On Tetiaroa atoll, Te mana o te moana teams are carrying out a scientific study on green sea turtle nesting sites thanks to the authorization and the support of the Direction of the Environment of French Polynesia.
One of the aspect of the Study is to evaluate the impact of rats on emerging turtles. The objective is to better understand the consequences of this predation. Gaëlle, a Master II student on Oceanic Island Environment at the University of French Polynesia focuses on this theme. With her colleagues, she roams the beaches of the atoll at night to locate the nests and to install, approximately 50 days after spawning, infra-red cameras. These cameras allow to witness with certainty rats’ predation on hatchlings. The videos are then analyzed to identify the nests on which a predation has been confirmed, to define the rats species and analyze their behavior.
At the end of Gaëlle’s internship in June, we hope to be able to share with you relevant information on this study in collaboration with the Direction of the Environment.
Many thanks to Gaelle, all the volunteers and collaborators for their hard work! 
Project with the authorization and the support of the Direction de l’Environnement de Polynésie française and of Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco
Partners: The Brando, Hinerava, Vilebrequin, IFBD, Air Tahiti Nui, Tetiaroa Society, Van Oord, ESRI, David Hetterman and Sven Lindblad
