For World Turtle Day 2025, The Guardian newspaper highlighted the critical threats faced by sea turtles, particularly in Tanzania. Despite their vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems and supporting coastal communities, sea turtles are endangered by a range of human-driven threats, including exploitation for oil, leather and other products, incidental by-catch, habitat loss, and plastic pollution. However, the most serious threat remains illegal poaching and the consumption of their meat and eggs. Not only is this driving sea turtles closer to extinction, but the consumption of sea turtle meat also poses a serious risk to human health.
Wild Africa’s Tanzania representative, Ritha Johansen, emphasised that human activities are largely responsible for these threats and called for a change in attitudes and behaviors. She refers to the tragic incident in March 2024 where nine people died in Zanzibar after consuming sea turtle meat due to chelonitoxism, a deadly form of food poisoning.
Efforts to conserve sea turtles are underway, with international agreements like the IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding promoting coordinated conservation efforts. In Tanzania, laws such as the Fisheries Act of 2003 and Fisheries Regulations of 2019 protect sea turtles. The Journalist Environment Association of Tanzania (JET) is also actively involved in raising public awareness through media campaigns and training for journalists.
Read the full article in The Guardian here: The Guardian – 24 May 2025 – World Turtle Day
