Conservation groups in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula are working with tourism operators to educate tourists and protect nesting areas of critically endangered sea turtles.
"Thanks to our actions we went from having 100% looting to having almost 0% looting, we have also extracted more than four tons of plastics from the nesting beach, more than 40,000 hatchlings have been released, and more than 500 mangrove trees have been planted," she says. In 2020, Oporta-McCarthy and her team re-established a conservation research project to study nesting activities and movement of sea turtle populations at the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge and the functional role they play in the oceanic ecosystem, with emphasis on the Hawksbill.
"The main challenge was to start research and conservation after so many years of recess, we knew nothing about the populations, we had to stop looting and build capacity in the village," she says, adding that the main strength of the project being led by members of the village is that there are high levels of community acceptance for the project.Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations.