Manuel da Graça Sacramento Gomes, Fundação Príncipe
Manuel, widely known as Lindo, was born and raised on the remote island of Principe, where he found his deep connection to the sea and started working full time as a spear fisher and diver. In 2007 a Portuguese scientist set up a project to understand and protect Principe’s sea-turtles and hired Lindo to help with the research. Once the project ended in 2011, Lindo and the other spear fishers remained on the island as guards, protecting the turtles and monitoring the beaches.
The creation of Fundação Príncipe in 2015 spawned an official turtle conservation project, ProTetuga, and Lindo was promoted from marine guard to ProTetuga team supervisor. He is now renowned for his approach to stopping poaching, and turtle poaching has been virtually eliminated in the area. Lindo was also invited to fill a key role at Fundação Príncipe working full time on a five-year project which aimed to establish a national network of marine protected areas. He supports the project to address the main drivers of marine biodiversity loss, working with the local government and communities. He now spends more time in community meetings and the office rather than the field, which he says was a huge change in his career and a big challenge.
Lindo still plays a key role in fieldwork, supporting others to collect valuable data and using his seamanship and local knowledge to expand his expertise in marine monitoring. He is well-known as a trustworthy and serious figure on the island, guiding conflict mediation, environmental awareness activities and consultation work. Crucially, Lindo understands the challenges these communities face and communicates how marine conservation can improve the lives of the fishers and fish traders.