The Project
Volunteer Work with Leatherback Turtles in Panama

Three species of marine turtles are known to nest in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. These include the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Among these, the hawksbill was historically very common and the Bocas del Toro region has been cited as one of the more important nesting grounds for this species in the western hemisphere. As little as 40 years ago, hawksbill turtles were still abundant in the waters of the archipelago. Green turtles, which feed on offshore sea grass pastures, were also much more common than they are today. Due to the over-harvesting of both turtle eggs and adult turtles for their meat and shell, hawksbill and green turtle populations have greatly diminished in the archipelago. To what extent this population has declined is unknown, because no formal estimate of population size has been made. Understanding the current nesting population sizes of sea turtles in the area represents the first step in developing long range plans for their conservation, recovery and maintenance in this region.

The purposes of the turtle program are to: 1) determine the relative nesting population abundances for the four species of marine turtle in the Bocas del Toro region through the monitoring of nesting activity on the area’s beaches, 2) determine aspects of geographic migration, re-migration, re-nesting, nesting behavior, and longevity through the initiation of a long-term tagging program, 3) construct and maintain egg nurseries (if warranted), 4) relieve poaching pressure through conservation education and the establishment of alternative employment opportunities, such as iguana farming, ecotourism, and the promotion of local folk art. Through the implementation of this program, our goal is to eventually restore turtle nesting populations to historic levels.

With less stringent enforcement of environmental regulations in Panama, much of the turtle conservation work in Costa Rica is being undermined because of the turtle’s traditional movements along this coastline. Research has shown that a large number of turtles protected in Costa Rica are being killed in Panama. Through the development of conservation and education in this area, it is hoped these expeditions will be instrumental in the long-term survival of turtles in this geographic region.

This project is an extension of work being carried out in Costa Rica. This project based at the Pacuare Reserve in Costa Rica has been hugely successful in its own geographical region. However, the turtles are part of a colony which nests along a wide stretch of the Caribbean coast of Central America, including the beaches of Soropta in north-western Panama. The number of turtles arriving at Pacuare is affected by things happening elsewhere along this coast, and noticeably the killing of leatherbacks in Soropta, Panama. It is imperative to address the problem in Panama as much of the work in Costa Rica is being undermined.