450,000 endangered sea turtles have been hatched and released into the ocean by local villagers over the last five years for Eco-Viva.org.*

The Bay of Jiquilisco Biosphere Reserve, El Salvador's largest protected area, contains the nesting grounds for four species of sea turtles:  Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Green and Hawksbill.  Every year, adult turtles return to the exact area of beach where they were born to lay their eggs.  They face tremendous dangers, including being caught by the nets of commercial fishing ships and being destroyed by blast fishing.  The eggs themselves are often harvested by local community members, who out of economic necessity sell them on the black market to restaurants who serve them as a delicacy to wealthy city-dwellers.

Hawksbill turtles of the Eastern Pacific are the most threatened and least understood sea turtle population on the  planet. Facing the overwhelming pressures of illegal egg harvesting, indiscriminate bomb fishing and habitat destruction, Hawksbills in the Pacific waters of Central and South America are on the verge of total extinction. Currently observed most frequently in El Salvador, Hawksbill face continued threats from local residents whose livelihoods are based in subsistence on coastal resources.  A recent study showed that an estimated 70% to 90% of Eastern Hawksbill nesting areas in the world are found in the Bay of Jiquilisco protected area.  Hawksbills are one of the only turtle species known to nest under mangrove trees.

Unfortunately, a 2007-2008 study conducted nationwide  by the Zoological Foundation of El Salvador determined that 98.5% of all observed sea turtle nests nationwide were poached, a practice which persists due to the poverty faced by local communities and a lack of alternative income sources.  In addition, local use of destructive fishing techniques employing bombs and industrial chemicals cause high mortality rates among adult Hawksbill and other highly endangered sea turtle species.   We are working with local communities to create alternative income strategies, sustainable fishing cooperatives, and sea turtle hatcheries to protect the Hawksbill and other turtle species who rely on the Bay of Jiquilisco for their very survival.  Read more about our efforts to save sea turtles.

Our work is primarily focused on the eastern side of the Lower Lempa River Estuary and the communities surrounding the Bay of Jiquilisco, on the southern central Pacific coast of El Salvador. We also provide some limited grants to community organizations in Honduras and Panama.

Though it is Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador unfortunately has the highest rate of environmental degradation in the region. War, poverty and high population density have caused massive deforestation and overexploitation of natural resources. Rural communities in the Lower Lempa region rely on small scale agriculture, fishing and crabbing to survive.  Decades of intensive agrochemical use have left soil and water sources severely contaminated. These conditions likewise impact human and ecological communities downstream – including El Salvador’s largest intact wetland ecosystem and protected area, the Bay of Jiquilisco.

At 156,000 acres, the Bay of Jiquilisco contains Central America’s largest remaining mangrove forest and coastal estuary. This complex of inlets, intertidal wetlands and beaches provide critical habitat for an immense array of biodiversity, including shellfish, crabs, migratory birds, and a wide variety of fish. Four species of sea turtles nest here, including the most endangered sea turtle species in the world, the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill.

Local communities depend on the mangrove forests to provide them with shellfish, crab, fish and other sources of nutrition and income. Moreover, the mangroves provide a barrier that shields the communities from the brute impact of hurricanes that are becoming more extreme as climate change accelerates. Without the mangroves, surrounding communities may cease to exist altogether.

At the global level, coastal wetland complexes such as the mangrove forests of the Bay of Jiquilisco can sequester up to four times more carbon dioxide per acre than rainforests and other freshwater woodland ecosystems. If this ecosystem is destroyed, our globe will lose one of its best carbon storage facilities, a major natural bulwark against planetary climate change.

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*This content was used with permission from Eco-Viva.org