The year 2023 ended for our teams with 845 turtle tracks observed on the 13 motu that make up the atoll. 50 turtles𝟱 were identified and 412 nests were recorded.

With more than 2,170 hatchlings already out of their nests according to the counts of empty shells made by our teams, this season, which will last until around April, looks promising…

In total, 26 night time survey sessions were carried out in addition to daily daytime surveys to identify tracks, with a record of 6 turtles observed in a single night on Tiaraunu motu.

Several turtles had already ben observed in the past on Tetiaroa: Ahoroa in particular had been recorded during the 2011-2012 nesting season then during the 2017-2018 season before returning this year to deposit its eggs again on the beaches of the atoll. Finally, a depigmented resident turtle which had been observed in 2014 and then in April and November this year was photographed by drone. An image of great beauty.

A big thank you to all our supporters, our generous partners, our talented and motivated collaborators, our tireless volunteers who have allowed this study to continue since 2007 and to provide crucial information on the life cycle of this globally endangered species that we are fortunate to be able to observe in Polynesian waters.

Partners : Direction de l’Environnement Polynésie Française, The Brando, Hinerava, Polynésie Voyages, Tetiaroa Society, Vilebrequin, Van Oord, Esri France, Air Tahiti Nui, IFBD, Pacific Beachcomber, Aremiti Tahiti – Moorea, Hello Scoot, Avis Tahiti, Andrew Sabin Foundation, Kristin Hettermann & Sven Lindblad, Jean-François Clervoy & Frank Lehot, Carl Swanes.

Alexandra had the opportunity to visit our Sea turtle rehabilitation center located in Tahiti and to discover our actions for green sea turtle and coconut crabs studies on Tetiaroa atoll. Alexandra has a degree in geography and took a close interest in our turtle nesting mapping tools with the support of our partner: Esri France.

We are honored to support Alexandra and the cause she supports. We would also like to thank our partner Air Tahiti Nui who supported her in this project.Congratulations to Alexandra for her commitment!

Recently the association has set up for the period from April to May the project “Atira’a ia Moorea – All united for Moorea”. This project aims to allow local associations or professionals to share with the general public their knowledge in cultural, social, scientific or environmental fields.

Since Tuesday April 4th, many free training days have been organized for the general public in order to make people discover the different actions of environmental associations and biodiversity professionals.

During these days, the people present had for example the opportunity to better know the birds with the ornithologist Alexandre Fellous but also the whales with the association Oceania.

The objective of this project is above all to allow everyone to share the knowledge of the speakers, but above all to raise awareness among the general public about the importance of associative commitment and the missions carried out by the associations.

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In this context, Rebecca accepted our invitation to accompany the teams in the monitoring of green sea turtles nesting sites carried out on the atoll for more than 15 years. Rebecca also visited the Sea turtle care center in Moorea where she was able to discover the work carried out on the resident turtles in care.

The objective was to highlight the importance of protecting sea turtle nesting areas, a species threatened on a global scale and protected in French Polynesia, but also to promote the actions in favor of the environment implemented in our beautiful territory.

Many thanks to our partner Air Tahiti Nui who made Rebecca Brando’s visit possible ans to all the partners that have been supporting us!

Partners : Direction de l’Environnement Polynésie Française , Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco , The Brando , Hinerava , Tetiaroa Society , Van Oord , Vilebrequin , Vilebrequin Fondation , Air Tahiti Nui , Esri France , IFBD , Pacific Beachcomber , Andrew Sabin Foundation , Kristin Hettermann & Sven Lindblad, Jean-François Clervoy & Frank Lehot, Carl Swanes, Mireille & Dick Bailey.

Discover a cute video of a green sea turtle hatchling on Tetiaroa.

… A tender moment to share with your loved ones …

Click on the image

On the occasion of Earth Day celebrated every year on April 22nd, Te mana o te moana announces the launch of the 𝐇𝐄𝐈 𝐎𝐍𝐄 “The sand crown” project. This project aims to better understand the mechanism of erosion following the results of the Tetiaroa atoll study and to raise awareness on the damages related to the overexploitation of sand

On a global scale, the erosion of sand coastlines affects a third of the planet’s coastlines and half of the world’s beaches are threatened with disappearance by 2100.
At the same time, the demand for sand has increased over the past 30 years by 360% and we are currently extracting more sand than the Earth is able to produce. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of years are needed to produce sand (between 200 years and 1,000 years to form 1cm of sand).
In January 2021, teams from Te mana o te moana in Tetiaroa carried out a study on the erosion of the main beaches identified as green sea turtle nesting sites.
The results show a considerable increase in steep slopes, considered impassable by female turtles, particularly on Honuea and Onetahi motu, with respectively 28% and 13% of the beaches becoming inaccessible to females.
Although the total area of ​​beaches seems to have increased in the last 5 years on Tetiaroa, the newly created beaches have low altitudes, barely higher than sea level, and are therefore very easily flooded causing green sea turtle nests losses.

The 𝐇𝐄𝐈 𝐎𝐍𝐄 project focuses on the issue of erosion and sand and will include several conservation and education actions:
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 on the results of the erosion study carried out on Tetiaroa
𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 the population on the damages of erosion and sand overexploitation
𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 a public conference open to all on erosion and sand shortage
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 and lead educational programs on erosion and sand issues in schools
We will keep you informed and share with you key information on this issue affecting our beloved Earth.

Let’s act now to protect the Earth!

Partners: SA Frangipani, Richard et Mireille Bailey, Tetiaroa Society, The Brando, la famille Brando, Arue, une ville où il fait bon vivre, les enseignants et étudiants du Collège d’Arue, Te Ora Naho – FAPE, UICN, Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN), le Cluster Maritime de Polynésie et la Direction de l’Environnement Polynésie Française.