Wildlife Conservation Mexico Project #51436

Help save 500,000 sea turtle hatchlings in Yucatan

by Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan A.C.

Help save 500,000 sea turtle hatchlings in Yucatan

Project Report | Jan 24, 2024
A fresh wave of opportunities for sea turtles.

By Melania C. Lopez Castro | Project leader

Sunrise at El Cuyo

In 2023, our sea turtles faced challenges during the nesting season, which turned out to be one of the warmest in the last decade. The higher temperatures had an impact on nest success, resulting in fewer hatchlings compared to the previous season. Despite these challenges, we managed to meet our annual goal of saving 500,000 baby turtles. With your support, a total of 604,985 green and 216,810 hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings safely made their way to the ocean.

Looking ahead to 2024, our field team is committed to working hard during the nesting season to achieve our goal once again. Additionally, we're introducing a new initiative to protect and restore the nesting habitat of sea turtles in El Cuyo. This involves collaborating with the tourism sector to raise awareness about the crucial role coastal dunes play, how tourism activities impact their stability, and how we can collectively adopt good practices to reduce negative impacts.

It's not just about meeting goals; it's about forging a path towards a harmonious coexistence between nature and tourism. By fostering awareness and collaboration within the tourism sector, we aim to transform it into a force for good—a sustainable economic activity that not only benefits the community but safeguards the timeless legacy of sea turtles in the Yucatan Peninsula and beyond. We invite you to join us on this new venture. Together, we can create a new narrative where responsible tourism protects the legacy of sea turtles that echoes through the sands of time.

Hawksbill hatchling coming out of the egg

Baby sea turtle beginning its oceanic journey

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Sep 27, 2023
One month before the nesting season ends.

By Melania C. Lopez Castro | Project leader

Nayelli Rangel, our technician at Celestun

First of all, we want to thank you for your support this year. Your contributions are vital to our work and give continuity to our sea turtle conservation actions. We have begun to wrap up the nesting season. Our team in Celestún concluded its surveys at the end of August when hawksbill turtles finished their nesting activity. And just this week, our team in Holbox is closing its monitoring activities. Here, green turtle nesting activity and the seasonal weather dictate the end of the nesting season; storms and cold fronts become more frequent in the Fall and Winter, restricting access to the nesting beach.

However, our team in El Cuyo is working hard to conduct night surveys to record green turtle nests and morning surveys to analyze nest contents. Here, the green turtle nesting activity is intense, with thousands of nests recorded every season until the end of October.

So, where are we in numbers one month before the end of the nesting season? Take a look:

In Celestún, we recorded and protected 795 hawksbill nests that produced 72,678 hatchlings and 16 green turtle nests that resulted in 1,960 hatchlings.
In Holbox, the counts are as follows: 1,338 hawksbill nests and 1,298 green turtle nests. We are still estimating the number of hatchlings produced.
In El Cuyo, through August 25th, we had 829 hawksbill nests and 2,309 green turtle nests.

We will have our final numbers by the end of October, so stay tuned to learn how epic your impact will be this nesting season. Thank you for supporting and believing in our work.

Looking for sea turtle tracks

Hawksbill turtle nesting

Rescued hatchling on its way to the sea.

Nayelli and some of her volunteers!

Proudly wearing the t-shirt!

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Jun 7, 2023
Sea turtle nesting season update

By Melania C. Lopez-Castro | Project leader

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