What will I do at the Turtle Conservation project in Costa Rica?

You will join a group to help the local team by monitoring the beach, relocating turtle eggs to a safe hatchery, releasing hatchlings into the sea and collecting data. Olive Ridley turtles, the species most frequently found in the area, are categorised as ‘vulnerable’ accordingly to the IUCN Red List, so their protection is vitally important. With your help there are more night patrols to occur, which has led to a drop of around 80% in the number of nests that have been eaten by animals or poached in the area.

You will help to monitor and maintain the hatcheries where the eggs are located and assist with the collection of data about nesting turtles which is used to gain an understanding of sea turtle reproductive behaviour and improve their conservation strategies in the future.

Where will I be living? You will stay in shared rooms at the field station house which is a lovely house right by the tropical beach! It is a fantastic location for experiencing an ‘off the beaten track’ holiday. Lunch and dinner are provided and you’ll have ingredients to prepare your own breakfast.