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The Protection, Conservation and Ecological Education Station at Quelonios del Caribe works with three species of marine turtles (Leatherback, Carey’s and Green) that nest on the Caribbean beaches and are in danger of extinction. Furthermore, the Station attempts to improve the quality of life of the nearby little community that lives on the banks of the Pacuare River.
When this project was born, the community was engaged in the harvesting of turtle eggs and illegal selling of turtle meat; this was the only activity which provided an income for the families in the area. Today, we have succeeded in generating permanent work for the locals, and now it is they who work to combat the harvesters of turtle eggs.
We work with Costa Rican and international volunteers to protect and increase the population of marine turtles that lay eggs on the Caribbean beaches of Costa Rica. We construct nurseries to protect the eggs from depredation and from illegal harvesters. We make nocturnal patrols to collect the eggs for hatching, to collect important data such as measurements, and to mark the turtles. We take the hatchlings to nurseries for later release. In addition, the volunteers participate in educational activities in the community in order to promote a policy of conservation among the population.
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