Protecting the Amazon Turtle

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | flickr photos

The Amazon turtle is one of the 17 species of chelonians born in a region called Tabuleiro do Embaubal – a group of beaches located at the Xingu river, Para State, Brazilian Amazon.
The rate of turtles born in the region has decreased due to climate change, predatory fishing, lack of protection and the movement of the river.

Researchers, biology students and professors from the University of Pará are watching closely the area and gathering data which can help protect the species.
Beaches are being artificially elevated so there is more sand area for the adults to make their nests.
Ultimately, the idea is to create a conservation area of sustainable use in order to increment research and guarantee the future of the Amazon turtle.

Few people have access to this region and fewer have the chance to document this place and this specific moment: the birth of such a resilient creature.
I was lucky enough to go the Amazon and register, for my personal portfolio, the images you are seeing here. These photos were taken in December 2009.

Why should I be chosen?

This is one compelling story. Not a complete one because there are many complexities involved – from the lives of the riverside community, to government’s and ONG's interests, the researcher's work and many other issues like the Amazonian’s way of life and their culture.

I was born in Brazil, but I had never been to the Amazon. It was my baptism. And what a great one!

These five shots can barely represent how magnificent and special the place I visited is. It is not just a place. It is a place going through a grandiose moment. A place where the outcome of what is being done can represent more than the increase of turtles being born. It can represent transformation in attitude and change.