Turtle Survival

Dina workshops in two districts: Tsihombe in
November 2014, and in Beloha during April 2015.
Aimed at community leaders and those with enforcement
authority, the workshops have proved
successful in instilling local resolve not to “turn a
blind eye” to poachers.
Workshop participants agreed to collaboratively
implement the Dina without exception,
and an action plan, valid for one year, was written
and signed by all present – a plan that is being
implemented. In Tsihombe, for example, participants
decided to set up a checkpoint just outside
the town to control cars. TSA and partnering
organizations supported the construction of
this first-of-its-kind road barrier built to address
tortoise trafficking in southern Madagascar.
Andrea Currylow is conducting ecological research on three species of Madagascar tortoises, and oversees TSA’s trial
reintroduction program.
Some of the 771 tortoises seized at the international airport in Antananarivo, including both Ploughshare and Radiated
Tortoises. PHOTO CREDIT: HERILALA RANDRIAMAHAZO
directly in charge of any wrongdoing regarding
tortoise protection in their villages.
The Dina is a “bottom up” community-based
law that reinforces the cultural tradition for
protecting tortoises that has existed in this
region for centuries. It is valid within the entire
Androy Region of Madagascar and allows villagers
to tackle tortoise harvesting in a transparent
manner through public participation. With the
potential to be a game changer for reducing tortoise
poaching, its application needs to be spread
more widely throughout the region.
The Dina cannot be applied without a traditional
ceremony that enables it to be implemented
in each of the four districts that form
the Androy Region. TSA has already conducted
ENFORCEMENT FINALLY TAKING HOLD
Sylvain Mahazotahy, TSA’s Law Enforcement
Instructor, is the key person charged
with administering Dina implementation. He is
considered far more effective than any other law
enforcement officers within the region due to his
strong will and direct involvement. As a result of
his activities and influence, TSA has produced 40
applications of the Dina.
Most of these actions were possible because
of the exemplary leadership by the head of the
district in Beloha. In partnership with TSA, the
Beloha District agreed to create a volunteer group
– The Tortoise Patrol – to champion the Dina
implementation. Over a three-week period, and
armed with an official letter from the District,
Sylvain and his 33 volunteers visited every village
to organize the Lilintane and relevant practices.
His group used shell remains from recently
killed tortoises, found nearby, as incriminating
evidence of Dina violations. In August 2014,
following the largest mass slaughter of tortoises
on record – 5,000 near Tranavaho – they chased
down and arrested the 42 poachers involved
and sent them to jail in Ambovombe, where they
remained for nearly ten months.
These are historic events. Previously, poachers
were rarely arrested for killing tortoises, and the
arrests strongly indicate that the tide is turning.
Visitors in the south now encounter a heightened
sense of awareness amongst the local peoples
regarding the tortoise poaching crisis along with a
strengthened resolve to tackle the issue.
TORTOISE CONFISCATIONS IN 2015
As predicted, increased training and awareness,
coupled with improved enforcement and
Dina application, have resulted in an increased
number of confiscated tortoises. To address this
a publication of the turtle survival alliance 17 visit us online at www.turtlesurvival.org