Sea Turtle Conservation & Environmental Education

With one month of the 2015 season under our belts, we’ve got so many wonderful new experiences to share with our donors. For the first time ever the Corcovado Foundation Sea Turtle Conservation Program has been protecting two major nesting sites for these endangered species on the northern and southern flanks of the Corcovado National Park.

At playa Drake our volunteers have helped the local turtle conservation association, ACOTPRO, to build the biggest hatchery to date, with room for 144 nests. At playa Río Oro, our volunteers helped to remove trash from 20km of coastline, ensuring that this precious wilderness remains an idyllic nesting habitat for the sea turtles. They have been rewarded by seeing as many as 20 sea turtles come to nest some nights – many more than we are used to finding in Drake! The season has only just begun too, so it’s very exciting to imagine what it will be like when the nesting activity peaks in September!

The program has also welcomed a record number of international volunteers too. Sixty came to volunteer during just the first month and over 120 have signed up for 2015 so far – smashing the previous record of 93 in 2014.

The newly expanded program, however, brings a new level of responsibility and new funding needs. While the increase in the number of volunteers has provided the indispensable labor required to protect both beaches, the income generated from their fees does not cover the increased costs of running the program. This year we were fortunate enough to win two grants to cover these costs; by contrast, for 2016 we currently have no funding at all!

In order to consolidate our work with the community in Drake Bay and construct a permanent research station at Río Oro we need to raise around $30,000 USD by the end of the year. We are also in need of a vehicle in order to cut down our transportation costs. With this key infrastructure in place, the program would be a position where it could operate without the need for grants in the future, and could guarantee the protection of the sea turtles at these two important nesting beaches for years to come.

We are offering our donors a real opportunity this year to make a tangible and permanent contribution to the conservation of sea turtles in the region, and support the sustainable development of the local communities with which they interact.

Make a donation today, large or small, and help us to save the sea turtles from extinction!

To keep up to date with the daily goings-on at the program, visit: https://www.facebook.com/cfseaturtles, and read our volunteer blog here: http://cfseaturtles.blogspot.com/

Thank you for your support!