Fundação Príncipe: Turning Turtle Poachers Into Protectors on a Rainforest Island

Príncipe, a volcanic island off West Africa, holds primary rainforest dating back 31 million years and was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2012, with its 17,242-hectare Obô Natural Park core strictly protected. Fundação Príncipe, a local NGO established in 2015, employs dozens of staff -- nearly all of them local -- to monitor endemic species, help manage the national park, and run a sea turtle programme that trains former egg poachers as nesting-beach rangers. Nesting seasons that once saw 1,750 recorded green turtle nests now log as many as 2,642, and the number of hatchlings released to the sea each season has doubled to about 130,000, with poaching now nearly eliminated. The foundation hires extra local marine and beach guards during peak nesting season to patrol every beach on the island.