New economic and legal activities for the coastal communities once involved in sea turtle harvesting and trade.

To protect sea turtles in a country where they have always been considered as an important subsistence resource, it’s necessary to create alternative economic activities to people that used to be economically depended on the trade of these threatened species. Besides involving our 50 local agents, most of them former sea turtle poachers, that are currently members of our team, was also important to involve the women traders of sea turtle by-products. The palaiês (fishmongers) of the main market in the country, that used to trade sea turtle by-products, decided to abandon this illegal practice and, in 2016, with the support of Programa Tatô, they created the association “Queremos Ter um Futuro com Destino”. Since then, Programa Tatô has been following up this group of women and investing in their training, conversion, and professional growth. We invest in the production and trade of original handicraft articles made with recycled materials and African fabrics. These products are for sale in several points in both islands.