The EMA has installed four new sea turtle nesting signs along Manzanilla Beach.

Done through its Biodiversity Team, this initiative forms part of ongoing efforts of the National Sea Turtle Task Force to enhance public awareness and promote the protection of critical nesting habitats.

Manzanilla Beach is a vital nesting ground for the leatherback turtle, which is one of five species of sea turtles that visit T&T during the annual nesting season, which runs from March to August.

The beach also falls within the Nariva Swamp Managed Resource Protected Area, which is a nationally designated Environmentally Sensitive Area.

According to the EMA, the installation was made possible through community partnerships, with the Manzanilla Wildlife Watch and Environmental Group and the Nariva Environmental Trust playing key roles in identifying appropriate locations for the signage.

Installation was also supported by the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, which provided labour and logistical assistance. The
The EMA also reminds that unauthorised activities that harm the environment, particularly those involving Environmentally Sensitive Species and Environmentally Sensitive Areas, are subject to enforcement under Section 70(2) of the Environmental Management Act, Chapter 35:05 (the Act).

The Act states: “Any person who knowingly or recklessly undertakes or conspires to allow any activity in an environmentally sensitive area or with respect to an environmentally sensitive species designated under Section 41, which may have an adverse impact on the environment within such area or on such species, commits an offence.”

The Act provides a fine of $100,000 and two years of imprisonment for contravention of this section.