Date: July 2, 2024 
Author: Brenda Sarahí Ramos Rivera.
Postulated by: Brenda Sarahí Ramos Rivera.

Mr. Martín Jaimes Leiva has been dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles for more than 30 years. He began his work with turtles since the Tlacoyunque Stone Sanctuary was decreed and he was one of the founders of sea turtle conservation in San Luis de la Loma beach, in the municipality of Tecpan of Galeana, Guerrero, Mexico. Mr. Martín is considered an essential member of the Barreros de San Luis organization of which he is the secretary, since he has accumulated extensive vision and experience in the protection and conservation of the leatherback turtle.

Since the Tlacoyunque Stone Sanctuary was decreed in 1986, when the leatherback season arrived, Mr. Martín Jaimes began to participate in the work of collecting nests, distinguishing himself from the beginning because he was the person who collected the most nests. Mr. Martín’s greatest motivation is to contribute to the protection and conservation of sea turtles, especially leatherback turtles. He was one of the first to set an example and begin raising awareness about the care of sea turtles.

To date, he has protected more than 2 thousand leatherback turtle nests, has trained around 100 collaborators, has released more than 100 thousand leatherback turtle hatchlings, and in the last 3 seasons alone, it has released more than 5 thousand hatchlings.

Currently, Mr. Martín is the main responsible for organizing the collection of leatherback turtle nests, at the beginning of each season he gives educational talks to raise awareness about the importance of turtles and through practice on the beach he teaches the youngest members his techniques, to find the nests more easily once the turtle has retreated to the sea, he encourages them not to give up until they are able to locate them. Due to his efforts, he has managed to prepare more than fifty people so that they can carry out the work on the beach, in an orderly and successful manner. Thanks to his great dedication, Barreros de San Luis camp has increased the protection of nests, especially due to the care and delicate handling they apply when transporting the eggs, this has increased the hatching rate. His exemplary work can be seen rewarded by the number of hatchlings born.

Mr. Martin is very reserved and not very expressive. His plans for the future include continuing with the protection work mainly with leatherback, so that future generations can enjoy the wonders that exist on his beach. Those who work with him are witnesses of the passion he has for conservation, which is why we classify him as a true Leatherback Hero, since he has earned it and deserves it for the actions he carries out.