Obituary to Celia Moorley-Bell RIP

Obituary to Celia Moorley-Bell

Dr Robin Snape of SPOT writes:

Celia Moorley-Bell

Turkish Cypriots carry the sea turtle emblem on their identity cards and passports. We see the sea turtle emblem used by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment on London buses and subway stations to attract tourists to our beaches. The sea turtle has become a success story in a place full of obstacles and has acted as a catalyst for the tourism industry that supports our economy. The person who paved the way for this national pride, unfortunately, passed away in July at the age of 92: Celia Moorley-Bell.  

Born in the early 1930s, Celia retired early from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (now the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office), which led her to settle in Zeytinlik, Cyprus, where she met her husband, retired British Army officer Captain Ian Bell. The couple built a house in Doğanköy, surrounded themselves with rescued dogs, and pursued interests in art, culture, wildlife, travel, and social responsibility.

In 1983, Kutlay Keço, a resident of Alagadi and the owner of the Old Grapevine restaurant in Girne, as well as the president of the Cyprus Turkish Freedom Fighters Association at that time, showed interest in Celia’s pottery. They became friends and started discussing their mutual interest in sea turtles. By 1985, Celia and Ian had begun using old British Army maps to chart sea turtle nesting beaches. They traveled along the coast, camping in a Renault, counting the tracks. Noticing the Bells’ enthusiasm and energy, Keço began to provide support. Utilizing his local connections and experience, the trio laid the groundwork for SPOT as an informal organization.

They faced a challenging task. Realizing that their efforts alone were insufficient and that the local government’s capacity was low, the group sought international support for six years and engaged in discussions to establish a local environmental protection department. The team made significant contributions to the first regional projects to identify sea turtle habitats in the Eastern Mediterranean. By the late 1980s, with similar work starting in the southern part of the island, the sea turtle community began to recognize the potential importance of Cyprus, and the north of the island was firmly established on the map.

Success began to manifest in 1991. Finally, a member of the British House of Lords introduced SPOT to Glasgow University, and on December 15, 1991, SPOT received a letter informing them that 18 British students would arrive at Ercan Airport the following summer to support their work.

Then came the tasks of fundraising, establishing a center, procuring equipment, organizing permits, and supporting the welfare needs of over 100 students each year. Now, all of these are managed by a well-established Nicosia center office in collaboration with a solid UK research base at Exeter University, under the supervision of Professors Annette Boderick and Brendan Godley. Annette Boderick and Brendan Godley had been among the first 18 students in 1992.

Celia and Ian started traveling to France in a caravan and decided to make the country they fell in love with their home in 2005. However, shortly after moving, Ian sadly passed away in April 2006, and Celia moved to the Royal Homes in Wimbledon, London, established for the families of British soldiers. Celia revisited Cyprus in 2012 and celebrated SPOT’s 20th anniversary with friends at Grapevine. Celia spent the last year of her life in a retirement home in Porthcawl, South Wales, and passed away last month.

When Celia retired from SPOT in 2004, she wrote a column for SPOT’s newsletter, Turtle News, during the days before social media. She modestly summarized her achievements as follows:

“Starting a project is better if you know nothing about it—otherwise, you see the obstacles, act rationally, and don’t start. At first, officials found it a bit improbable for young people (especially women) to walk along the beach at night to watch turtles. We also found the idea of having them with firefighters in Karpaz strange. But really, once you get started, friends in high and low places guide you—here a Foreign Minister, there a jeep driver—and the project began to take shape. As its importance became apparent, the Veterinary Department assigned a Veterinarian to the Environment Department. This was our first step towards hoping that Cypriots would start protecting the turtles themselves.”

Regarding her decision to retire from North Cyprus and move to France, Celia said:

“So, am I retiring by following the paths we set and what we achieved? Unfortunately, no, quite the opposite. I think what has been achieved is in danger of being lost. Northern Cyprus is being built at an alarming rate. Green spaces in the interior are being demolished and replaced with concrete. The new coastal road (referring to the new highway under construction between Alagadi and Kaplıca) is already approaching the nesting beaches. Once completed, accommodation obstacles will quickly follow. Worldwide, seagrass meadows are declining due to wastewater pollution… will ours disappear in the same way? There is so much conservation work to be done. Currently, most local energy is directed towards elections. There are a few brave and thoughtful people worried about the environmental future of the North. I know I don’t have the fire needed to achieve something valuable. So, I leave this area to those who have this fire. I wish them success and remember with pride and satisfaction what came from a chance night walk in Alagadi in the ’80s. Celia Moorley-Bell.”

Twenty years later, Celia’s closing words carry a meaning that makes us ponder and pause. Indeed, development continues rapidly, and even in the Special Protected Areas she helped establish, unregulated development has seeped in. Industry-focused environmental responsibility has not yet developed, and the authorities she established have not always been effective. Nesting beaches in the Famagusta Bay area have been heavily affected by light pollution and sunbeds from facilities like Arkin, Kaya Artemis, and Caesar Resort. Instead of promoting sea turtle protection and sustainable tourism, local authorities have continued to promote the careless use of critical nesting areas like Güzelyalı, Kaplıca, and İskele.

However, not all is lost; turtles are nesting in greater numbers, protected areas like Alagadi are being well-managed, and authorities have kept their promises to restrict development in many critical areas. We have learned a lot about protecting turtles and other species and have used this knowledge to diversify, prioritize, and expand conservation efforts, especially in the fishing sector. In addition to SPOT, several NGOs focusing on sea turtles and including rehabilitation efforts have been established. Together, our voice for conservation is now much stronger, and the hope to continue Celia’s legacy remains.

On behalf of the SPOT committee past and present, Robin Snape.

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