Sea Turtle Rescue and Conservation in Playa Grande

This week on 23rd May, we acknowledged World Turtle Day.

World Turtle Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the protection and conservation of turtles and their disappearing habitats around the world. It highlights the critical role turtles play in our ecosystems and the urgent need to address the threats they face, such as habitat destruction, illegal trade, and pollution. 

On the eve of World Turtle Day, our team  saw a female leatherback during a night survey. This particular female had a carapace length of 152cm and laid 78 eggs. The eggs were taken back to the nursery by the team in order to hatch safely without risk of being poached.

This is just one example of how our project team have taken action.

The turtles in the region face a significant risk of extinction due to threats.  Less than 40% of hatchlings survive without human intervention.

Managing the nursery requires work and resources for example our team take sand from the nursery to the beach. New sand is then collected, cleaned ready to be used in the incubators. Ensuring the sand is filtered and cleaned gives the eggs an increased chance of hatching by reducing possibility of infection.  Sand is very important to the ecosystem, especially for sea turtles!

We partner with Cahuita Turtle Rescue on community-driven conservation initiatives such as beach cleanups, nest harvesting, turtle releases, and educational campaigns. Cahuita Turtle Rescue collaborates closely with the local community to protect native wildlife and work towards the safety of marine turtles.

Your continued support will help us to research equipment and educational resources to allow this project continue to make a positive impact. 

We are keen to increase the impact of our work and are thereforee planing some fundraisers in the near future so we can expand our resources to support the work of our partners. You will hear more about our fundraiser soon1

Thanks for your contributions, your support is appreciated.