Turtle Laws on Paper, But Death on the Sand

In Barbados, it is illegal to harm, harass, or disturb sea turtles. 

The law is clear, the penalties are heavy, fines up to BBD $50,000 and/or two years imprisonment. 

The possession of any turtle product, whether it be meat, shell, or eggs, is strictly prohibited. 

This moratorium on sea turtle harvesting has been in place since 1998, yet here we are, decades later, and the evidence of neglect lies bleeding on the beaches.

Turtles are still dying, and not because some poor fisherman is catching them, but because million-dollar developments are choking their ancient nesting grounds. 

Investors etc are given permission to build elaborate buildings on the coastal line, yet none of them aren't considerate enough to think about the turtles, because it's all about money, investors, investment, greed and profits. 

Hotels, private homes, resorts, and construction projects are erecting fences, boulders, retaining walls, and floodlit patios on sacred turtle nesting sites, drainage systems become deadly traps. 

Concrete slabs replace soft, warm sand. And every year, mother turtles return to these very spots, instinct leading them to death.

So the question must be asked, why isn’t anyone being held accountable for these crimes?

If a local man were caught with a turtle shell, he'd be dragged before the court, but when a hatchling gets crushed in a hotel’s car park, where is the outrage, where is the enforcement, where is the justice?

Why is it that sea turtle deaths on private and commercial properties go unchecked?

Why do we allow this hypocrisy to continue, year after year?

The law speaks loudly, but enforcement remains whisper-silent. 

We have environmental regulations, but they are not being upheld where it counts most: on the ground, at the shoreline, in the shadow of steel and cement.

The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) has had over 25 years to make a serious impact, yet the same life-threatening hazards still exist. 

Are they doing enough, are the environmental authorities in Barbados doing enough, where are the proactive inspections, where is the environmental justice?

Too many people are hiding behind permits and money while pretending to care. 

Meanwhile, the turtles, ancient beings that return to the same beach after decades at sea, are dying, trapped, lost, suffocated by ignorance and greed.

This is not conservation, this is exploitation, if a project goes up on a known turtle nesting beach and results in a death, that is a crime, and crimes demand consequences.

So let’s stop pretending the laws are working just because they exist.

Let’s start demanding action, not just from the government, but from every stakeholder. 

Demand that developments follow strict eco-protective measures, demand that violations be investigated and prosecuted, demand that environmental impact assessments be real, not rubber-stamped.

Let’s bring the law out of the paperwork and into the sand, because if no one is ever held accountable, then the law is nothing more than a mask, covering the face of yet another dying turtle.

The turtles can’t speak, but we can, and we must.

#JusticeForTurtles #EnforceTheRealLaw #ProtectOurBeaches #ProtectTheTurtles