Turtle conservation in Costa Rica

Planet

For over 10 years, the project has been run as a non-profit research and education center by members of the local community and Costa Rican scientists. It therefore has been able to form strong links with the local community to educate them on the importance of protecting Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife and help provide them opportunities to live in an environmentally sustainable way.

A main objective of the project’s work is to protect coastal marine resources and develop a model of sustainable ecological tourism. Since the project was founded, local staff and volunteers have worked together to release over 60,000 turtle hatchlings and protect over 172 acres of land.

Olive Ridley turtles which account for nearly all turtle encounters in the area, are categorised as ‘vulnerable’ according to the IUCN Red List of Endangered species so their protection is vitally important. There is also a lack of data about this species and so the data that the project collects is incredibly important for building this knowledge base.

The team also contribute to government conservation management research - to help find the most effective way to protect coastal species at local, national, and international levels. A part of this work involves identifying coastal species that are most at risk in the region.

People

Social responsibility: Before volunteers depart we provide them with a detailed volunteering guide on the area they will be visiting. We try to educate and encourage our volunteers to understand and respect the local cultures and customs.

Economic responsibility: For over 15 years we have been recruiting volunteers to help at charitable projects around the world. A UK charity has been launched to build on this success by providing financial assistance to overseas causes as well. The organisations we work with are often struggling to fund the work they are doing so every penny raised makes a real difference.

This is a locally run organisation, providing employment for local Costa Rican staff. The project also provides opportunities for Costa Rican scientists to work collaboratively with researchers at international universities to encourage them to further develop their research skills.

While volunteers are in-country, they stay in locally run research center and we encourage them to buy locally and support local businesses. Volunteers are also able to assist with a community outreach project where children from the local community can attend the ‘open classroom’ and summer camps - to learn about environmental issues and get involved in local beach clean ups.

Environmental responsibility: While our volunteers and customers are overseas, we identify and encourage simple steps to minimise their impact on the local environment. And at our office in the UK we try to recycle as much of our office waste as possible, use recycled products where available, avoid printing (no brochures) and minimise energy usage.

In joining the conservation team, volunteers will be ultimately helping the organisation in maintaining, and where needed rehabilitating, the coastal region - in order to protect the region’s high biodiversity and to facilitate the sustainable development of local communities.