What is the Turtle Project?

The Las Baulas project is working to protect and understanding the population of turtles nesting in the national park.

The project takes place during the nesting season from September to March.

Principal Investigators such as Dr. Frank V. Paladino from Indiana Purdue University, students, local community members and volunteers from the nonprofit organization Earthwatch work with the Costa Rican government to collect vital information on nesting biology.

The project also patrols the nesting beach each night and identifies all turtles which nest and assist park guards in control of tourists and other people on the beach

The Hatchery

The project also operates a hatchery.

Turtle eggs are collected as the turtles lay them and then they are carefully transported to a nest dug by hand in the hatchery.

Nests are dug to the same depth as those made by the turtles and are one metre apart. Some nests have gas and temperature sampling devices placed in them. Between some nests are placed sampling devices without eggs to measure the control data. The details of each nest is recorded with details of the turtle which laid the eggs and the number of eggs. After the eggs hatch, the nests are excavate and the success rate is calculated

Las Baulas leatherback Turtle Project

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