Extreme E and Ba'a Foundation maintains strong progress in protecting endangered sea turtles

Extreme E, in partnership with Ba’a Foundation, is making strong progress in the protection of endangered sea turtles along the Red Sea coastline.

The sport for purpose championship has teamed up with the Saudi Arabian non-profit organisation to help preserve the endangered Green turtle and critically endangered Hawksbill turtle in Ras Baridi, close to where the series raced in its inaugural season in 2021.

Ba’a Foundation aspires to preserve the local environment, promote a culture of conscious environmental practices, and contribute to achieving sustainable environmental development.

Located 50 kilometres north of Yanbu city in Saudi Arabia, Ras Baridi is the focal point for the project. Professor Carlos M. Duarte, professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and member of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, highlighted the area as the most important turtle nesting site in the entire Red Sea.

The Ras Baridi Marine Turtle Conservation Initiative looks to safeguard sea turtles facing a variety of threats, including:

• Entanglement in fishing gear
• Illegal trade of eggs, which are considered a delicacy in some countries, and turtle shells
• Coastal development including building on nesting beaches
• Plastic debris and other forms of pollution
• Climate change causing rising sand temperatures, creating a gender ratio skew as turtle gender is determined by the temperature; the higher the temperature, the more likely the turtle is to be female, as well as rising sea levels which can erode nesting beaches and flood nesting sites, killing the eggs

The initiative has been addressing these issues using KAUST’s research and has tasked the Beacon Development Company (BDC) with implementing solutions.

Sea turtle specialist, Dr Hector Barrios-Garrido, forms part of the team of scientists from the BDC, with the scientific advice and research contribution of Prof. Carlos M. Duarte. As a wholly owned subsidiary of KAUST, BDC is heavily involved in the conservation efforts. Dr Barrios-Garrido has supported the training of wardens to carry out beach surveys, nest assessments, turtle tracking and GPS tagging to determine critical habitats the turtles depend on and risks they may face elsewhere. The team has also been carrying out drone surveys, using airborne thermal sensors to monitor the turtles.

Extreme E and Ba’a Foundation have been supporting the turtle conservation effortsthrough three phase, first of which is by beach fencing, beach management and monitoring, developing a visitor centre, nest relocation, and increased public awareness.

Professor Carlos M. Duarte, professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and member of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, said: “The project is releasing a cascade of positive impacts in support of sea turtle conservation in the Red Sea, as the direct actions to mitigate pressures are amplified by the growing awareness on the  vulnerabilities of Red Sa sea turtles and importance of supporting conservationa action.”

Aside from addressing the area’s most immediate threats, the conservation efforts at Ras Baridi are looking to set up initiatives improving research and education. Research will prove a key component of the conservation project as the data being collected may help KAUST and the BDC scientists understand the species’ ecology to better protect the turtles.

Another key component of the effort is an education and environmental awareness programme. Workshops aimed primarily towards local school children will bring awareness of, and hopefully promote interest in, turtle conservation.

Bader Alrabiah, CEO of Ba’a Foundation, said: “We see this partnership with Extreme E not only as a support to the turtle nesting site at Ras Baridi, but rather a true collaboration to support the environment ecosystem in the region. After a full year working closely with our partners, we are celebrating our first phase of this initiative.

“Ba’a and Extreme E are the tip of an iceberg in terms of collaboration, other entities that are involved include Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, along with entities in the private sector such as Yanbu Cement factory, Ruia Family, and Creative Business Experts. Last but most importantly are the researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and their execution arm Beacon Development Company”.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, said: “Ensuring the long-term future of the Ras Baridi is not just important for the sea turtles. Their presence transfers benefits from the seabed where they feed to the beaches, making them a crucial species within an entire ecosystem.

“Our work with Ba’a Foundation is a truly worthy and exciting initiative and we can’t wait to see how much more we can achieve in the future.”