The Leatherback Trust (TLT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving leatherback turtles. Their mission is to promote leatherback conservation as well as the conservation of other endangered species. They deliver measurable results throughout the world through their data-based scientific research and community action plans.

In 1994, recognizing the regional nature of the threats to sea turtle survival, the nations of the western hemisphere began a collaborative effort to negotiate an agreement for the future of these species.

In 2001, with the ratification of the eighth nation, the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles entered into force. The Convention attends to the need for implementation of harmonious measures between nations, multilateral coordination of conservation and protection actions, and oversight of the implementation of a regional agenda that will enable the recovery of these species.

The Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (“IAC”) is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the legal framework for countries in the American Continent to take actions in benefit of these species. The IAC entered into force in May of 2001 and currently has sixteen Contracting Parties.

The Convention promotes the protection, conservation, and recovery of the populations of sea turtles and those habitats on which they depend, on the basis of the best available data and taking into consideration the environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics of the Parties (Article II, Text of the Convention). These actions should cover both nesting beaches and the Parties’ territorial waters.

Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias is a network of fishermen, researchers, people from coastal communities, students, community groups, civil associations, youth, and anyone interested in the conservation of sea turtles and their habitat. For more than 20 years, the GTC network has worked to protect sea turtles in their feeding and nesting areas in Northwest Mexico and to collect data using a citizen science approach to improve their conservation.

ecOceánica is a Peruvian non-profit organization established in 2009 whose mission is to promote and contribute to the conservation and sustainability of marine ecosystems in the Southeast Pacific, with a special emphasis on Peru, through scientific research, management, environmental education and inter-institutional collaboration. ecOceánica leads projects focused on endangered species such as sharks, sea turtles and rays, ecology studies of benthic communities, sustainable fisheries and conservation genetics, among others. In addition to research projects, ecOceánica develops an education program on marine issues and carries out activities and dissemination material, both individually and in collaboration with other institutions.

Kutzari, Association for the Study and Conservation of Sea Turtles A.C. – is a Civil Association dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles, with emphasis on the leatherback turtle in Mexico since 2003. The Association has collaborated with the Mexican government in the operation of the Leatherback Project since its creation, with activities on the four index beaches of the Mexican Pacific: Mexiquillo, Tierra Colorada, Cahuitán and Barra de la Cruz. Likewise, it carries out additional activities in some Priority II beaches such as Chacahua and La Tuza.

Ecolibrium provides a simple platform for diverse partners to work together on projects that promote sensible, realistic ideas for stakeholders in natural resource conservation. Ecolibrium aims to bring balance, clarity, respect, and fairness to complicated conservation issues, to help partners see productive ways forward. We want to contribute to a world where we value and honor not only nature but each other as well.

The ProCosta Association is a Salvadoran non-profit, non-governmental organization that seeks to improve the well-being of biodiversity, ecosystems, and local communities along the coast of El Salvador and other Central American countries, with an emphasis on research and conservation of sea turtles and their habitat.

COSTASALVAJE is an international team whose mission is to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems, and to confront climate change through natural solutions. Since 2004, it has worked on the protection of sea turtles through international media campaigns. In collaboration with the Mexican Turtle Center (CMT), it has implemented legal protection and monitoring actions in the Playa Morro Ayuta and Playa Escobilla sanctuaries in the southern state of Oaxaca to protect millions of nesting female olive ridley turtles during “arribadas” events.

In 2024, COSTASALVAJE was selected by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out the project “Community Conservation of the Leatherback Turtle in the Playa Chacahua Sanctuary.” In collaboration with the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and through the Chacahua Beach Sanctuary, the conservation of 48 kilometers of beaches within the sanctuary will be strengthened through leatherback turtle nesting monitoring activities, environmental education and training for people from five Afro-Mexican communities.

We are a local organization that, since 2009, coordinates Playa Salamina and Costa Grande in Villa El Carmen, Managua, Nicaragua, protecting Leatherback, Black, and Olive Ridley turtles. This area is the most important at the national level for the conservation of Leatherbacks. Our reserve protects seventy acres of dry forest, and we also develop ecotourism activities with international volunteers who are part of the sustainable development that we carry out in the area. We develop monitoring of migratory and resident birds as well as environmental education in the coastal marine areas of the municipality and the buffer zones of the reserve. Our main strength is that we are local actors, whether or not there is a project we are in the area, we have strategic alliances that allow the development of our work in the communities and with public and private organizations in our country.

Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is the longest-running international conservation organization in the world. Our vision is to create a sustainable future for the planet where biodiversity is conserved by the people who live closest to it. Our goal is to do so through the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems around the world, choosing sustainable solutions, based on sound scientific knowledge and that take human needs into account. We have become a trusted entity in the world of conservation. Today, FFI is present in more than 40 countries. Since 2002, FFI has worked in the Pacific of Nicaragua to generate conservation models for sea turtles that are effective and replicable.

AMBAS is a non-profit community organization composed of women, and whose purpose is to work for the conservation of coastal marine resources in the Impossible Conservation Area – Barra de Santiago, El Salvador. Since 2000, it has been working in natural resources conservation; it currently has a co-management agreement for the mangrove forest and the Ramsar Barra de Santiago site by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). One of its purposes is to work for the conservation of the species of sea turtles that nest in that site, working on environmental awareness in the surrounding communities on the coastal strip.

The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) is responsible for the good management and conservation of protected areas in Mexico, and of priority species, among others, sea turtles, dictating public management policies, integrating local communities to conservation programs and carrying out actions to monitor populations in both areas with protection status and in priority regions for conservation (areas that due to their importance are conserved but do not have protection status). The National Program for the Conservation of Sea Turtles (PNCTM) is developed from the Directorate of Monitoring Strategies and Conservation Projects (DESPC) of the General Directorate of Regional Operation (DGOR), with 55 years of development in Mexico carrying out conservation actions (direct and indirect) for all species of sea turtles present in Mexico.

ACOREMA is dedicated to the research and conservation of marine biodiversity, with an emphasis on the study of threatened species (cetaceans, sea turtles, Humboldt penguins, sea otters), and on environmental education, awareness, communication and interpretation initiatives to create awareness and to promote the participation of the population in actions in favor of marine and coastal resources, and a better quality of life. Since 1995, it has developed its activities mainly in the province of Pisco, on the southern coast of Peru, which is important because it includes the territory of two marine protected areas. ACOREMA also carries out actions of national, regional (in Latin America) and global scope, in alliance with other organizations.

Monash University is Australia’s largest university, and is a modern, global, research-intensive university, delivering education and research excellence in Australia and across the Indo-Pacific.  We are ranked within the top 100 universities world-wide and are making a positive impact on today’s global challenges – whether that’s by mitigating climate change, easing geopolitical insecurity or fostering healthy communities. We have more than 150 active fields of research, 10 faculties, and over 4700 Higher Degree by Research students solving the challenges of our age.  Founded in 1958 we’re named after Sir John Monash – an engineer, military leader and public administrator who contributed to almost every level of Australian life.  We’re guided by our motto, Ancora Imparo (‘I am still learning’), which sums up his approach to life and our dedication to lifelong learning.  We have a strong focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are committed to driving sustainable change and empowering our community to contribute positively through our campuses, research, education and leadership.

Our organization has been strongly dedicated to the task of eradicating the predation of sea turtles, as well as the looting of their nests. Our mission is for the sea turtle population to increase as in previous years and to return to being the Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary as in previous years.

We are made up of 40 people, including men and women, who take on the task of constantly monitoring the beach to guarantee safety. We work with schools and people in the communities so that they know the importance of sea turtles in the world.

The Mexican Turtle Center emerged as an economic and social alternative due to the effects of the total and permanent ban for the protection of marine chelonians decreed in May 1990. To a large extent, the development not only of Mazunte but of this entire region on the Oaxaca Coast has been linked to sea turtles, and the CMT has been an exhibition window to consolidate this concept. The MTC was created as a link between the sea turtle conservation programs operated by the Federal Government, academic institutions, society, and the communities surrounding the nesting beaches. There are few sites with these characteristics in the world, and the MTC continues to be the only one of its kind not only in Mexico but in all of Latin America. Throughout its almost three decades of operation, the MTC has witnessed and participated in events as relevant as the recovery of the populations that form arribadas on the Escobilla and Morro Ayuta beaches, or the battle that continues to take place for the rescue of the leatherback and black turtles in Barra de la Cruz. For many years, the visiting public has learned first-hand and in real-time of the results.

SEE Turtles connects people with sea turtles in meaningful, personal and memorable ways. We help the sea turtle community connect, grow and thrive by supporting community-based conservation efforts. Our programs provide funding, resources and tools to protect endangered sea turtle species in the Global South.

Billion Baby Turtles supports important turtle nesting beaches around the world.

Too Rare To Wear is a campaign working to end the demand for turtle shell products. Our conservation trips provide voluntary and financial support for conservation efforts. Our educational programs help schools, travelers, and the public learn about these incredible animals and how to protect them through presentations, podcasts, webinars, our blog, and other ways.

Our Sea Turtles & Plastic campaign helps coastal communities remove plastic waste from sea turtle habitats around the world.

NOAA-Southwest Fisheries Science Center scientists are involved in leatherback conservation in various regions of the Pacific. Our research focuses on the genetic structure, demographics, abundance, habitat use, and migration of leatherbacks across the Pacific, with an emphasis on the western Pacific nesting population, which nest in Papua, Indonesia. We work with local organizations in Papua to coordinate nesting beach conservation programs and carry out satellite telemetry and aerial surveys to study the movements, habitat use, and abundance of leatherbacks in the South China Sea. In the Eastern Pacific, we conduct aerial surveys, capture at sea, and satellite telemetry of leatherback turtles off the west coast of the United States, in California, Oregon, and Washington. In the Southeast Pacific, we collaborate with non-governmental and governmental organizations in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile in efforts to characterize leatherback bycatch and improve bycatch reduction technologies.

GroBios is a Civil Association dedicated to the protection and conservation of biodiversity, as well as raising awareness of the importance of our natural resources. Guerrero Biodiversidad, the main project of GroBios AC, started in June 2018, the team consists of thesis candidates, students, social service providers, young volunteers and researchers from the Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH) in collaboration with several organizations and local, national and international institutions, as well as municipal and federal government agencies with which we join efforts to reach more people and more organizations. Guerrero Biodiversidad carries out investigations on terrestrial fauna, aquatic fauna, community work, among other topics. New places are explored, and it has been a pioneer in recognition of the rich biodiversity of Costa Grande of Guerrero-Mexico.

Mangrove Studio started as an initiative that connects our clients and their users with environmental, social, and fair responsibility. We collaborate on initiatives intended to develop values that make our society and environment a better world through Graphic Design, Multimedia, and Communication services. These initiatives include socio-environmental campaigns focused on influencing behavior change, citizen science, and the promotion of science-based knowledge.

Our mission is to train the next generation to work in international scientific teams through our two-month scientific internships. Interns go to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and other Latin American sites. They work at a sea turtle research center on the beach or in a laboratory, collect data in the field for their research project, and immerse themselves in the local culture.

The Tortugas del Mar Foundation was legally constituted in Colombia in 2014. It is a non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Our mission is to contribute to the knowledge, recovery and conservation of sea turtle populations, and their associated ecosystems in the most critical areas of the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific, driven by scientific research, environmental education, and community and inter-institutional collaboration. The Foundation has been transferring knowledge for three years by promoting and executing environmental education and capacity-building activities aimed at community associations, governmental and non-governmental entities in key areas of sea turtle reproduction, to reduce anthropic pressure on these species in Colombia. Through the training of public entities, NGOs and communities, we have contributed to the strengthening of institutional and operational capacity on sea turtles in more than twenty public entities, eight NGOs, and five community associations for the development and improvement of conservation initiatives. We have directly sensitized some 18,000 tourists and residents on the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific coasts. In addition, 15,000 people have been sensitized through our social networks.

ASUPMATOMA is a Non-Governmental Organization that, since 1995, has worked for the conservation of sea turtles in the southern zone of Baja California Sur, Mexico; specifically in Los Cabos, which is a marginal nesting area for the Pacific leatherback turtle. There are two beaches currently being monitored: San Cristóbal and El Suspiro, approximately 18 kilometers of land.

Paso Pacifico aims to restore and protect the endangered dry tropical forest and coastal ecosystems of Mesoamerica’s Pacific Slope. Their turtle conservation program began in 2007, with a grant from SWOT and with the protection of green turtles nesting beaches in the southern Pacific of Nicaragua. These beaches are protected by a team of community park rangers, professionalized and working full time on the monitoring of sea turtles. Over the years, the program has grown to include turtle hatcheries in partnership with hotels and communities, the creation of technologies to reduce illegal sea turtle trafficking, environmental education of youth in coastal communities, and collaborations with local organizations and entrepreneurs in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Each year, these activities contribute to the protection of 1 to 10 leatherback nests. Therefore, Paso Pacífico appreciates the opportunity to participate in the Laúd OPO Network so that it can learn from its members and strengthen its management and protection of the Leatherback turtle for solitary nesters on the beaches where we work.

The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service is an entity dependent on the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, whose mission is to contribute to the sustainability of the sector and the protection of hydrobiological resources and their environment, through a comprehensive inspection and health management that influences sectoral behavior by promoting compliance with regulations.

The Leatherback Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the leatherback sea turtle and other threatened and endangered marine species through research, education, and advocacy initiatives primarily aimed at mitigating fisheries bycatch, designating and implementing marine protected areas, and advocating for the intrinsic Rights of Nature. As sea turtles are flagship species, by studying them and the threats facing their survival, we can open the doors to conversations about the biggest threats facing our oceans today.

The strategic role of the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) is based on the ability to generate, develop, and transfer useful knowledge that allows our country and the national industry to position itself, competitively and sustainably, in the aquaculture and fishing sector, especially for their research of high public value. IFOP develops comprehensive consultancies for decision-making in Fisheries and Aquaculture, and research projects on the status and evaluation of sustainable exploitation strategies, estimation of total allowable quotas of resources of commercial interest, evaluation and monitoring of benthic resource management areas, hydrobiological health programs, environment and repopulation and crops, and an aquaculture and fisheries knowledge node with an emphasis on digital preservation, access and knowledge visibility. Thanks to the work of IFOP, the State has the necessary information to manage and regulate the capture of resources, establish integrated management of fisheries, deploy a management model and technical assistance, develop sustainable aquaculture and fishing, and protect the documentary scientific heritage.

The Corporation for the Development of the Caribbean Coast – CORPOCARIBE is legally constituted in Colombia with NIT 9002791707. It is a non-profit entity, which promotes the sustainable development of the communities of the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, guaranteeing the pillars of economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social welfare. Under the environmental component, the entity makes efforts to protect the marine-coastal ecosystems and their associated fauna, such as sea turtles, through scientific research, environmental education, and community and inter-institutional collaboration.

The Fundación Contamos Contigo Ecuador began working in 2017, legally constituted and with a research permit, building and managing the project: “Reina Laúd” Turtle Camp, the first turtle camp in Ecuador with facilities for interdisciplinary volunteering in Manabí. Our purpose is to conserve and investigate species and their environment, mainly sea turtles, monitoring and collecting data for their protection, rescue, rehabilitation and mitigation of problems. In addition, it carries out ocean education and dissemination of the results through publications, courses, workshops and training for communities, environmental networks, academies, public and private institutions, among others. We work with the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricada) and we are the only project in Ecuador that monitors nesting, nest protection and obtains the first successful hatching of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in Ecuador.

ProDelphinus is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that has been working since 1995, whose mission is to conserve the marine ecosystem of Peru, promoting research and conservation projects in threatened marine species such as sea turtles, minor cetaceans, seabirds and sharks, and the interactions that these species may have with fishing communities along the Peruvian coast, contributing to scientific knowledge and promoting environmental education. ProDelphinus provides training to artisanal fishermen in sea-friendly techniques. The work sites in the coastal marine zone include Máncora, Cabo Blanco, Talara, Sechura, Paita in Piura and San José in Lambayeque in the north and Salaverry, in central Peru.

WWF Peru is an international non-governmental organization created in 1961 whose mission is to stop the environmental degradation of the planet and forge a future in which human beings live in harmony with nature. This ensures the sustainable use of renewable natural resources and promotes the reduction of pollution and excessive consumption. The organization’s Oceans component aims to make the sea healthy and productive, contributing to the well-being of people and conserving its biodiversity. In addition, the work is divided into promoting the sustainability of fisheries, conserving their biodiversity, ensuring participatory and transparent governance, and promoting environmental education.

We are a non-profit organization legally registered with the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador. We have been working in marine research and conservation since 2004.

The Climate Reality Project Founded by former Vice President Al Gore, we’re bringing the world together to solve the climate crisis and make a sustainable future a reality.

Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society. We know that a small-but-committed critical mass of activists can not only transform society but change the world.

Today, we’re a diverse group of passionate individuals who’ve come together to solve the greatest challenge of our time. We are activists, cultural leaders, organizers, scientists, and storytellers committed to building a sustainable future together.

JUSTSEA is a small Colombian NGO committed to the conservation of marine biodiversity in Latin America. Our strategy takes into account 1) participative scientific analysis of biodiversity issues, 2) creation of strong and transparent partnerships across sectors to improve understanding among stakeholders, 3) work in concordance with regional policy and conservation mechanisms, and 4) create a sustainable strategy for co-managing natural resources and stewardship incentives to change behavior.