This post is part of our Living Legends series that spotlights key people in sea turtle conservation.

Biography

After obtaining a degree in oceanography, Neca Marcovaldi began her sea turtle conservation journey with a team of colleagues who surveyed the entire Brazilian coast in the early 1980s. They interviewed fishers in dozens of small communities, identified the nesting beaches for Brazil’s five turtle species, and characterized the main threats the turtles face. She and her husband, Guy, founded Fundação Projeto Tamar (TAMAR) in 1988, which has since led pioneering efforts to integrate sea turtle conservation with community-based development and rural empowerment. TAMAR’s programs have improved the lives of countless Brazilians, and the programs currently provide more than 1,800 jobs in 23 communities, thus promoting environmental sustainability through a circular economy model. Neca’s achievements have been recognized by UNESCO, the International Sea Turtle Society, and other entities, and she holds an honorary doctorate from Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (Brazil). She served as the chair of the MTSG and is currently regional vice chair for the Southwest Atlantic. She remains active in sea turtle conservation in Brazil and beyond.

What Was Your First Sea Turtle Moment?

After two years of assessment along the coast, TAMAR opened its first three field stations, but we still hadn’t seen turtles! We rented a fisherman’s house in Pirambu, Sergipe state, as a base from which to do beach patrols from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day. After a full month of surveys without finding a turtle, a fisherman came to visit early one morning. He was so happy. He brought with him an adult female olive ridley in a basket on the back of his donkey (the basket that is normally used to carry coconuts). The poor animal was upside down, and a second basket was full of sea turtle eggs. He was so proud and announced, “Since you guys weren’t able to find any turtles, I brought you one!” Needless to say, this was not how we had envisioned seeing our first nesting turtle, but it was progress, and that fisherman, Seo Clarivaldo, became the first fisher hired to work as a patroller for TAMAR. Today, Pirambu is the second-largest olive ridley nesting beach in the Atlantic.

What Is Your Proudest Accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishment is having converted old fishers—people who had spent much of their lives collecting eggs and slaughtering turtles for food—into equally dedicated turtle protectors. This was the beginning of a virtuous cycle that, step by step, created a circular economy in which turtles are more valued alive than dead.

What Is Different Now from When You Started?

So many important changes! When we started, turtles were seen primarily as food, yet nowadays they are a symbol of income and opportunity in the main nesting areas of Brazil. The populations of the five species of sea turtles in Brazil were scarce and declining, but now four species are on the rise and another is stable. Back in the 1980s, few people were talking about marine conservation. Now, as a result of our public awareness campaigns and social inclusion programs, sea turtles are icons and flagships for conservation in Brazil. And of course, the science has changed drastically. New tools and techniques—from stable isotopes to genetics, telemetry (remote sensing), and more—allow us to deepen our understanding of sea turtle ecology, thereby promoting more extensive local and international networks to conserve sea turtles better.

What Are You Most Hopeful (and Worried) About?

I am most hopeful that the new generations will have access to more and better information about turtles and their habitats, thus promoting more engagement and awareness about marine conservation and giving people tools to fight for conservation. What worries me is that despite the existence of laws to protect sea turtles (for example, from unsustainable fisheries, beach development, pollution, and so on), there is a tremendous lack of enforcement. With an ever-growing human population, we need to find a way to solve the imbalance between human needs and the use of natural resources.

What Is Your Advice to People New to This Field?

Be patient—sea turtles have long life cycles, and significant time is needed to accomplish any goal and to see results. Think in terms of sea turtle generations. Get connected with people dedicated to making a change, no matter how much time it takes.