Operation Jairo Campaign: Nicaragua
Sea turtles are living dinosaurs, an artifact of the Jurassic Period whose continued survival proves a winning evolutionary design. Although they survived the catastrophe that killed of most animals on earth around 65 million years ago, they are now threatened with extinction due to human activity. To combat this issue, Conservation Diver works in several countries to study, protect, and restore sea turtle populations. One such program is the “Operation Jairo Campaign” in Nicaragua, which is being led by the international ocean conservation group, Sea Shepard.
This program helps to rescue eggs, hatchlings, and juvenile sea turtles from both human consumption and natural threats. We first began focusing on turtle protection in Nicaragua in 2016 through the group Sea Turtle Rescue, educating local community members and taking small local actions for their protection. In 2018, we joined with Sea Shepard on the Operation Jairo Campaign, providing local support and volunteers.
Over the next few months, we will be expanding our impact in this program, bringing in more volunteers and increasing the awareness and capacity of local stakeholders. Through a combination of positive outreach, local collaborations, and direct action we hope to greatly improve the conservation status of sea turtles in the country, and help to protect this vital sea turtle hotspot. Stay tuned to learn more about opportunities to get involved, or to participate in our Sea Turtle Ecology Head-starting Certification courses.
Project FAQs
Location: Los Zorros, Nicuragua
Partners: Sea Shepard, Sea Turtle Rescue, Conservation Diver, Azul Conservation (Marine Conservation Nicaragua)
Website/social Links:
https://m.facebook.com/OperationJairo/
https://www.facebook.com/seaturtle.rescue/
https://www.facebook.com/MarineConservationNicaragua/
Contact: George Bevan, George@ConservationDiver.com
Sea Turtle Ecology and Head-starting Program
Sea Turtle Ecology and Head-starting certification program
All 7 species of sea turtle on the planet today are on the endangered species list, with populations of some reduced by 98%. Divers form a network that is integral in the identification and monitoring of sea turtle populations around the globe. Furthermore, in this course you will learn skills and techniques to feed and care for sea turtles in a nursery, rehabilitation program, or head-starting program.
Prerequisites
None (SCUBA diving section of the program is optional, and encouraged)
Standards
- Learn about the ecology, evolutionary history, threats, and identification of sea turtles
- Understand the basics behind sea turtle head-starting programs as well as the science and debate about such initiatives
- Attending briefing on the sea turtle nursery and understand how the system operates and how to troubleshoot the flow through system
- Know how to properly handle, care for, and feed sea turtles in nursery or rehabilitation programs
- Know how to monitor sea turtle growth and maintain the nursery
- Know how to perform the water quality check
Requirements
- Attend 1 lecture and 1 practical briefing
- Take data on sea turtle growth (weight and shell length)
- Perform cleaning, feeding, and maintenance activities
- Identify a sea turtle during a dive/snorkel and report the data to our database (Optional)
Expected course time about 2-5 hours (depending on if dive is completed or not)
