Sea Turtle Conservation Program Costa Rica

Our volunteer initiative is based in Quepos and Manuel Antonio, a cherished destination in Costa Rica known for its rich biodiversity. Exploring this region will immerse you in nature, offering numerous chances to observe and engage with diverse wildlife. 

All volunteer work will be conducted on Isla Damas, the black Our hotel, designed in a treehouse-style, provides guests with a distinctive lodging experience that fosters a sense of community while respecting individual privacy.

Turtles, revered worldwide for their exceptional nature, face a grim reality as numerous species teeter on the brink of extinction. In Costa Rica, various protected turtle species, such as the Leatherback, Green, Olive Ridley, and Hawksbill, call this home. Despite these turtles generating thousands of hatchlings, only a fraction survive to adulthood. The Villas Jacquelina Turtle Conservation project seeks to lend support to these endangered creatures, ensuring their protection and fostering the survival of hatchlings to bolster the turtle population for sustained prosperity.

Enlisting as a Turtle Conservation volunteer entails aiding the local team in diverse tasks crucial for the safeguarding and survival of turtles. Balancing both day and night shifts, your responsibilities will vary seasonally and may involve:

• Conducting beach patrols
• Constructing hatcheries to shield eggs from predators
• Locating nesting female turtles and monitoring their behavior
• Gathering turtle eggs for protective measures
• Counting and tagging sea turtles
• Participating in mangrove replanting
• Engaging in beach clean-ups

Recognizing that conservation efforts hinge on community involvement, volunteers also contribute significantly to initiatives benefiting the local communities. Beyond turtle-related duties, volunteers can anticipate:

• Facilitating informal English lessons for local children and patrol guides
• Participating in light construction and beautification activities at local schools and community centers

It's essential to acknowledge the physically demanding nature of the work, with a volunteer schedule spanning 5 days a week for 4 to 6 hours per day. Additionally, volunteers should be prepared for up to 4 hours of nightly patrols, emphasizing the need for comfort with extended walking during nighttime activities.

Our turtle conservation initiatives are centered around the sea turtle breeding season, spanning from August to November. We provide volunteers with the option of participating in either one or two-week programs. Generally, we limit program durations to two weeks, as we believe that longer durations may lead to repetitive tasks, potentially diminishing the overall sense of fulfillment for volunteers. The programs commence on the 1st and 15th of each month from August to November.

Volunteers will be asked to work 4-6hrs per day on Isla Cocal. These shifts will be either day shifts or night patrols:

Day Shifts:

During day shifts volunteers can expect work like: Hatchery cleaning, painting and repairing the hatchery, measuring temperatures of nests, beach cleanup, maintaining a clean area for nesting turtles, collecting data and planting native trees along the beach, measuring erosion on the shoreline, maintenance and upkeep of plants/trees/mangroves. 

Community work tasks may also include English lessons and beautification projects.

Night Patrols:

During night patrols volunteers will walk Isla Cocal looking for mother turtles who are laying eggs. Your job will be to help measure the nest and transplant the eggs from the nest to a new nest in the hatchery.