The Sea Turtle Restoration Project was the first of several programs established by Costa Rican NGO PRETOMA at its inception 12 years ago. PRETOMA focuses on marine research and conservation, running a variety of campaigns including the promotion of sustainable fisheries and efforts to stop shark finning in Costa Rica. The Punta Banco project is part of a larger program to prevent the decline of sea turtle populations.
In Costa Rica, as in many other Central American Countries, it is still culturally acceptable to eat turtle eggs. In fact, many men believe that eating the eggs enhances their masculinity and virility, and teenage boys sometimes steal eggs as a sort of initiation ritual among groups of friends.
To combat these practices, PRETOMA volunteers come here every year from July to December–turtle breeding season–to collect the eggs off the beaches and place them in a fenced-in area where they can hatch safely. Then the baby turtles are counted and placed back on the beach so they can find their own way to the sea. This ensures that they imprint successfully – in other words, that they know where to return when the time comes for them to reproduce.
There are two species of turtle that come to breed in this part of Costa Rica: green and olive ridley. Both are endangered, but the green turtles are facing higher risk of extinction because they are not only killed for their eggs but also for their attractive shells.
If you visit the Punta Banco project, volunteers will be happy to show you the little outdoor hatchery, and if you’re lucky you may get to watch a nest hatch!