THA secretary appeals to EMA: 'Havoc' at turtle nesting site

TOBAGO stakeholders are calling on the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to “act” on a land development which is allegedly threatening a turtle nesting site at the Turtle Beach.

They made the call in a video on May 1, a day after the EMA launched an investigation into the destruction of a turtle nesting site at Turtle Beach.

The authority, in an April 30 release, said its investigation came on the heels of a video on social media, which showed “what appears to be land works and crushed turtle eggs scattered along the sand at Turtle Beach.”

The EMA said officers from its Environmental Police Unit (Tobago Office) and officers of the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development visited the site on April 30, to determine the extent of the works conducted.

In the May 1 video, the division’s line secretary Nathisha Charles-Pantin, said the development work on the beach has been engaging the attention of stakeholders for the past year.

“We have been in discussions with the village council and other stakeholders and it is time that the Environmental Management Authority act on the situation,” she said.

Charles-Pantin said the development continues to “wreak havoc on the community and environment.

“But we remain committed to work with the authorities to resolve the matter in the interest of all of our stakeholders.”