Our Conservation Project
Turtle Love is a nonprofit conservation organization registered in Costa Rica. Our mission is to conserve sea turtles on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica through community involvement, applied research, and liaison with environmental agencies. Turtle Love runs a community-based conservation project working to protect sea turtles nesting on Playa Tres, the 5-km stretch of beach immediately to the south of Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Tortuguero National Park was established to protect the largest green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting population in the Atlantic. The number of nesting females in this population has increased in the decades since, and turtle-based ecotourism in Tortuguero has provided economic alternatives to extractive use, greatly reducing poaching of eggs and adult turtles. However, high levels of illegal harvest still threaten sea turtles and their eggs in adjacent areas, and Turtle Love extends protection and monitoring to another 5 km of important nesting beach for green, leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles.
Our Scientific Director, Renato Bruno, with a critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Image: G. Borges)
Hawksbill hatchling beginning its journey to the sea at Playa Tres
(Image: G. Borges)
Illegal harvest of nests and adult green and hawksbill turtles (for meat and shell products, respectively) is the primary threat Turtle Love seeks to address. In addition to monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of nesting activity and poaching at Playa Tres, Turtle Love engages residents of local communities through outreach events and fosters development based on sustainable use of sea turtles through ecotourism. By running a monitoring project and maintaining a presence on the beach, we discourage poaching in the short term, and by involving local community members in the conservation effort, we foster long-term change by increasing sustainable income that does not rely on harvesting eggs and adult sea turtles. Together, our nesting beach protection and community involvement efforts increase hatchling production at Playa Tres. We also provide the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) with data necessary to guide management of this nesting beach and help ensure the continued survival of these incredible animals.
Playa Tres on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica
(Map: N. Constant; Sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics,
CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS user community)
Accomplishments
Since our founding in 2018, Turtle Love has worked to contribute to the wellbeing of both local community members and sea turtles.
70% +
reduced nest poaching since 2018
5000 +
nests protected
500000 +
hatchlings saved
68%
volunteer contributions channeled to local community
Our Team
Turtle Love unites a group of people with different cultural and professional backgrounds under the common goal of conserving and studying sea turtles.
Renato Bruno
President & Scientific Director
Gustavo Ortiz
Field Coordinator
Angela Méndez
Outreach Coordinator
Gloria Guerrero
Program Coordinator
Emmanuel Bello
Field Assistant
James Arce
Field Assistant
Cristina Zúñiga
Field Assistant
Braulio Piedra
Field Assistant
Nerine Constant
Scientific Advisor
Our Supporters
Turtle Love would like to thank the following supporters for their generous contributions.
Without them, our work would not be possible!
Donate
Help us protect sea turtles! Please donate to help Costa Rica Sea Turtles and support Turtle Love’s sea turtle conservation and community outreach activities.
Leatherback hatchling being released after a nest excavation (Image: M. Grané)
Your donation will be used to support the following:
- Supplies used to monitor sea turtle nesting activity (for example, tagging equipment for individual sea turtle identification, field notebooks for data collection, headlamps for night surveys).
- Materials for environmental education and outreach events at local schools and community centers (art supplies, books, games, posters, pamphlets).
- English lessons and capacity-building workshops for local families hosting international volunteers.
- Visits to the nesting beach for local school children.
- Room, board, and salaries for local research assistants and staff.
Please donate to help us protect sea turtles!
We partner with Amigos of Costa Rica to accept tax-deductible donations in the United States. Please visit Turtle Love’s dedicated page to donate online.