R. Bruno measuring a green turtle nesting at Playa Tres (Photo: M. Msuo)
R. Bruno performing an ultrasound on a nesting green turtle to check ovarian contents (this is the same noninvasive method used to see human babies in the womb) (Image: M. Grané)
Turtle Love has its roots in partnerships developed during the graduate research of our Scientific Director, Renato Bruno, a Brazilian biologist who has worked to conserve sea turtles since 2009. While studying aspects of the reproductive biology of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting at Tortuguero National Park, Renato’s collaborations with friends and colleagues naturally evolved into an organization focused on community-based nesting beach protection. The objectives of the individual founders became the mission of the organization, and Turtle Love was born!
In 2018, working under the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) and Southeastern Louisiana University, Renato studied the phenology and hormonal regulation of the reproductive cycle of green turtles nesting at Tortuguero National Park. Expanding on his work in Tortuguero, Renato continues to investigate the reproductive biology as well as the nutritional ecology of green turtles in the greater Caribbean basin:
1) With Turtle Love in Costa Rica, where he studies the fluctuation of sex hormones throughout the nesting season and, in collaboration with the Global Male Sea Turtle Initiative, collects samples from mating turtles to study operational sex ratios and the genetic composition of this green turtle population.
2) In Nicaragua, where he collects data on the reproductive state and diet of green turtles at foraging grounds off the Miskito Coast, where a legal harvest of sea turtles still occurs (research funded by Renato’s National Geographic Early Career Grant).
3) As part of his PhD research at the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR) at the University of Florida.
The results of this research will help refine population size estimates, understand the effects of climate change on sea turtle reproductive output, and inform management strategies to reduce human impacts on this green turtle population.
Research Funding
This research would not be possible without the generous support of the following funders.
Donate
Help us protect sea turtles! Please donate to 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.