Help the Turtles Survive! Project Activity

Project Activities

QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT
January - March 2005

1. Project Activities undertaken in this period

Development of Public Awareness tools

●
With regards the development of public awareness tools, fruitful
contacts earlier established with academic institutions and NGO’s
are ongoing.

●

Work completed on the Turtle Song Video. Video/Song being presently
aired on Indus Music and ARY Digital channels.

●

Prototype of a Turtle Mug prepared

●

The Theatre Academy of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum selected for
the preparation of ‘Street Theatre’ on turtle conservation to be
performed for local schools and coastal communities. Script finalized.

●

In coordination with WWF Pakistan, a beach cleanup and awareness
raising program was held with students of the government school in
Kakapir Village and village residents participating.

Training Mode of hut chowkidars

In view of the extremely enthusiastic response received from Hut Chowkidars and strong endorsement of the Sindh Wildlife Department and WWF Pakistan to the first training module and certification program a second module was also held in which 80 Hut Chowkidars participated.

Habitat Management Plan

Work ongoing on the preparation of a Habitat Management Plan/HSI Index. A new study to determine the feasibility of designating the project area as a Protected Area has been initiated after getting approval of the UNDP/GEF project management team. The ongoing legal review will be incorporated in this feasibility study.

2. Problems or difficulties in project implementation

Certain problems have been encountered in this project activity in dealing with government agencies, while at the same time fruitful contacts and collaborations have been established with a number of NGO’s, academic institutions and private organizations. The problems mainly relate to getting the Hut Lease Deeds revised by KPT and the City Government.

3. How have these problems/difficulties been addressed

Focus of efforts is centered on the City Government. The primary target is ti get the revisions/amendments in the Hut Lease Deeds incorporated formally by having them passed in the form of a Resolution in the City Council. Contacts have been established with a number of councilors for this purpose and relevent facilitating documents have been prepared. Another short term target is to get a Notification circulated from the office of the City Nzim informing all the Hut Owners within the jurisdiction of the City Government to take relevant measures to observe the ecological sensitivity of the beaches.

4. Assessment of project achievements to date based on indicators in project work-plan

In the development of the public awareness tools, valuable contacts and partnerships have been established with other
NGO’s and academic institutions. An important consideration for this project has been the involvement of youth in turtle conservation efforts. The publication of the booklet Kachwa Kahani is a proof of this extremely meaningful coordination.

Substantive contacts with three (3) private and three (3) public schools have been established and involvement of their students in Internship Programs is being discussed that represents positive feedback from the schools.

Useful public awareness tools in the form of educational posters and turtle song were prepared.

An innovative video based educational/training program for Hut Chowkidars will serve as a model for other similar projects elsewhere. The response has been extremely enthusiastic that resulted in the holding of a second module that initially was
not part of the project deliverable.

However, an issue of continuing concern has been the limited success achieved so far in effecting amendments in the Hut Lease Deeds of KPT and City Government. The procedures for bringing about such a change are cumbersome and there is institutional resistance to such a change. Other strategies for bringing about the required changes are now being finalized.

In order to cover another Turtle nesting season for additional documentation and field work, it is
requested that the project duration should be extended till September 30 2005 from the present
project completion date of June 30 2005.

5. Activities yet to be completed

The following project activities remain to be completed:

Habitat (Land use) Management Plan – Presently, the Environmental Criteria needed for the determination of the Habitat Suitability Index are being identified. In the later phase of the project, during the next nesting season of the turtles, the presently set Environmental Criteria will figure as variables in the establishment of the Habitat Suitability Index that should serve as an important guideline in any development or conservation activities in the project area.
Protected Area Feasibility Study.

Preparation of public awareness tools and awareness raising media campaigns.

Checking of performance indicators/project audit.

Formation of Green Turtles Environmental Stewards Committee.

Download our latest monthly progress report