Billion Baby Turtles April Update

April was a busy month! We provided a total of US$ 27,500 to five partners in six sites through our Billion Baby Turtles program to turtle nesting beaches. With these grants, we expect to support roughly 112,000 baby turtles. This year to date we have supported our partners with US $50,000 in grants and have helped save more than 180,000 baby turtles so far.

ProNatura, Yucatán, Mexico

For over 30 years ProNatura has protected 3 of the most important nesting beaches in the Yucatan Peninsula: Celestún in Yucatán and Holbox in Quintana Roo are some of the most important nesting beaches for hawksbills in Mexico and in the Caribbean in general. The team surveys a total of 79 km-49 miles- (24 in Celestún, 31 in El Cuyo, and 24 in Holbox) at night to record each female and nest they encounter. In addition to the surveys, the team visits the local schools to teach children about the importance of sea turtle conservation in their community. For all the 3 beaches they had a total of 2,964 hawksbill nests, 6,464 of green turtles and 4 of loggerhead nests, with an estimated 217,000 baby hawksbills, 605,000 greens, and 280 loggerhead hatchlings. With US $8,000 for this season, we expect these funds to help more than 80,000 baby turtles to get to the big blue. 

Hawksbill hatchling from a ProNatura nesting beach, photo credit Edwin Alcocer

Sea Turtle Conservancy, Bastimentos, Panama

After more than 20 years of sea turtle research in Bocas del Toro Province, Anne and Peter Meylan formed a partnership with STC in 2003 to monitor increasing nesting hawksbills along the Bocas coast (covering ~50 km of beach in recent years). The area of concentrated work by the Meylans has been three important nesting beaches: Small Zapatilla Cay, Big Zapatilla Cay (both since 2003), and Playa Larga (since 2006), all of which lie completely within the boundaries of the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (BINMP). At all monitored sites, daytime surveys for nests have been conducted using a standard protocol adapted from the Index Nesting Beach Survey Protocol of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Nighttime patrols are also carried out to intercept and tag nesting females on these beaches. Both activities are conducted by beach monitors hired from local native communities with help during most years from international student volunteers; all are trained by the PI’s or by experienced field coordinators. With US $5,000 Billion Baby Turtles is supporting the protection of more than 17,000 hawksbill hatchlings. 

Sea Turtle Conservancy, Soropta, Panama 

This project is to address ongoing threats facing the leatherback population at Soropta Beach while carrying out an in-situ research and recovery program. The 14-km Beach hosts between 200 – 1,200 leatherback nests per year, making it one of the most densely nested beaches for this species in the region. Unfortunately, illegal hunting of leatherback nests remains an issue at Soropta, due to its isolated location, relative ease of access and cultural tradition of sea turtle egg and meat consumption in the area. In 2022, STC is implementing a two-pronged approach to curtail illegal egg taking: implementing a hatchery and directly housing law enforcement personnel at STC’s Biological Research Station. For this season Billion Baby Turtles support this project with US $4,000 helping to get into the big blue at least 2,500 baby leatherbacks.

Leatherback at Soropta, photo credit - SEE Turtles

Equipo Tora Carey, El Jobo, Costa Rica

Equipo Tora Carey (ETC) was created as the result of a successful cooperation between fishermen, local tourism operators, and biologists in protecting sea turtles around Punta Descartes in 2015. Despite all the challenges and changes they had faced the past years, the protection of marine turtles keeps going. In the present, local residents patrol 5 different beaches every night. ETC protects around 250 nests of olive ridley, black and sporadic hawksbill nests. With US $2,500 this season, Billion Baby Turtles is encouraging this community to keep working on turtle conservation. 

Reef Guardians, Lankayan Island, Malaysia 

Since 2004, this project has protected hawksbill and green turtles nesting on Lankayan Island, in Malaysia. Since then, the annual nesting has increased gradually from 138 nests in 2004 to more than 600 the past 4 years. Last season they protected 485 nests of greens and 119 nests of hawksbill turtles with an estimation of almost 40,000 hatchlings protected for the season. With US $3,000, Billion Baby Turtles supported this upcoming season we expect to help more than 14,000 baby turtles to get to the ocean. 

Green turtle nesting on Lankaya, photo credit Reef Guardians

Yayasan Penyu Laut Indonesia /Indonesia Sea Turtle Foundation, Pesemut Island, Indonesia

Since 1999 ISTF has done nesting beach conservation and eggs protection for critically endangered hawksbills as well as green turtles at Presemut Island in Indonesia. Most of the work is focused on preventing illegal nest collection and predation. Last season YPLI were able to protect 721 nests of hawksbill and 708 of  green turtles. This year Billion Baby Turtles is supporting this project with US $5,000 and expects to help almost 40,000 baby hawksbill and green turtles to get into the ocean.