A group of volunteers from the UK ship RFA ARGUS have spent time working with the local Caribbean community to protect endangered sea turtle populations.

The Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao is known for its population of sea turtles, but it has an increasing problem with waste plastics that can trap the turtles and wash up on beaches making their nesting sites uninhabitable.

Local efforts to protect the turtles and to collect and reuse the plastic waste rely heavily on volunteer work. Fortunately at this time RFA ARGUS is conducting maintenance alongside to get the ship ready to provide disaster relief in the busy Caribbean hurricane season, and so some of the crew were available to volunteer.

The ship contacted the Curaçao Turtle Sanctuary, and on Saturday 25 July a bus of sailors, airmen, and soldiers headed to San Pedro on the North shore, an area particularly badly hit with plastic. In the hot sun the team conducted a beach clean, aiming to remove as much waste as possible, especially any large nets or items that can trap turtles. Simultaneously the Argus team were shown how to identify and sort any plastic waste that can be recycled.

Royal Navy Lieutenant Annie Sykes, from 845 Naval Air Squadron, said: I was shocked to see all the plastic that had washed up. We were all tired at the end of the clean but it was rewarding too. It was good to assist with conservation of the local environment and it made me think about the plastic I use – even the straw in my next drink! We did what we could, but I will remember the sad state of that beach forever.”

Andy Moorehouse, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cadet, said: “It was hard work at the beach, there was so much plastic but I was glad to get stuck in. It was really interesting to hear how much of the plastic can be sorted and re-used”.

Following on from the beach clean the group of volunteers then helped the Turtle Sanctuary to fill up containers of fresh sea water. This was ferried to a local vet’s where a number of injured or vulnerable turtles are being nursed back to health, soon to be released back into the wild.  The fresh sea water is important to keep them healthy.

Air Engineering Technician Danielle Peakman said: “After all the hard work in the morning it was great to then see the turtles. I was so excited!”

Cadet Moorehouse said: “I am so pleased to have had a chance to get off ship to do something different that really feels like we are helping. To see the turtles was an added bonus but I am glad I could represent the RFA with the other military teams we have on ship”.

The Turtle Sanctuary is partnered closely with a local organization called Green Phenix. They seek to deal with the plastic problem through community education and reducing use, but also by supporting efforts to sort and re-cycle collected plastic for use in 3D printing machines. As part of a global collective of concerned conservation groups, they offer opportunities for the local community to use large scale 3D printing machines to create new products completely free of charge. This has been useful for any local entrepreneurs whilst having the benefit of creating a need to collect and sort waste plastics. Most recently Green Phenix were able to produce PPE and COVID facemasks for the island and the wider region.

Follow up work has been taking place with Green Phenix and the Crisis Response Troop of 24 Commando Royal Engineers embarked on RFA Argus. They have been helping the project move to a new space which required work to turn it into an education centre, a plastic sorting facility and somewhere to house 3D printing machines.

The work took place alongside regular local volunteers, and though Curaçao has been declared COVID free after a very small number of cases were resolved, care was still taken to adhere to social distancing measures in this joint work.  One of the local coordinators was Sabine. She said: “it is really excellent to have such big groups to help us, and they worked so hard. We really appreciated the help, it was absolutely fantastic.”

RFA ARGUS will complete her scheduled period of maintenance in Curaçao and soon sail back out into the Caribbean Sea to resume work with the rest of the UK Task Group.  They are in the Caribbean ready to respond with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the event of a natural disaster during the hurricane season, whilst also helping support British overseas territories with maritime security and counter illicit trafficking operations. A Tailored Air Group (TAG) of 4 helicopters are embarked on RFA Argus, and with HMS Medway also deployed in the region, the UK Task Group is prepared to help wherever and whenever they are most needed.

LAGA UN KOMENTARIO

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