The conservation area covers about 33 square kilometres of water and reef — that is much bigger than the island itself. Inside it, fishing is not allowed, which gives the fish, turtles, and sharks a safe place to grow. The community decided together to protect this area, and it is managed by the people of Funafuti themselves.
Green sea turtles glide through the lagoon, sometimes surfacing right beside a boat. Reef sharks — smaller than you might imagine, and not at all interested in bothering people — patrol the edges of the coral. Manta rays, with their great wide wings, sometimes swoop slowly underneath snorkellers like slow, flat kites.
The protected islands inside the conservation area have nesting beaches for leatherback and green sea turtles, who return each year to lay their eggs in the warm sand. Baby turtles hatch and scramble to the water — a sight that people on Tuvalu consider very lucky to see. The conservation area shows how looking after nature also keeps the fish stocks healthy for everyone.