Sea Turtle Conservation & Environmental Education

Good intentions wont pay the bills.

There are 3 sea turtle conservation programs that we intend to help now: The sea turtle conservation efforts in Rio Oro, Clavito’s Río Claro and Jonathan’s at Guaria de Osa.

The Corcovado Foundations sea turtle conservation program started in 2006 with a project in Progreso, that later we handed over to the local community.  It was a great achievement to see the local people ready and able to take over the responsibility of protecting sea turtles in this area.

We had then, started the transition to work in Rio Oro.  2000 sea turtles were protected in Rio Oro during 2016 and we believe that around 99,000 hatchlings made it to the ocean thanks to those efforts.  For years, environmental leaders in the local community asked us to help protect this nesting ground.  But we were devoting our limited resources to Progreso, so we never had the means.  We were finally able to work in Rio Oro, with very little financial support.  We mainly financed the program with the help of the international volunteers, that worked with us during 2015 and 2016 and donations from friends and donors on Globalgiving.  But the logistics and the costs of operating proved it impossible to maintain the program as it was.

Thanks to the information generated in these 2 years, we demonstrated the huge importance of protecting this shore.  After conversations with the local organization in Rio Oro, COTORCO, they are now ready to take on the responsibility to protect the beach and we are happy to provide them with the technical support they need.

Clavitos project in Río Claro has been protecting the elusive and almost extinct hawks bill sea turtle.  There is little data of what is really going on with this turtles on this beach.  Our aim there is to help Clavito to set up a data collecting system and provide him with the volunteers needed in order to provide enough presence on the beach to establish a consistent surveillance and collect reliable data about the behavior of these elusive reptiles.  

A mile away, in Guaria de Osa another sea turtle conservation program has been operating also with very limited technical and financial support.  Our aim is to provide these two projects with the support that they both need to have a true impact and widen their protection to the local populations of sea turtles that continue to nest in here.

But this year hasn’t been easy.  Funding is scarce, and the foundation doesn’t have the resources to support the program, like we have done in the past.  In fact, maintaining our seaturtle conservation program  will take a miracle. If we don’t get support this month, we will need to put a halt to our turtle conservation program… and after 11 years of working with these wonderful reptiles this year might be our last one.

You have been an amazing friend to our program and you have supported us when we have needed it the most.  I really want to thank you for that.  However, I need your support again.  In order to maintain our efforts and provide support to these local projects we will need funding.  Please, join us volunteer or donate on https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/seaturtle-conservation-and-environmental-education/.