DALLAS, Nov 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — This November,Mary Kay Inc. is excited to announce its partnership with The Nature Conservancy to protect the critically endangered species of hawksbill sea turtles through the fostering of female-led ecotourism in the Solomon Islands. Through this collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, Mary Kay will support the skills development of a local women’s group, known as KAWAKI, facilitating food safety and personal hygiene training, critical for the launch of the Solomon’s first women-led eco-tourism venture, located in the remote Arnavon Islands.
The KAWAKI group is a local women’s organization in the Solomon Islands dedicated to marine conservation and turtle protection for the Arnavon Islands. Their mission is to unite women around conservation, culture and community to create a better future for their children and the generations to come. KAWAKI’s biggest conservation project is located in the Arnavon Islands, home to the largest rookery for hawksbill turtles in the South Pacific. The hawksbill is a species of turtle primarily threatened by poaching and habitat loss—specifically, the loss of nesting beaches due to coastal erosion driven by storms and sea-level rise. Tourism is a major development priority for the Solomon Islands, and with a growing number of tourists visiting the Arnavons each year, provincial authorities have identified the area as a prime opportunity for niche eco-tourism that can help lift communities out of poverty and provide the needed resources for effective turtle conservation. However, local infrastructure and marketing have not yet been developed for sustainable eco-tourism to accommodate the steady increase of visitors to the Arnavons.