In Mayotte: The Turtles of N’Gouja Under Surveillance

A sustainable development example

For over 20 years, the sea turtles of N’Gouja, both a feeding site and nesting place, have been receiving special attention. What distinguishes the population of this small bay is its ability to adapt to moderate but real tourist traffic. This is a fine example of sustainable development.

A typical day of eco-volunteering

It is 6 o’clock in the morning. Marie Debord starts her day walking the beach in search of tracks left by females that come ashore to lay eggs during the night. Later, equipped with flippers and submerged underwater, she continues her eco-volunteer mission for the Center for the Study and Discovery of Marine Turtles (CEDTM). This center has been monitoring the bay’s population for two decades, in partnership with Kélonia, the Jardin Maoré and various local associations such as Escale and Oulanga na Nyamba.

After obtaining a degree in marine biology from La Rochelle and a master’s in Environmental Sciences in Toulouse, Marie interned at Kélonia, the marine turtles observatory based in La Réunion. During this internship, she met Katia Ballorain, a biologist at CEDTM, responsible for the N’Gouja program. They hit it off, and Marie chose to become an eco-volunteer on the island for six months, arriving in January 2023. Her routine alternates between field monitoring, data transmission, and public awareness, reaching both tourists and local visitors.