The leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is an ancient species, directly descended from the first sea turtles that evolved over 100 million years ago. Would we want to lose such a magnificent creature forever?

Trinidad and Tobago is very fortunate to have one of the largest nesting populations of leatherback turtles in the world, over 6-10 thousand leatherback turtles nest in our country each year. In contrast, only a few hawksbill and green turtles (40 at most) nest on our beaches each year.

Current legislation for the conservation of sea turtles is embodied in the Conservation of Wild Life Act (Chapter 67:01) and the more recent Fisheries Act (Chapter 67:51). Unfortunately, there are serious conflicts between these two pieces of legislation. Overlapping and conflicting jurisdiction between regulatory agencies have contributed to long‑standing paralysis on enforcement. However recent changes in legislation of the Fisheries Act have provided some increase protection by eliminate the open season for sea turtles.

We are fortunate that, as a result of dedicated community-led efforts that span many years, leatherback populations have stabilized in our country. In contrast, some of the largest leatherback populations in the world are now nearly extinct because such care has not been taken. The most dramatic declines have occurred in Pacific Mexico and Costa Rica, as well as in Malaysia and other Asian countries. With the exception of French Guiana-Suriname, most Caribbean populations are also very small.

The experience of Nature Seekers and other community-based conservation groups has shown clearly that sea turtles are worth much more alive than dead. For example, at the present time sea turtles contribute very significantly to the economic potential and livelihood opportunities on the Northeast coast in areas such as data collectors, tour guides, community managers, host homes and other service providers, handcrafters, and so on.

Research conducted on our local beaches informs sea turtle conservation and management and awareness which in turn promotes sea turtle conservation throughout the world.