EUROWA-2: First oiled sea turtle response training presented in Greece
April marked the first ever EUROWA training workshop on oiled sea turtle response, which was held in Glyfada, Greece. The 3-day workshop was part of the EUROWA-2 project, which aims to establish an oiled sea turtle response training module for the EUROWA network. Sea turtle specialists with long-standing expertise in sea turtle rehabilitation, nesting beaches and ecology from around the Mediterranean basin, attended this first workshop.
Divided into two training courses, the workshop included both theory and practical sessions. The one-day Basic Responder course included lectures on how a general oil spill response works, and how to organise an oiled sea turtle response within it. The participants also learned how to coordinate the search & collection of animals at sea and along the shore, what the basic needs of oiled sea turtles in a rescue center are, how to look after them and how to reduce the impacts of beach clean-up activities on sea turtle nesting beaches.
Discussion groups and tabletops were held exploring how to prepare an already full rescue center to accommodate the sudden arrival of 100 oiled sea turtles, and how to react to an oil spill in a specific location of the Mediterranean basin depending on the number and species of turtles expected at that time of year.
Having gathered the main experts in the Mediterranean basin, these courses were an important opportunity to present the package contents to the group and have their feedback, ensuring that these materials are developed and owned by the sea turtle community collectively, thus better representing that community’s needs. This will make it easier for the materials and courses to be accepted and widely used in Europe and other Mediterranean countries.
If you are interested in attending a EUROWA training course, or in organising one in your country, please contact the EUROWA Secretariat at secretariat@eurowa.eu