We are a group of locals with different backgrounds working together to conserve the local sea turtle population. Phoebe Edge M.Sc. is the biologist leading the operations in Carate. The project relies heavily on the assistance of volunteers, locals and visitors alike. Four locals are hired as full-time hatchery managers and patrollers for four months of the year. These managers are given great responsibility with day to day management, leading patrols, and training volunteers. The four months in which they are hired is our peak sea turtle nesting season. Having four staff members helps to ensure more consistency in our data recording and other methods of operation.
The long term goal of our project is to increase the population of sea turtles through nest protection, nest monitoring, and education. As those basic needs of the project are met we hope to have the means to expand our work and studies. Starting last fall we began using PIT technology that will allow us to keep track of the turtles nesting on our beaches each year. In the next years, we are hoping to see a steady increase in the sea turtles nesting on our beaches due to our efforts to reduce the impacts of poaching and predation. With growth of our project we hope to hire more staff members to support Phoebe and the existing employees. We would like to hire an educator/volunteer coordinator as well as another biologist to assist with research. At the moment we rely heavily on volunteer organizations for patrols and in the future we would like our staff to be covering the majority of shifts with volunteers there for aid. The legacy we have already began in this community has shifted the conservation values perceived by locals. In an area where poaching and predation was posing a serious threat to sea turtles we now see higher nesting numbers and a joint effort from all to keep the nests safe.
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