Volunteer to Protect Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback Sea Turtles in Tortuguero National Park

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Program Overview
Life on the Program
Project Details
Volunteer Testimonials

Program Overview

Join the GVI wildlife conservation team in the heart of Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica and help protect endangered sea turtles. Our team directly monitors the endangered green, hawksbill and leatherback turtle species during their nesting season. We can make serious contributions to ensure their continuous survival by recording vital data to track these animals.

Apart from nest checks and possible nest excavations during the day, you will be conducting some night-time patrols along the tropical beach, looking for nesting turtles, and counting tracks. If you find a turtle during your patrol, you may assist the GVI Patrol Leader by helping to measure the turtle, count the eggs being laid, look for previous tags and distinctive markings and record the data. You may also be lucky enough to see and record the juvenile turtles emerging from the nest and record data on hatchling success, poaching rates and mortality rates.

Run in conjunction with the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment, this project offers unique opportunities to explore the natural habitat of these amazing turtles, as well as offering continuous hands-on training.

Highlights Include: Getting the chance to go on this unique adventure in a Costa Rican National Park; enjoying life at the research station; learning about the wildlife and their habitat; seeing unique wildlife in marine and coastal rainforest environments including remote Caribbean beaches and tropical rainforest, seeing endangered species; watching turtles nest on a remote beach as they have been doing for millions of years; exploring this wonderful Central American country.

Scholarships

We are always looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to join our team. This project offers qualifying and high-performing volunteers the chance to stay on the project for a longer duration on a GVI Scholarship free of charge and as part of the staff team in the field. If you would like to work towards a field career and make the very most of your time abroad, you might want to work towards a place on a GVI Scholarship. Successful scholars may find themselves offered full time employment with GVI, and many of our current staff have come through this route. Contact us for more information! Please note, the awarding of scholarships is at the sole discretion of GVI and may be offered immediately after the completion of your program or at a later date.

Life on the Program

The majority of your time will be spent working directly in the field, collecting data for ongoing projects and learning vital research techniques. Although the work you do is extremely important, days can be long and work can continue throughout the day and night.

When not in the field, the rest of your time will be spent at our base, processing data and getting to know your fellow volunteers.

In order to study and track these turtles in their natural habitat you will be living in a basic and remote setting. The base is a one hour boat journey from the nearest small shops, phones and internet facilities.

Our base is small but comfortable, with enough space for people to relax together or in private.

Project Details

In order to track and collect data on endangered and critically endangered green, hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, tasks will involve:

Recording spatial and seasonal distribution
Monitoring nest numbers
Determine levels of illegal poaching on turtles and their nests
Record success rates of turtle hatchlings
Track returning turtles to the nesting beach and migrations between beaches

Our goal is to develop and sustain the long term conservation of the Tortuguero area and aid in the preservation of their native sea turtle populations by providing data to the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment.

How this project makes a difference:

GVI’s data goes out to national and international organisations, is presented at international conferences, and is used in species and area management policy development.

Sea turtle conservation efforts have been successful in decreasing poaching rates and improving protection of beaches and other natural habitats for sea turtles.

Volunteer Testimonials

Jill Sandefur, USA

The whole trip was a positive. I was burnt, bitten and worked all the time (at my request, i enjoyed helping out). All the staff were brilliant and great to work with but the surveys with the...

Richard Payne, Stockport, UK

The whole trip was a positive. I was burnt, bitten and worked all the time (at my request, i enjoyed helping out). All the staff were brilliant and great to work with but the surveys with the biologists were definitely my favourite. Identifying target species for my BTEC, living away from electricity and other luxuries was a great part as well. It was well organised, the staff were passionate and the location was better than any of the other organisations in the area.

Kathryn Mascovich, Bodega Bay, USA

My most positive experience occurred on one night. Within the space of four hours, my patrol team and I got to completely work one green turtle (I counted her eggs and helped with tagging), partially work another green (she had already laid, but I got to measure her), and saw a Leatherback hatchling. It was extremely rewarding to watch both turtles return to the sea and to know that they weren't harmed in any way by poachers. Even when poaching does occur, it is a great feeling to realize that our presence on the beach at the very least deters the act.