The Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND) and WWF Mozambique signed a grant agreement in early June 2022 for a new project to monitor sea turtles in the Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago Environmental Protection Area (APAIPS) through the use of satellite tags on the turtles.

This initiative aims to improve real-time knowledge of the migration routes of turtles that nest on the islands of APAIPS. The project is funded through the Bio Card program, a partnership between Commercial Investment Bank (BCI) and BIOFUND, where a percentage of the card’s annual fee and usage is channeled to support biodiversity conservation projects.

As part of the project, a communication plan is also planned to raise awareness among local communities at all levels, encouraging their involvement in sea turtle conservation. Through this partnership, BIOFUND seeks to increasingly support research and innovation related to biodiversity conservation, promoting environmental awareness actions on relevant topics.

According to studies conducted, little is known about sea turtles in Mozambique, except in specific areas where more consistent monitoring and research programs are in place, such as Inhaca Island, Ponta do Ouro, Ponta Santa Maria, Bazaruto Archipelago, and the islands of Vamizi and Rongui. In the Primeiras and Segundas Islands, some monitoring and tagging actions were carried out (using titanium tags applied to the flippers) between 2005 and 2010. Data from these monitoring efforts demonstrate the occurrence of green turtle nests in the Primeiras and Segundas Islands.

APAIPS is one of the largest marine areas in Africa, located in northern Mozambique, within the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia. Covering approximately 1,040,926 hectares and a 205 km terrestrial strip, the Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago forms a region of significant marine influence, with an extensive “reef chain” whose depth occasionally emerges at the surface, hosting high biodiversity richness.