In Mexico, volunteers help protect sea turtle nests
In Mexico, volunteers are joining efforts to protect sea turtle nests and release hatchlings into the sea at camps along the country’s coast. One such project operates near the city of Tecolutla in the state of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico coast, reports Mexico News Daily.
Protecting nests and releasing hatchlings
Turtle protection camps operate along Mexico’s coasts, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Their staff and volunteers monitor nesting sites, protect clutches and help newborn turtles reach the water.
In Tecolutla, the conservation group Vida Millenaria holds educational activities for visitors and organizes the release of hatchlings on the beach. The project was founded in 1974 by Fernando Manzano, whom local residents called Papá Tortuga — “father of turtles.” According to the publication, the organization protects and releases thousands of hatchlings every year.
Participants gather in the morning at the camp, where they are told about the history of sea turtle conservation in the state. After that, groups go to the beach and release the hatchlings into the sea. Vida Millenaria staff patrol the area, monitoring turtles and their nests.
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National protection program
Mexico’s first federal measures to protect sea turtle nesting sites began in 1962. In 1963, the Turtle Culture Center opened on Isla Mujeres in the state of Quintana Roo, and in 1966, the Rancho Nuevo camp in the state of Tamaulipas became one of the first official conservation camps of this kind.
In 1990, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari ended the commercial harvesting of all sea turtles and related products. The following year, the Mexican Turtle Center opened in Mazunte.
According to Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, seven of the eight known species of sea turtles nest on Mexican beaches. The article also states that federal authorities manage 26 turtle conservation centers, while independent organizations and nonprofit groups operate in 13 coastal states. In the Morro Ayuta region of Oaxaca state, officials reported a record of more than 34 million olive ridley hatchlings reaching the ocean in one season.
