Research > Ocean & Forest > SEA TURTLES

Member of the Cheloniidae family, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a marine turtle species considered by the IUCN Red List as Endangered. Despite international regulations to forbid its exploitation, the green turtle is seriously threatened due to various factors such as poaching, environmental pollution or trawling.

Inkaterra Asociación and the Waitt Foundation join efforts to conserve this species iconic to the Tropical Pacific. The alliance supports research led by marine biologist María Gracia De La Barra Gómez, from Universidad Científica del Sur (UCSUR).

Dr. De La Barra performs daily monitoring in Cabo Blanco, El Ñuro, Los Órganos, Vichayito, Máncora and Punta Sal, counting stranded turtles as a means to determine the causes behind the damages suffered by these specimens.

Within the research’s first trimester (December 2018-February 2019) 25 dead turtles were registered, mainly due to anthropogenic activity. Cranial and shell fractures were observed, as well as lung damages and plastic waste or fishing apparel in the digestive tract.

Performed in a relevant area for both fishing and tourism, awareness campaigns among local populations complement this initiative. The education of fishing associations, local authorities and tourism enterprises is key to this species’ conservation, as well as an adequate management of stranded or dead animals. This project aims to achieve a positive ecological impact for sea turtles in Northern Peru.