Tourism affecting Loggerhead turtles in Cape Verde

Beaches of Cape Verde (Republic of Cape Verde, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal) are famous tourist destinations. They are equally famous for Loggerhead turtles that flock its white beaches to lay their eggs. Unbridled tourism has started affecting the welfare turtles and other indigenous species. In the last decade, visitors increased seven-fold to more than 180,000 a year. The government plans to increase it further in an effort to boost economy. In a report called "Paradise on the Brink", the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said plans to increase tourist arrivals were not supported by coherent environmental studies or infrastructure projects. Cape Verde's coral reefs are among the world's most important and most threatened, and the islands' waters are also a feeding ground for humpback whales. WWF has urged the Government to take more pragmatic steps in terms of conserving wildlife while devising tourism plans.