New project in Mexico - Turtle conservation in Ixtapilla, Michoacan!
Hi all,
Great news, and very exciting too! We are super happy to announce the start of a new project here in Mexico. This time is all the way on the other side of the country, and the other ocean too, the Pacific coast of Michoacan!
The project is based in Ixtapilla, 7 hours east of the beautiful city of Guadalajara. The beach in Ixtapilla, La Ticla, is one of the most famous surf spots in Mexico, located northwest of the project base. Ixtapilla is located in between the Pacific Ocean and the “Sierra Madre Occidental” mountain range, so expect a terrain full of contrasts between rainforest, mountains and the wild Pacific Ocean.
So what will volunteers do? Ixtapilla is one of the most important nesting beaches for Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Mexico. The community lead conservation project started 16 years ago with the aim to protect and increase the knowledge on Olive Ridley turtles. Volunteers, in collaboration with the local community members, will engage in evening and morning surveys to record nesting activity, relocate eggs when needed and gather biological data on the nesting turtles. The daily patrols will also help protect turtle nests against inundation by sea water, predation by other animals and human poaching.
If that's not enough, Olive Ridley's come to nest is hundreds at a time. It's what's called the arribadas. It is one of the world's natural wonders that must be seen!!
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