Puerto Vallarta Sea Turtle Conservation Efforts a Success Newspaper Post
go to original December 29, 2015

“About 1 in 1,000 baby sea turtles will make it to adulthood.” - Defenders of Wildlife

This bleak statistic exemplifies the threat to the Sea Turtle population around the globe. These incredible creatures have a lineage that can be traced back almost 110 million ?ears! There are seven species of Sea Turtles that exist toda? and once existed alongside dinosaurs. The? are beautiful and intelligent creatures that form a link to the Earth’s past. However, their populations are rapidly? declining due to environmental threats and illegal poaching. In order for these animals to be protected, people must make changes to save the sea turtles and prevent their extinction...

Puerto Vallarta is one of the most visited beach resort destinations in Mexico and is also a popular habitat for sea turtle hatchlings. This beachside community has initiated efforts to save the sea turtles and create favorable conditions to help them alive. The turtle conservation programs they have developed are also geared toward encouraging tourists to help. By taking advantage of the frequent tourists, Puerto Vallarta is aiding in the survival of sea turtles and educating the public about the growing danger to this species. The Puerto Vallarta Sea Turtle Conservation Program was initiated in 1981 with many of the resorts now participating including the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa.

You see, mother turtles crowd the beach at night to dig their nests. For hours they work to create a perfect area for their eggs, lay them and then return to the ocean that evening, leaving the babies on their own to hatch some two months later and follow the moonlight to the ocean. Sadly, much of the beachside developments interfere with the natural moonlight and confuse the baby sea turtles. Thus, the conservation program allows for wildlife professionals to collect the eggs to protect them from potential prey and keep them safe in hatcheries. Once they emerge from their eggs, the baby sea turtles are taken back to the beach and released into the ocean.

With just over 13 years in the program, the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort’s efforts have resulted in the release of more than 370,000 turtles. And since their half mile stretch of beach seems to be a popular choice amongst mother sea turtles (about 30% choose to lay their eggs here), the resort also has it’s own on-site incubation nursery, the largest in the area with room for about 500 nests!

Visitors that stay at the resort wishing to participate are allowed to aide in the release alongside the professionals, if the timing is right. They will be given an overview of the typical life patterns of sea turtles as well as a review of the types of environments that they will encounter in their ocean journeys. With a better understanding of the species, participants will then help release the baby sea turtles into the ocean. For children eager to participate, they are even allowed to name the baby sea turtles that they release.

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