Nature Trust (Malta) in collaboration with the San Lucjan Fisheries centre organised the Ekoskola / Blue Flag Turtle Release event on the 30th of June 2009 at Golden Bay. Over 300 students participating in the International EkoSkola Programme run by Nature Trust (Malta) attended this event.

The students were all from schools which in the last months either achieved the International Green Flag Eco Schools award or had achieved the bronze and silver status of the EkoSkola programme.

NTM Executive President welcomed the students to the event and congratulated them for their achievements in the past months. Mr Attard said that EkoSkola was a wonderful programme empowering children and students to do something for the environment.

The programme does not only focus on school related issues but opens to the community to include waste, water, air quality, energy, rural environment etc. Mr Attard added that this was another educational way to witness turtles that have been saved and now being released back into the wild. This was how future citizens can continue contribute to make the planet better.

In all eleven (11) rehabilitated turtles were released. These were injured turtles that had been brought ashore in the past months by members of the public, fishermen, NGos such as Birdlife and BICREF and or the Wildlife Rescue Team of Nature Trust (Malta). These turtles were taken care of at the San Lucjan Rehabilitation Centre in Marsaxlokk. Three volunteers of Nature Trust go each week to San Lucjan to help Mr Charles Sammut of the San Lucjan Centre to clean, medicate and care for these turtles till they are fit again to be released under the guidance of Dr Grupetta and with the permit of MEPA as the competent authority.

Loggerhead Turtles have been on the planet for over then 200 Million years. They are now in danger of extinction due to pollution, by catch in fishing, destruction of habitat and now climate change problems. It is therefore very important to protect and help these species more and more before they disappear from our planet.

Being in the middle of the Mediterranean, many turtles pass near our shores. Furthermore one of the biggest nesting sites is Libya – very close to Malta. Turtles last laid eggs in Malta in 1960 exactly in Golden Bay. Due to light pollution, coastal development and other problems the turtles never returned to Malta to nest again. Golden bay is now also an aspiring beach for the International Blue Flag award and this year won the beach of Quality award.

Nature Trust (Malta) is now working close with other turtle experts in the Mediterranean to help save the turtle and its habitat. NTM has been working on Turtle conservation since 1985.

Speeches were also made at the event by Dr Grupetta – Director General Fisheries, MEPA and the Hon G Pullicino.

NTM President thanked the Fisheries Department especially San Lucjan for their support, Dr Grupetta and Mr Charles sammut for their dedication, MEPA and MRRA and the NTM volunteers for their work both in turtle protection and in the Ekoskola Programme.

Members of San Lucjan and NTM releasing these turtles with the help of some of the children present.

Permalink: Ekoskola Loggerhead Turtle Release event