Wildlife Conservation Costa Rica Project #42828

Improve conditions for our sea turtle heroes

by Asociacion Latin American Sea Turtles - LAST

Improve conditions for our sea turtle heroes

Project Report | Feb 4, 2025
The faces of conservation

By Nicki Wheeler | Volunteer Coordinator

community interaction

When we think of conservation efforts, our immediate perception is that animals of a certain species need protection. Most of the focus is on those animals that are in someway endangered, or even their habitats.

But there is a fine line between the protection of our natural world, and the socio economic dependencies of communities.

In Pacuare, the community plays an important role in protecting sea turtles. Some community members work in collaboration with LAST as local guides on night patrols, their experience and knowledge of the area being a key factor in locating nesting turtles and protecting their nests. Additionally, several families in the community have understood the importance of sea turtles in the site, and a few have chosen to undertake environmentally responsible economic alternatives, supporting LAST in its conservation activities.

Likewise, the community coexists with LAST volunteers, so that an exchange of experiences, culture and learning about sea turtles occurs. This has also had a positive impact on the perception of local inhabitants towards the use of marine resources, since many have begun to see ecotourism as a sustainable alternative to hunting turtles or extracting their eggs. However, much of the Pacuare community still faces challenges such as a lack of resources and the need for greater support for conservation projects in the area, such as LAST

We cant forget also the staff that make up the team of "on the ground" researchers. Our onsitre biologist, the volunteer coordinator, the boat captains, and of course our Research Assistants.

The role of Research Assistant is vital for the day to day running of the project. Each assistant is specially trained to take on the responsability of leading and training short term volunteers, supervising the hatchery, maintaining and reviewing equipment and materials, updating databases and assisting with our reports. Without them, the majority of whom are students, we would not be able to continue.

The continued search for funding sources is vital in order to continue recruiting the next generation of scientists and conservationists, and for the protection of sea turtles in this town.

Research Assistants

Links:

LAST website

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Oct 10, 2024
Another season finished

By Jonathan Contreras | Field Biologist Pacuare Research Station

releasing a leatherback baby

The 2024 season ended with a positive balance for our project, given that we managed to achieve high values in terms of nests saved and hatchlings that were released into the sea. In total, we recorded 224 clutches of leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles, which were found along the entire beach between the months of March and September. Of that number, 134 were relocated to our sea turtle nursery or to safe places on the beach, which means that we managed to protect 60% of the clutches.
Likewise, the hatching success of hatchlings in our nursery was high, allowing us to release around 8,000 endangered baby turtles into the ocean. Thus, the tireless conservation efforts made by all our volunteers and staff were rewarded, increasing the chances of survival of these species into the future and allowing the year 2024 to be successful for us in terms of turtles.

However, it was not easy to reach these achievements.

The percentage of saved clutches represents the constant struggle to find each nest before the illegal poachers do. So, for the following years, we have set ourselves the main goal of increasing this percentage of clutches saved, which at the same time represents an important challenge.

Given that, to achieve this, it is necessary to invest in a greater number of instruments and materials necessary for beach patrol and the construction of the nursery, as well as improving the existing equipment.
In addition, during this year, improvements were made to all project facilities. The investment made in the solar panel system has been effective, since the electrical system has not presented any further problems. New furniture was built for the kitchen, bathrooms and cabins, as well as a small bookcase that was placed in the ranch or community area.
However, the list of things that remain to be repaired and improved is still long, so we hope that you will continue to support our project so that we can continue to protect this important nesting beach and thus help with the preservation of these valuable marine animals.

collecting biometric data

Links:

LAST website

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Jun 13, 2024
Never ending struggles in conservation.

By Jonathan Contreras | Field Biologist Pacuare Research Station

So far in the 2024 season at Pacuare Beach, we have managed to achieve the proposed goals. The construction of the nursery was completed at the end of March, which was important since it allowed us to relocate the nests to a safe place from the beginning of the season. The first hatchlings were released into the ocean on May 27, with a total of 69 baby turtles. Likewise, the objective of protecting more than 60% of sea turtle clutches was achieved.

Volunteering has played a fundamental role in the achievements achieved. The nursery could not have been built without the hard work of these “heroes” whose main motivation is to be able to collaborate with the conservation of sea turtles, which are currently at risk of extinction. In addition, a large part of our volunteers have participated in beach cleaning and waste separation activities, as well as night patrols, relocating nests to safe places, caring for the nursery and releasing hatchlings, among others. This allows them to acquire skills in research and conservation that they can continue to use in the future to raise environmental awareness and, in this way, continue contributing to the protection of marine species.

On the other hand, at the station we have been strongly affected by financial expenses that we had not anticipated. The main investment has been in the electrical sector, since the solar panel and battery system has once again presented problems, so the solar inverter had to be replaced and new solar panels had to be purchased since the previous ones had been damaged by humidity. and air salinity. In addition, the splices on all the station's electrical cables had to be checked and replaced, in order to avoid deterioration and prevent short circuits. Also, they invested in a telephone signal amplifier that was placed in the ranch or community area, and in a refrigerator for the kitchen.

Likewise, the purchases of the necessary equipment for the nursery and beach patrol are carried out every month without stopping, since new materials and instruments are always required that are essential for working with sea turtles. Among the items acquired, the PIT scanners and radio communicators stand out due to their high economic value, as well as a roll of saran with ultraviolet protection that was installed on the roof of the nursery to protect the nests from excess heat. Likewise, it is necessary to constantly buy metal brands, backpacks, latex gloves, flashlights, batteries, shovels, among others.

We continue working hard to protect the sea turtles that nest on Pacuare Beach and save as many nests as possible, but we require all the support available to continue carrying out our work.

Links:

http://latinamericanseaturtles.com/

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