Every year, 70,000 turtles are born on the beaches of Grand-Bereby. A refuge for endangered species.

 

The Ivorian State has decided to create a marine protected area there.

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It is a small piece of paradise, unknown to the general public, located in the southwest of the Ivory Coast in the region of San-Pedro. Miles of wild beaches with crystal clear waters, lined with tropical vegetation and fishing villages

 

At nightfall, the bay has some surprises in store. Men go in search of sea turtles. No adult turtles in sight, but a nest was spotted buried in the sand. Inside, newborn, endangered olive ridley turtles.

 

For the eco guards, the goal is to protect these vulnerable species and help them reach the ocean. In the early morning, the turtles are released. They will travel thousands of kilometers.

 

The females will return to lay eggs on the same beach where they were born when they reach adulthood in seven years.A little further inland at the bend of a river, tourists encounter white-nosed monkeys.

 

Formerly poached and sold on the market, the animal has now been protected thanks to this tourist activity. The eight euros paid per visitor are donated to the villagers. Around 50 shoal-nosed monkeys live in this forest.

 

​​The entire protected area, extending over 24 kilometers, is the most important nesting beach for sea turtles in the Ivory Coast.

 

Indeed, from September to March, different species, in particular, the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) classified as critically endangered species on the IUCN red list, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) classified as an endangered species and the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) classified as a vulnerable species, come to lay eggs on these beaches. In total, it is expected that around 1,000 females and their nests will be protected and that 50,000 newborns will be released at sea.