About Us

Save the Turtles of Parismina, Inc. is devoted to saving endangered sea turtles by supporting community-based conservation projects and international education. We provide financial assistance to Caribbean coastal communities of Costa Rica that protect sea turtles through methods that are sustainable, environmentally responsible and enhance the lives of people who share the habitat.

Because the future of these species will one day lie in the hands of our youth, we also consider education to be of primary importance. We therefore support projects that teach young people in the Caribbean, U.S. and worldwide, about the plight of sea turtles and encourage interest in conservation careers. Beyond this, we plan to create and fund projects that inspire all people to develop innovative approaches to species conservation, approaches that stand to benefit both sea turtles and human communities into the future.

Our focus of sea turtle protection is the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. This richly bio-diverse area is an important nesting habitat for the Green and the Hawksbill turtles and the fourth most critical nesting habitat in the world for the greatly endangered Leatherback. The Leatherback is so close to extinction that the emptying of just one nest of eggs has huge implications for its survival as a species. In an increasingly populated world with species under greater and greater threat, the unchecked harvesting of turtles and eggs as a food resource is no longer a sustainable activity. One of our most important emphases is assisting communities in this target area with the protection of this gentle giant, its eggs and hatchlings.

Goals and Methods:

1. Make available financial and/or educational support to Caribbean
   communities with existing turtle conservation projects as well as those interested in starting new ones.
   
2. Support locals interested in addressing turtle and egg depletion through educational outreach programs conducted within their communities and
   in outlying areas.
   
3. Offer educational/scholarship and experiential opportunities to Caribbean youth interested in furthering their knowledge of sea turtle conservation and preparing for environmental careers.
   
4. Raise awareness among youth (in the U.S. and worldwide) of the threats to sea turtle survival through education and activities that encourage active participation.
   
5. Provide funding to communities enabling them to acquire land for
   purposes of sea turtle protection.

Our goal is to support communities whose mission is in harmony with our own, but we respect the cultural differences and the autonomy of a community in directing its own programs and projects in whatever way it deems best.

History . . . Save the Turtles of Parismina originated in 2001 when we began providing support to the community of Barra de Parismina, Costa Rica. For six years we worked diligently with the local turtle association, Asociacion Salvemos Las Tortugas de Parismina (ASTOP) and the community of Parismina, assisting them in their goals for developing a successful conservation project. Their project has saved thousands of nesting turtles, eggs and hatchlings, and the effects will be felt for generations to come.

The village also benefited greatly. Its volunteer homestay program brought economic advantages to families, financial independence to many single woman households, and locals found new opportunities for employment as turtle guides.

The local turtle association in Parismina, Salvemos Las Tortugas de Parismina (ASTOP) has its own website www.parisminaturtles.org that describes its community-based turtle conservation project. Please Note: this link is only for informational purposes – Save the Turtles of Parismina, Inc. does not monitor the information or programs of their website or any other.

There are other sea turtle programs on the Caribbean also needing support and new conservation projects are required for protection to be fully effective. (Visit our Turtle Resources page). In fact, just beyond the boundaries of Parismina, turtles and their eggs are still being decimated. In addition, aerial surveys show that instead of returning to a natal beach, Leatherbacks nest in a range area that covers hundreds of miles. Because of our serious concerns for the looming extinction of this species, as well as the overall need for broader action, Save The Turtles Of Parismina is interested in supporting projects throughout the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.

Save the Turtles of Parismina, Inc. is an organization exempt from U.S. federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and contributions are accordingly tax deductible.

Please visit our Donation pages, so you can help us continue
to save sea turtles.

Thank you