Environment performs relocation of nests with turtle eggs

Depending on where the turtles lay their eggs, there may be threats to these new turtles that will hatch.

At the beginning of 2023, the Center for Environmental Defense (CDA), of the Secretariat for the Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries of Rio das Ostras, is carrying out the relocation of nests with turtle eggs from the beaches of Remanso, Costazul and North Sea.

The nests were moved to avoid depredation and theft of eggs. “We are happy because there were three loggerhead turtle spawning on our beaches. The City Hall and the beach monitoring project are monitoring these spawning and, since then, have been relocating to safer locations. Artificial lighting and excessive traffic of people and even vehicles, in addition to erosion, can destroy the eggs. It is important for the population to be aware that the nests should not be disturbed, as they indicate that there is spawning there”, explains biologist Ederson Rodrigues, from the City Hall’s CDA.

These actions are authorized by the Tamar Project and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). In these operations by the Department of the Environment on the beaches of Rio das Ostras, the nests were duly marked with stakes, following criteria adopted by Projeto Tamar and Ambipar, a company specialized in environmental management.

The turtles are expected to hatch in 45 to 60 days and the Municipal Environment Department will monitor the entire process.

SPAWING SEASON – The spawning season is governed mainly by temperature, occurring in the hottest periods of the year. On the Brazilian coast, it occurs between September and March, with variation between species.

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