Where a sea turtle is worth more alive than dead

This is the story of an island nation where sea turtles were once hunted to the brink of collapse.

For generations, turtles were killed for their meat and eggs. Along with fishing, coastal development and other human pressures, this put increasing pressure on their survival.

Today, things are beginning to change.

Local communities are working together to give the turtles a chance to recover. Some of the people who once hunted them are now being paid to protect them, working as beach guards and guides, helping monitor the beaches and safeguard the nests.

Behind this transformation is Programa Tatô, an organisation that has been working with local communities to protect the sea turtles of São Tomé and create new opportunities for the people who depend on the coast.

Welcome to São Tomé and Príncipe — an island nation where protecting the turtles is becoming part of protecting the future of the communities that live alongside them.

Where a sea turtle has become worth more alive than dead.

^{About Deep Sea Reporter: Our ambition is to examine and report on issues related to the sea and the life that exists beneath its surface. We operate in the public interest and are independent of political, commercial, and other interests in society.}