The Chelonia Project

Where GTT began: a living garden of native tortoises and turtles at Parco Natura Viva — a project now stretching all the way to the Seychelles.

Chelonia was where Green Teen Team began. Launched in 2014 in collaboration with Parco Natura Viva (PNV), a wildlife park in Veneto in northern Italy, the project was planned and curated by our founder, Theodora, to shine a light on something most people never think about: the threatened and endangered species living right on our doorsteps.

At the heart of the project is the Chelonia garden at PNV, home to four species of native tortoise and one species of native turtle. These small, quiet reptiles tell a big story. Urbanisation and pollution have degraded their habitats across Italy, and the garden shows visitors exactly why protecting local wild spaces matters just as much as saving faraway rainforests.

A group of girls stand outdoors, smiling and holding hands. Some wear jackets and name tags. Trees and greenery are visible in the background.

PNV was the perfect partner for our first project. The park is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and takes part in international breeding programmes, including the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) and the work of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), which breed endangered animals in captivity to help secure their future in the wild. PNV also supports field conservation projects in Italy and abroad, and shares our belief that education is where conservation starts.

Chelonia was never a look-but-don’t-touch project. GTT ran eco-friendly summer camps at PNV and in Sussex for six years between 2014 and 2020, held regular workshops at the park, and Theodora volunteered once a week to help maintain the Chelonia garden — in every season, whatever the weather!

An older woman and a young girl stand outdoors at night; the girl holds a small tortoise while the woman looks on.

Out on the water

In 2019, GTT members swapped the garden for the open sea, joining a research voyage aboard the Tethys research boat in the Ligurian Sea. The study area sits within the Pelagos Sanctuary — the world’s first High Seas protected area and home to one of the highest concentrations of whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean. Members learned about eight cetacean species, including fin whales, sperm whales and several kinds of dolphin, and contributed real data to citizen science. It was so much more than whale watching.

Four people on a boat examine a marine specimen collected with a blue net over the side, with calm sea and clear sky in the background.

From Italy to the Indian Ocean

In 2017, Chelonia grew bigger than we ever imagined. GTT, PNV and the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA) signed the first multilateral agreement to support conservation of the Seychelles giant tortoise. Once widespread across the Seychelles archipelago, the species suffered a severe decline through overhunting, habitat loss and the introduction of non-native predators, and it is now listed under CITES, the convention that regulates international trade in endangered species.

Through this collaboration, GTT helps support scientific monitoring of tortoise populations across their long lives. Data gathered from wild tortoises in the Seychelles can be compared with tortoises in rehabilitation centres around the world — including at PNV, where giant tortoises confiscated at customs have been re-homed. The project also involves local communities through initiatives such as habitat restoration.

The SNPA manages several protected areas where the tortoises live, including the Curieuse Marine National Park. The island of Curieuse is home to a population of Seychelles giant tortoises and is an important nesting site for hawksbill turtles too. There, the SNPA protects the tortoises by controlling non-native predators, monitoring population numbers and carefully managing visitor access.

The Chelonia Project in the Press

  • Italian newspaper article discussing the future of Parco Natura Viva with a headline about "Chelonia" and a school project, includes a photo of two people and an inset portrait.
  • Newspaper article with a photo of a man in a suit at the top left and a photo of Hermann's tortoises on the right, discussing a summer science event at Parco Natura Viva.
  • Astrid von Liechtenstein and her daughter Theodora stand together outdoors at Expo Milano 2015, with modern Expo structures visible in the background.
  • Princess Theodora and young students pose outdoors in a group, seated and standing on grass, with trees in the background.
  • Princess Theodora of Liechtenstein shakes hands with students and conservationists during her visit to a Romanian bison area, as part of a conservation awareness event.
  • Two people stand in a forested area, speaking to a group of children outdoors. Children face away, listening attentively.
  • A woman releases a sea turtle from a large tub on a beach, under the supervision of several bystanders and environmental staff.
  • A sea turtle swims in the sea near the shore; rocks are visible in the background and waves are gently breaking.
  • A young girl in a white shirt sits on grass, holding a terrapin in one hand, with another terrapin nearby, at what appears to be an outdoor animal park.
  • A group of children and adults pose outdoors, some holding small containers, after helping release five young birds of prey that fell from their nest.
  • A European bison stands in profile on a white background, part of the National Geographic Photo Ark project featured on an Italian magazine webpage.
  • Screenshot of an Italian news website showing a highlighted article about Joel Sartore's "Ark" project featuring animals in Verona, with various other news headlines visible on the page.
  • Three photos show: people examining plants outdoors, a girl holding a tray of rooted plants, and a group sitting in a garden with a tortoise. The page includes text about environmental education.
  • A young woman sits on a rock outdoors near greenery; to the left are photos of a tortoise enclosure, a sign reading “Chelonia”, a map, and two tortoises on grass. Text covers both pages.
  • Book cover and illustration for "The Princess & The Tortoise," featuring a vintage drawing of a girl in a dress and stylised text about Princess Theodora becoming an environmental campaigner.
back to PROJECTS