Threats come from several sources. The most significant is illegal harvesting and trade of turtle eggs. Turtle eggs have long provided coastal communities with a seasonal source of food and income. Before 2002, virtually every leatherback egg laid was poached. Today over 90% are protected.

Other threats to all of Nicaragua’s marine turtle species include intentional and by-catch fishing, pollution, loss of nesting habitat, weak environmental legislation and limited technical capacity. In addition, drought and El Nino weather impact hatchling success.

FFI and local partners Quelantaro and UNAN León have been collaborating with the Environment Ministry and local communities since 2002. Together we use simple, but effective strategies designed to protect over 35 km of nesting beach, reduce poaching, raise environmental awareness, increase local and national conservation capacity, and educate school children about conservation.

Importantly, FFI also works to build local support for turtles. Our approach is to train and employ local people, often ex-poachers, to patrol beaches and maintain hatcheries where clutches of eggs are protected in controlled conditions during incubation. Hopefully, 10% of the thousands of hatchlings we release will reach maturity and return to nest on these beaches in 10-15 years.

Since its inception, FFI’s turtle program has been successful. Our program has secured the country’s three most important leatherback nesting beaches at Juan Venado, Veracruz (in Chacocente Wildlife Refuge), and Salamina—a high-priority site we just discovered in 2009. As a testament to this approach, FFI’s Nicaragua Program Manager, José Urteaga, was named a 2010 National Geographic Emerging Explorer for his work on marine turtles.

In 2009, FFI expanded its turtle conservation work to the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, extending beach protection and community engagement to a critical nesting site in Estero Padre Ramos Nature Reserve. The results have been astonishing. In partnership with a region-wide initiative, in just the first year of operation our team protected up to 50% of the known nesting hawksbill population in the eastern Pacific and released more than 20,000 hatchlings. To identify other hawksbill nesting areas, we interview local people and tag turtles with satellite tracking systems to study their movement patterns.

“I Don’t Eat Turtle Eggs”: FFI is also working to reduce the market demand for turtle eggs. In 2007, we launched a national media campaign “Yo no como huevos de tortuga” or “I don’t eat turtle eggs” to counter consumption of turtle eggs. This popular campaign has gone from strength to strength; its message has reached over one-fifth of Nicaragua’s population and spurred a shift in public attitudes toward conservation.

Community education initiatives, including annual ‘Day of the Turtle’ festivals in rural coastal communities, also generate support for turtles. Over 2,500 school children have participated so far. At sea, we are exploring ways to reduce turtle by-catch through a hook exchange program among local fishing communities.

Strengthening policy and practice: FFI teams work to strengthen local and national conservation capacity. We have developed protocols and provided training in best practices for turtle conservation to key policy and decision makers, community teams and local fishermen. We work with government authorities to improve enforcement and were instrumental in developing the collaborative Marine Turtle Conservation Strategy and action plan for Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. This strategy now guides both policy makers and local conservation action.

To help this along, we are strengthening the National Sea Turtle Conservation Network, which brings together academics, NGOs, coastal communities and local governments to coordinate turtle conservation activities throughout Nicaragua.