Sea Turtle Inclusivity Fund Profile - Emma Bello

Emma with a hatchling in Parismina. Photo: Turtle Love

Our Sea Turtle Inclusivity Fund provides grants and scholarships for residents of coastal communities where we support sea turtle conservation work. Our most recent grant is for Andriws Emmanuel Bello Suazo, also known as Emma, a 19-year-old Costa Rican native from Limón on the country's Caribbean coast. His parents, Nicaraguan immigrants seeking a better life, moved to Costa Rica. Despite financial challenges, Emma excelled academically, earning a high school diploma and a technical degree in Rural Tourism.

During his supervised professional internship with our partner Turtle Love, Emma's passion for conserving endangered species was ignited. Throughout 2023, he immersed himself in sea turtle conservation, actively relocating over 300 green turtle nests and protecting 30,000 eggs. The thought that over 20,000 baby sea turtles might have perished without his help thrilled him.

While 2023 was fulfilling, financial constraints impeded Emma's dream of enrolling in university. Accepted into the Universidad Tecnica Nacional to study biology for continued sea turtle conservation efforts, Emma faced setbacks when his father lost his job at a local banana plantation just before Christmas. As a result, Emma's family can no longer afford to support his education. This scholarship will empower Emma to leverage his academic skills, pursue a degree, and further contribute to conservation efforts, especially for sea turtles in Costa Rica.

We asked Emmanuel about his goals for pursuing his biology degree and his experience.

Tell us about your background and interest in studying biology:

I am 19 years old and my academic level is diversified education and an intermediate technician in Rural Tourism. My interest in dedicating myself to biology, conservation and environmental management dates back to my childhood, where I could appreciate the beauty and importance of the environment in which I live, the value of biodiversity that my country and its surroundings have. I plan to dedicate myself to the conservation of wildlife, especially sea turtles, and carry out
research in collaboration with Turtle Love.

Emma releasing a juvenile green turtle with a transmitter. Photo: Turtle Love

What is your experience in sea turtle research and conservation?

My experience in the Turtle Love organization is mainly in monitoring work of sea turtles, carrying out all activities related to them. Also the monitoring of freshwater turtles and monitoring with camera traps. I also went on to manage and lead groups of volunteers and students who visit the project. In 2022, I completed my supervised internship at Turtle Love. I worked in the area of ​​coordination assistant for the organization and in 2024 I will continue to be part of the team's collaborators during university vacation periods.