The Seville Aquarium Celebrates Environmental Education Day with Sea Turtles as the Protagonists
January 26th marks World Environmental Education Day, and to celebrate it, the aquarium has hosted today the presentation of the traveling exhibition of the “S.O.S. Caretta” project, coordinated by HyT, Hombre y Territorio Association.
An exhibition that can be visited these weeks along the aquarium’s route, where visitors can learn all the secrets of sea turtles: how they are inside, how climate change affects them, their main threats, the types of turtles we can find on Andalusian coasts, etc., but above all, how they can help this threatened species.
“The objective of this traveling exhibition is to show the general public and schools the project’s goals and actions, raise awareness about the importance of ecosystem conservation through sea turtles, and to make known the role of the fishing sector in their conservation” comments Patricio Peñalver from HyT Association, who develops this action in collaboration with the entity Seashore Environment and Fauna.
The exhibition will remain for two months at the Seville Aquarium and during the rest of 2023 will visit, among others, those localities where the fishing sector collaborates in the project: Isla Cristina, Punta Umbría, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and Tarifa.
Representatives from the different entities participating in the project attended the inauguration event, among which it is worth highlighting Manuel Fernández, president of the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (FACOPE) and Chief Skipper of the Punta Umbría Fishermen’s Guild, whose fishermen have rescued 6 of the 36 sea turtles in the project. One of them is currently in recovery at the Seville Aquarium, under an agreement with the Junta de Andalucía, the entity responsible for the care of rescued specimens. Manuel Fernández highlighted “the importance of these actions to make known the role of the fishing sector in the conservation of sea turtles. Additionally, the fact that this inauguration coincides with World Fisherman’s Day and Environmental Education Day highlights the importance of different sectors joining efforts for the sustainability of our seas”. For her part, Cristina Ortiz Ferrari, director of the CEPSA Foundation, an entity that supports the project, mentioned “the commitment of the Cepsa Foundation to environmental education as a pillar of the projects in which it collaborates to improve ecosystem conservation”
The “S.O.S. Caretta” project, supported by, among other entities, the Junta de Andalucía, aims to promote the rescue of sea turtles by the Andalusian fishing sector in favor of better conservation of sea turtles, involving both the sector and other entities that can provide support. To this end, they develop a series of training, awareness, and communication actions, among which this exhibition stands out, which can be visited at the aquarium until the end of March.
Rocío Alcázar, manager of the Seville Aquarium, comments on the importance of supporting initiatives like this, “the conservation project of our center is sea turtles, the main basis on which this center is sustained, the essence… a species with many threats that need the collaboration of everyone”
The Sevillian aquarium has been part of this project since its inception and collaborates by housing recovering specimens of these turtles rescued by fishermen on the Andalusian coasts. “We are in a time of sustainability and it is necessary to create alliances between different organizations to join forces for the conservation of the oceans and the species that inhabit them, essential to preserve biodiversity and our well-being”, comments Susana Montero, education director of the aquarium.
Why is environmental education important?
Oceans face multiple threats daily that alter the natural balance of their ecosystems. Environmental education provides the necessary knowledge to make us aware and sensitive towards a more sustainable life, making us understand that we are part of nature and that making small gestures in our daily activities can make a big difference in the conservation of the marine environment.
At the Seville Aquarium, they carry out this educational work daily, creating environmental awareness in all those who visit them through education programs, the information that can be found throughout the tour, and the activities they carry out.