Saving Wild Places Will Save the Planet

We're pleased to be included in this piece at the Environmental News Service:

MÉRIDA, Mexico, November 13, 2009 (ENS) - For the first time in decades, the eggs of endangered sea turtles buried on a small strip of Nicaraguan beach will not be collected and sold in local food markets. A program developed by nonprofit Paso Pacífico pays residents up to $2.50 for each turtle hatchling that reaches the surf — almost 10 times what they would have brought from the market. 

While only one resident participated in the program last year, this year brought in scores. 

“The problem was no one believed we would actually pay for a baby turtle and everyone knew they were going to get cash from the sea-turtle egg trader,” said Paso Pacífico founder and executive director Sarah Otterstrom.

You can read more about our sea turtle conservation programs here.

Photos from the particular hatch (25 years in the making) referenced in the article are here.