More than ten years ago, a group of conservationists engaged turtle hunters and egg collectors in dialogue, discovering that many of these people would rather take people out to see the turtles than continue hunting them. Here’s what happened next.
Changing Lives for the Better
Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols had been working with Baja’s sea turtle hunters and Central American egg collectors for several years; when he discovered that they would rather engage in ecotourism than continue what they were doing, he decided to take action instead of waiting for someone else to do so. In 2008, a project called SEE Turtles was initiated with three primary goals: protecting sea turtles, generating income for people living in areas they inhabit, and helping visitors to experience firsthand encounters with these gentle creatures.
Nichols teamed up with Luis Garduno, Chris Pesenti and Brad Nahill, whose backgrounds in ecotourism, environmental economics, and community organizing complemented his own, and the four set to work providing alternatives to poaching, turtle hunting, and egg collecting. Within two years, they were able to generate over $100,000 in new income in communities impacted by the SEE Turtles program, and today, the organization is going strong, connecting volunteers and travelers to responsible tour operators who can take them to nesting beaches and other turtle hotspots.
Available Expeditions
While SEE Turtles started small, it has grown by leaps and bounds. As of early 2014, the organization offers numerous conservation expeditions including the following:
- Costa Rica – Leatherback sea turtle volunteer vacations
- Costa Rica – Cocos Island shark and turtle research trips
- Mexico – Whale watching and turtle research trips
- Mexico – Baja kayaking and turtle research excursions
- Mexico – Yucatan Peninsula turtle volunteer programs
- Mexico – Whale sharks and turtles of the Yucatan expeditions
- Nicaragua – Cloud forests, reefs, and sea turtles expeditions
- Nicaragua – Nicaragua’s wild side ecotourism vacations
- Nicaragua – Nicaragua wildlife adventures
- El Salvador – Sea turtles and community development programs
During these turtle adventures, participants may have the opportunity to assist researchers with measuring and tagging sea turtles in the wild, protecting turtle nesting beaches, or guiding newly hatched turtles safely to the ocean. You may even be able to spend time diving Cocos Island for the shark and turtle research program.
Sea turtles are making a strong comeback thanks to SEE Turtles and other conservation groups, but there’s still much work to be done to bring them back from the brink. Six of the planet’s seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened, with the worst threats including:
- Consumption of marine debris including plastic
- Coastal development and marine traffic
- Sea floor dredging
- Light pollution near nesting beaches
- Poaching and illegal turtle product trade
- Entanglement in fishing gear
- Ocean pollution and pathogens that weaken immunity
- Climate change including extreme weather events that destroy coral reefs and nesting beaches
While sea turtles are built to withstand attacks by natural enemies and have been swimming the seas since dinosaurs ruled the earth, they need human help if they are to thrive or even survive. If you’re looking for a great eco-vacation and love the idea of helping sea turtles, look into SEE Turtles. You’ll be glad you did.