The Great Turtle Project, Sri Lanka

The overall aim of this turtle project is to monitor sea turtle activity and conserve the local nesting sites in the Kosgoda region of Sri Lanka. Conservation activities here are carried out by a team of dedicated local staff and international volunteers and it has been hugely successful since it first began back in 1988.

One of the most important activities undertaken by volunteers, is the maintenance of the hatchery. Within the sanctuary, collected and rescued eggs can hatch safely away from predators in the haven of the specially constructed hatchery, before being released into the sea at night. A small number of turtles from each hatching group are kept at the sanctuary to join the ‘head-starter’ programme which hopes to increase the survival rate of turtles released into the ocean, whilst at the same time providing educational opportunities to locals and visitors.

Sadly, due to the natural threats they face, very few turtles survive through to adulthood, and as turtles are only able to reproduce from the age of around 25, this understandably poses an issue for the rate of turtle reproduction. For this exact reason, every nesting site, every egg, every hatchling and every turtle is crucial to the survival of the species, and maximising survival is what the staff and volunteers at the project strive to achieve!