Turtles are born in an area still without environmental protection in Rondônia; watch video

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Only from above can you get an idea of ​​what happens annually on the banks of the Guaporé River, in Rondônia, on the border of Brazil and Bolivia.

An impressive number of hatchling baby turtles hatch from their eggs and make their way to the river. Animals of the species can weigh up to 90 kilos.

The region is considered the most important in the world for the reproduction of river water turtles, according to the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).

The environmental entity recorded a video with aerial images of the region, in partnership with the local association Ecovale. According to the WCS, around 80,000 females lay their eggs annually, between September and October, on the banks of the Guaporé.


Video: Images of turtle reproduction in Rondônia


On the Brazilian side, spawning occurs in the municipality of São Francisco do Guaporé. Each female leaves around one hundred eggs in the region, which hatch in December, a period that can extend into January. Reproduction, considering these numbers, can therefore reach eight million offspring.

The numbers of females and also the number of babies born on the banks of the watercourse are still an estimate. A survey with the use of drones is still in progress.

It is already certain, however, that the region far exceeds, for example, the reproduction area of ​​the species in the Abufari biological reserve, in the Amazon, considered one of the largest in the Amazon and that registers the annual presence of 2,000 females, according to WCS .

The region on the banks of the Guaporé River used by Amazonian turtles for reproduction has not yet been transformed into an ecological reserve, and the lack of protection of such an important area generates fear.

The deputy director of WCS Brasil, Marcos Amend, mentions some points that may help explain the region’s conservation.

One point is the local awareness on the part of the population, including farmers, who do not expand their activities towards the river. Another is the fact that the state does not have the habit of consuming turtle meat, eggs and products.

“In other regions of the Amazon, it is common to see tanks for turtles in homes”, says the deputy director of WCS Brasil.

Amend says that, even with all the conservation of the unprotected area used by the Amazonian turtles for reproduction, the entity will initiate contact with the federal government for the transformation of the banks of the river in São Francisco do Guaporé into a conservation unit.

“First, however, it is necessary to know exactly how many animals go to the region at the time of spawning, how many offspring are born and why the species uses this region for reproduction”, argues the WCS representative.

Another data that will be determined is the exact area where reproduction takes place and where the animals, both females and young, go.

On the Bolivian side, according to WCS Brasil, the banks of the Guaporé are already under official protection. As it is a border area, according to the entity, the reserve should be under federal jurisdiction.

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