Action and monitoring 2017 Sea turtle Conservation Curacao

This report describes the activities undertaken by Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao (STCC) in 2017. While STCC officially became an NGO in May of 2017, we have been active in conservation since 2014. The goal of the organization is to protect sea turtles and their habitats through research, conservation and education and to do so long term. To this end STCC also has been focusing on setting up diverse income streams, to build to a financially stable organization.

2017 has been quite a busy year for us. Right after becoming an NGO STCC had a coordinating role during the clean-up activities that resulted from the Trinidad oil spill in May 2017. This generated quite some exposure in the local community.

STCC conducted nest monitoring and in-water surveys to get a better understanding of the sea turtle populations around Curaçao. We performed 35 turtle rescues, registered 10 poaching cases and helped about 4600 hatchlings make it to the sea during the 2017 season.

Furthermore, a partnership with Global Giving was established. Global Giving is an international crowd funding platform for nonprofit organizations. Being part of this platform enables us to receive donations from abroad more easily. Locally we initiated a partnership with Limpi, a new recycling company that uses marine debris and used plastic to make souvenirs. STCC sorts out the useful plastic debris and gives this to Limpi and Limpi transforms the debris into desirable items like exclusive souvenirs. Especially for STCC they designed a small statue, the so called turtle buddy. Each turtle buddy contains 140 grams of marine debris. They are sold at local dive shops generates additional revenue for STCC, moreover it also gives the organization extra exposure and helps to create awareness about plastic pollution.

STCC was recognized by the “Stichting Dierenbescherming Curaçao” with an award for the project of the year that really made a difference. This is truly motivating and we hope that in 2018 our efforts will ensure even bigger results for the protection of sea turtles and their habitats.

We are extremely grateful for all the support that we get from volunteers and sponsors and we are hoping that we can keep counting on your support in the future.