Local Community Capacity Building to Take Social Responsibility in Saving Sea Turtles

We empower local communities to save sea turtles.

Mass turtle poaching from ocean
Boats transport poached turtles
Stuffed in sacks for sale at harbor
Packaged in boxes to be shipped
Sold as food in restaurants
Shells processed into bracelets
Assorted turtle shell products
Preserved turtle as wall mount
Products sold at open street stalls
Sold in display counters at malls

COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING

Public Education

Volunteers educate the local community in Hawaii and Hainan about the importance of protecting sea turtles. They are involved in public outreach activities at various venues to raise awareness for marine conservation. Through tourism, volunteers have the opportunity to educate more people about the challenges in protecting sea turtles and possible solutions to address them. In Hawaii, sea turtles can be frequently seen in both the near shore waters and on land along coastal beaches, so volunteers have the unique opportunity to educate tourists at the beaches where wild sea turtles can be seen. This social work in community service builds capacity to address challenges in sea turtle conservation.

Citizen Science

We train locals (ordinary citizens) in basic research data collection protocols in order to build community capacity for sea turtle conservation. As citizen scientists, locals collect information and photos of wild turtles from a distance to contribute to an important research database for conservation. Since the scales on each side of a sea turtle's head is unique like fingerprints of humans, photographs are very helpful in the collection of data for sea turtle conservation management. Read this sea turtle photo-identification research paper for more details. Researchers can use this data to analyze trends and track the distribution and migration activities of sea turtle populations.

Volunteers in Hawaii engage in citizen science work to support scientists from NOAA. Read more about the request for volunteer help in the local news in Hawaii. The beauty of nature is part of Hawaii's allure but it is important to approach this opportunity with practicality. Volunteers do not touch wild sea turtles directly since keeping nature undisturbed is one of our priorities.

Sea turtle presentation at hotel conference meeting

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

We work with local companies to enhance their social responsibility programs so that their employees can make an impact in their community. Read about the work we did with the Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints.