June & July Billion Baby Turtles Update

For June and July, our Billion Baby Turtles supported 8 different projects in Costa Rica, Indonesia, Nicaragua, and Mexico with US $34,500 which we expect to help save almost 700,000 baby turtles. This year, to date we have supported our partners with US $106,500 in grants and have helped save almost 1,000,000 baby turtles so far!

Guanacaste Dry Forest Foundation: Nancite, Costa Rica
Playa Nancite is the second most important nesting site for olive ridley sea turtles in Costa Rica. The arribadas of these turtles generally result in between 20,000 and 116,000 nests each year. Turtle biologist Luis Fonseca has been studying the sea turtles of this area for more than a decade. His sea turtle monitoring project is integral to understanding population trends over time and in designing management and conservation actions that promote the recovery of sea turtle populations in this part of Costa Rica. With US $5,000, SEE Turtles supported Luis’ research at this important beach and expect to help around 500,000 baby turtles to get to the big blue. 

Olive ridleys nesting during an arribada at Nancite. Photo: Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund

Everlasting Nature,  Kimar Island, Indonesia   

This organization in Kimar Island,Indonesia helps protect hawksbill turtles and the recovery of this population. This island used to have a big problem with illegal taking of nests, this is the main reason for the establishment of this project. Everlasting Nature hires local people as “eggs guardians”, walking the beach every morning and collecting nesting data. They conduct this this project with Indonesia Sea Turtle Research Foundation (Yayasan Penyu Laut Indonesia/ YPLI) as partner. This is a very important area for the endangered hawksbill turtles, they protect around 700 nests per season. Our Billion Baby Turtle program supported them with US$ 5,000 for this season and estimate they can protect around 60,000 baby turtles. 

SOS Nicaragua, Los Brasiles, Nicaragua

Since 2019, Sos Nicaragua has been independently implementing conservation efforts on the island of Los Brasiles, starting a permanent sea turtle protection program. They have developed a conservation model in harmony with turtle egg harvesters where raising local awareness, protecting critical sea turtle habitats and generating new sources of financial sustainability for local families in long-term project goals. The average number of nests protected annually usually exceeds 100, mostly nests of ridley turtles. Billion Baby Turtles has been supporting this project since 2017, this year with US $2,000, we hope to help around 2,000 baby turtles. 

Turtle Foundation, Sipora and Selaut Besar, Indonesia

The Derawan Archipelago in the district of Bearau, East Borneo, is located in the famous Coral Triangle, making it part of one of the most biodiverse marine areas. It also is one of the most important nesting sites for Green Turtles. The coral reefs of the archipelago are also home of hawksbill turtles, which are still heavily hunted for its carapace, which is used to make jewelry and souvenirs. While Turtle Foundation and its local sister organization Yayasan Penyu Indonesia have been running protection projects on several islands in the Derawan Archipelago in recent times, there are two important green turtle nesting islands, Mataha and Bilang-Bilangan. For the 2022-2023 season they were asked by local partners to help protect these important islands. All this work had led to a virtual complete decline of illegal collection for the first time in those islands, where turtle nests are now able to develop undisturbed. With US$ 10,000 Billion Baby Turtles supported this project and helped to protect turtles in the Berau District. 

We also supported the Turtle Foundation to start a conservation project on the uninhabited island of Selaut Besar, north of Simeulue Island in the province of Aceh in Sumatra in 2021 together with the local conservation organizations Yayasan Penyu Indonesia (YPI) and Ecosystem Impact (EI). Our Billion Baby Turtles program is supporting this project on this Island with US$ 3,000 for this upcoming season expecting to protect more than 3,500 baby turtles.

On the island of Sipora in West Sumatra, part of the Mentawai Islands, in autumn 2017, a completely unknown nesting 8 km beach of the endangered leatherback turtle was discovered: Buggeisiata. During decades the local community used to hunt nesting females for the meat and take the eggs for their consumption. With these practices the number of nesting females has decimated, but since Turtle Foundation is protecting this beach, the local community has respected the life of nesting females. Thus, even in a low number of nests every season, the protection of this area is very important to protect the female turtles. Last season they protected 32 leatherback nests, 4 hawksbill nests and 6 nests of olive ridleys. With US $2,500, SEE Turtles supported this project that protects not only eggs and hatchlings but also adult females from being killed. 

Hatchery at Sipora (Turtle Foundation)

Leatherback turtle from Sumatra (Turtle Foundation)

Palmarito, Oaxaca, Mexico

The Palmarito Project has been operating since 2005, a nesting beach for leatherback, black/green and olive ridley turtles, located on the route migration of sea turtles and the most important nesting area in the Mexican Pacific. Last season they protected 285 nests of olive ridley turtles, 173 of green turtles, and 12 leatherbacks. Billion Baby Turtles supported this partner with US$ 5,000 helping to save more than almost 6,000 baby turtles. 

Kaanan AC, Isla Aguada, Campeche, Mexico (Emergency Fund Grant)

Hawksbill turtle nesting in Campeche is recorded on different beaches with unique characteristics, occurring both on the coastal shoreline and inside the Laguna de Términos. This project has been protected since its inception in 1977. In the last 20 years, the operation has been strengthened in large part by community participation, achieving the formation of a trained and appropriate community group for the project, actively participating in the monitoring of nesting, strandings, emergencies, nest exhumation, and even monitoring of juveniles. With US $2,000 from our Billion Baby Turtles program, we hope to help this organization to help at least 8,000 baby turtles to get to the ocean.