This summer I have been the volunteer coordinator at a grass roots conservation effort in Guatemala. While there, I have also been doing community outreach in a very underserved village. I have been making educational presentations to youngsters at the local school. The town of 600 residents was practically washed away by high tides in July. We at Akazul, helped fill 3,500 sand bags but were unable to hold back the sea. Now we are in the process of helping to rebuild the devastated community. Our long range plans are to help the citizens become better educated and financially independent.

Akazul is working to improve the conservation of sea turtles in Guatemala through the two key channels of science and community based activities. Despite the presence of numerous established sea turtle hatcheries in Guatemala, there has historically been limited scientific study relating to nesting populations. Akazul aims to become leaders in the field of sea turtle research in Guatemala, to increase understanding of these species and apply this knowledge to formulate and promote effective conservation strategies.

Unfortunately, it is not only sea turtles that are under threat in the area. Species, such as the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) and the Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodiles) once abundant here are now scarce, due to unsustainable hunting practices for their meat and skin, while other species, such as the White Fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons) are sought for the illegal pet trade. In addition, expanding agricultural plantations, illegal logging and pollution are destroying important mangrove habitats, while unsustainable commercial fishing practices continue to threaten the coastal marine environment.

Akazul aims to work extensively with community members to raise awareness of the need for local conservation, not only for sea turtles, but for wider ecosystems and their associated flora and fauna. It is hoped that active participation in sea turtle conservation will encourage local community members to begin to address other important local environmental issues. Our strategy ultimately seeks to help establish a balance between human and environmental needs, and hopes to promote a more sustainable and prosperous future for both.

The trade in sea turtle eggs in Guatemala is not illegal and there is a high demand nationwide due to their nutritional value and supposed ‘aphrodisiacal’ qualities. During the mid 1980s, CONAP (the Guatemalan Council for Protected Areas) initiated an informal ‘egg-donation system’, to promote ‘sustainable use’ of sea turtle eggs. According to this system, egg collectors are permitted to harvest unlimited quantities of sea turtle eggs, providing that 20% of the nest is donated to a local sea turtle hatchery for conservation purposes. It is estimated that close to 100% of all sea turtle nests are removed from the beach by local egg collectors (Project Parlama, 2006). The role of the sea turtle hatchery is to provide a secure area where eggs can be relocated and left to incubate free from the threat of poaching or predation.

Three species and one sub species of sea turtle frequent Guatemala’s coastal waters, the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacia), the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the Eastern Pacific Green (Chelonia agassizii). The main threats to Guatemala’s sea turtles are unlimited legal egg harvesting, and incidental capture in shrimp trawling and other commercial fishing gear.