Watamu Turtle Programme, Kenya

Aim of the Volunteer Project

Volunteers can join this programme and take part in marine and turtle conservation work involving research and monitoring of nesting turtles, education and outreach.

The Watamu Marine Park is part of a United Nations Biosphere Reserve and has been designated as a place of great natural beauty with miles of beautiful beaches and corals rich in marine flora and fauna.

Watamu

Watamu / Malindi Marine Parks and Reserve (WMMPR) covers an area of 229 km2 and is part of a United Nations Biosphere Reserve, that also includes the Arabuko Sokoke Coastal forest. The WMMPR protected areas consist of two Marine Parks: Malindi in the North, and Watamu in the South. This amounts to approximately 30kms of coastline, with a fringing reef along its entirety, as well as numerous patch reefs. The fringing reef forms several lagoons, some of which are still rich in coral and fish species. The Parks and Reserves provide an important residing and feeding habitat for sea turtles, while the 5km beach within Watamu Marine Park is a key turtle nesting ground in the country.

Local Ocean Trust/Watamu Turtle Watch

Local Ocean Trust (LOT) began its existence as a local turtle conservation project called Watamu Turtle Watch (WTW). WTW was formed in 1997 to continue and further develop the marine turtle conservation efforts of a local naturalist Barbara Simpson, which she had been undertaking in the area since the 1970's. Very quickly WTW came to realise that the survival of the marine turtles in Watamu was intrinsically linked to the well being of the surrounding marine environment and to the protection of turtles across their migratory range.

Concerned by the widespread degradation of the Kenyan marine environment, and national exploitation of marine turtles, WTW broadened its conservation efforts to encompass these issues while maintaining a focus of its turtle activities in the Watamu / Malindi area. To reflect this growth in the project WTW spawned a “big brother”, the Local Ocean Trust, in October 2002.

LOT now undertakes the general marine conservation work of WTW both locally and nationally. WTW is retained as the LOT flagship program, focusing specifically on sea turtle conservation.

LOT is a registered Charitable Trust, which works in close co-operation with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Fisheries Department, Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and the Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee (KESCOM), of which it is a member.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are needed to help for 4-8 week durations (can be longer) on the following projects listed below. We are happy to discuss each area of work with you and are also open to your suggestions and welcome students with research ideas.

1. Conservation & Research

Beach patrols

Turtle patrols are undertaken each night (during nesting season) at varying hours to monitor and help protect nesting/hatching activity. These patrols can involve walks of up to 8km per night. The nesting population is small and has an irregular season at Watamu, so seeing nesting events are by no means guaranteed.
Marine patrols to collect information on illegal/destructive fishing activities and turtle mortality.

Volunteers are not expected to conduct these patrols on their own. A community / LOT field officer undertakes most of these patrols and the volunteers provide him with very useful assistance.

Nest excavations
After a turtle nest hatches it is excavated to see what proportion of eggs have hatched successfully.

Assisting with turtle net releases and research
Participating in turtle releases and related research is a popular activity with volunteers, and is something that you are sure to be involved in during your time with us.

Turtle rehabilitation
There is the possibility that during your stay with us we may have a turtle in rehabilitation at the office. Volunteer assistance is required in feeding, keeping the tanks clean and for the strong swimmers, the turtles for sea swims to rehabilitate them back into the sea.

Other conservation/research work:

Poaching surveys
Mangrove seedling collection and replanting
GPS mapping
Beach surveys
Beach clean ups
Movement pattern research of turtles in Mida Creek
Mida Creek survey
Crab catching

2. Education & awareness

Signage - Producing and distributing conservation related signs in Park & Reserve areas is an ongoing activity.
Assisting the development and running of the Local Ocean Marine Centre - helping with designing displays, games for children, guiding visitors, group visits etc.
Displays in our marine centre are periodically changed and we would love your input in designing these. The artistic and creative are Educational materials and activities
Awareness Days
Further development and implementation of the LOT field education programme in local schools and fish landing sites

3. Community development

Creating and working with alternative income generation activities.
Developing ideas for fishing community members to generate alternative incomes to current unsustainable marine resource exploitation.
Local crafts activity and community development work.
Improved awareness and practice in recycling and composting.

4. General

Fundraising events, links with international schools, local craft designs etc.
Languages and help with translations

Project Details:

Volunteers can join from 4 weeks minimum up to 8 weeks maximum - 6 places available per group.

2012 Dates:

	6th February to 5th March 2012	5th March to 2nd April 2012
2nd to 30th April 2012	30th April to 28th May 2012	28th May to 25th June 2012
25th June to 23rd July 2012	23rd July to 20th August 2012	20th August to 17th September 2012

Please email the Volunteer Coordinator: Victoria.mcneil@workingabroad.com for any questions.

You can take part in the Watamu Turtle Watch programme throughout the year as the By-Catch release programme operates the whole time with anywhere between 10 and 90 turtles being released from fishing nets per week. The Rehabilitation centre also operates all year round but is particularly busy during August and November / December. The peak nesting season is from May to August but occasionally we get turtles nesting throughout the year.

As volunteers, you will be supervised on all of the projects by a resident volunteer co-ordinator who will be there to train and guide you throughout your time on the project. You will also receive orientation and proper training at the beginning of the project.

Food and accommodation:

You will be living in a very nice new and clean building, which is called Lallies House. It has a capacity of eight and volunteers share two to a room with each room having an ensuite (toilet, sink and shower). (If there are only 4 volunteers, then you have a room to yourself.) There are also two large outdoor covered living areas and a communal dining area and a large communal kitchen (including fridge and microwave). The house is located on the same plot as the main office and turtle rehabilitation centre and has good security, a small plunge swimming pool and is about a 5 minute walk to the beach. There is also electricity and running water.

Type of volunteers needed:

You should be 20 years old and over, fit, healthy and capable of carrying out manual work in all conditions in a hot climate. No specific skills are needed, but those with previous experience of sea turtle monitoring, conservation work, community development projects etc. would be particularly useful, as well as those who are self-motivated, as you will get more out of the project if you are. We are also looking for volunteers who can take their own initiative, and who don't always need to be told what to do, and who work well in a team. The project will especially appeal to those with an interest in marine biology. Anyone with additional skills, such as arts and creativity, languages and education are especially welcome.

Costs:

The cost for 4 weeks is £980 and for 8 weeks is £1885, which covers all project costs, including one day time meal at lunchtime on weekdays (the rest is self catered), quality accommodation in the Lallies House, airport transfers from Malindi, all training and supervision by Project Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator, WorkingAbroad Projects backup and placement support, and so on. In addition, you will get the use of bicycles to use whilst you are there. Cleaning is also included in the price and laundry can be done at minimal extra cost paid in local currency.

The airfare to Malindi (local airport), travel/ medical insurance and personal expenses are not included within this price. It is mandatory for you to take out travel and medical insurance for the duration of the project. Currently the best and cheapest way to get to Watamu is to fly to Nairobi and then take an internal flight from Nairobi to Malindi. You can book internal flights with Air Kenya, Fly540 or Kenyaairways through most international travel agents. You will then be collected from Malindi airport. Flying directly to Mombasa international airport is another option but it can be more expensive with the additional hassle of a 2hr taxi drive from Mombasa to Watamu. Details of other transport options (Bus, train, Matatu and car hire) between Nairobi and Mombasa (overnight train, bus, luxury mini-bus), and Mombasa and Watamu (bus, matatu, taxi) can be found in guide books such as the Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya, and Kenya on a Shoestring.

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