Finally, WASTCON reiterates its commitment to the conservation of marine turtles and will continue to work in collaboration with local communities, government authorities and partner organisations to preserve these emblematic species of our marine environment.
We call on the solidarity and support of the national and international community to recognise and encourage the colossal work that our members are doing to protect marine turtles in West Africa.

For more information, please contact:
connect@wastcon.org or henry.raynus@wastcon.org
+234 813 279 6846
+225 57 86 14 04