Leatherback Turtles Arrive to Costa Rica

Written by alanp

The first leatherback turtle of the season arrived on Playa Junquillal, a small beach just south of Tamarindo. The early arrival is almost a month ahead of schedule, but according to biologists this could be a sign for a fruitful season.

The province of Guanacaste is the typical area that the giant leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs. Las Baulas National Marine Park is a protected area where a community project funded by the World Wildlife Fund, which includes Playa Junquillal. Gabriel Francia, an Argentine biologist, is the director of the project that educated the locals on the importance of the turtles. The beaches are patrolled by locals who seek to protect the turtle eggs from dogs, poachers, and other predators.

In the past two years since the program began, turtle poaching has dropped from 100% to only 15%.

Playa Grande, which is also located north of Tamarindo, has already had five turtles visit the beach this year. This is a positive sign as last year only 58 turtles arrived on the beach. Last year’s number was the lowest return of nesting females since they began keeping records.

The leatherback turtles in the Pacific Ocean are on the brink of extinction. In the past 20 years their numbers have drastically dropped 90%. But the scientists in the region hope that these early nesters are signs of hope and an increased number of turtles this year.

The national development boom is one of the largest threats to the species as the bright lights disorient the baby turtles.

This post's rating: