Paying for sea turtles as incentive for conservation in São Tomé and Príncipe

Abstract

Abstract Although incentives for sea turtle conservation are widespread, few interventions involving direct payments to individuals for releasing captured turtles have been documented, limiting valuable learning opportunities for conservation practitioners and hindering the development of the field. This study reports on two initiatives involving the purchase of live sea turtles from citizens in São Tomé and Príncipe, highlighting the inappropriateness of this measure in impoverish locations by unveiling unplanned consequences and their implications for future conservation efforts. To ensure effectiveness and lasting behaviour change of stakeholders, the design of conservation experiments in economically disadvantaged areas or marginalized communities, particularly those conducted by outsiders, should incorporate an ethnographic component and consider the impacts on the well‐being of local people.