I am 26 years old. I saw the ocean for the first time when I was 6. I live in San José, the capital of Costa Rica in Central America, and I work as a journalist for an environmental NGO called MarViva.
It was a very unusual night in Guanacaste. On the northwestern part of Costa Rica, a normal day has a temperature between 35 - 40° C, but that night was particularly cold. My black pants and t-shirt were dripping wet because of the rain, and I had been waiting for 3 hours - sitting on the sand – to see the biggest of the sea turtles.
Playa Grande is one of the most beautiful places in my country, Costa Rica. It is the main beach in Las Baulas National Park and the most important nesting site for the leatherback turtle in the Pacific. The leatherback turtle is not only the biggest sea turtle on earth, but also the most threatened. This species’ population has decreased by 90% in the last few years, and scientists estimate that the leatherback turtles can disappear in the next 10 years, if we don’t take actions in support of their protection.
And then, there I was, trying to stay awake while waiting. Suddenly, Rotney Piedra, one of the park rangers and a friend of mine, got a call on his radio. A turtle had just arrived on the beach, at the 18th kilometer to be exact. Since we were at the 5th kilometer, we had to quickly head off and walk very fast.
Park rangers and members of the Matapalo community in Playa Grande work together in the patrolling of the beach. Some years back, the community and the park rangers implemented a program to help protect this national park. By promoting ecotourism, the community benefits from their own conservation efforts and the park rangers support them. Also, park rangers do some research to study the leatherback turtle populations in Las Baulas. My friend Rotney and his crew have been studying leatherback turtles in Playa Grande for 16 years.
The system works like this; a group from the community patrols the beach under the supervision of a park ranger. When they see a turtle, they call the base and inform its position. Then, the research team arrives to the place and starts collecting data. When the turtle starts its trance, a community guide takes a group of tourists to see the nesting. The rules for the people involved are very strict: no lights, dark clothing, and silence. Leatherback turtles are very sensitive and can abandon the nest in any second.
That night, it was so late when the call came in, that there weren’t any tourists around, just the research team, the park rangers, and myself.
When we got there, right before my eyes, as if I was dreaming, the biggest of the turtles appeared. She was incredibly beautiful. It had been a long way to come back to Playa Grande, the same beach where she was born. She was awfully tired, and had overcome so many obstacles: over fishing, by-catch, pollution…
When she was in trance, I approached her. I extended my hand and very gently touched her. She was crying, and so was I.
She left to the sea, I may some day see her again, or I may not.
That night, that cold and silent night, with Rotney at my side as I walked back to the park rangers’ station, I made a promise to myself. I promised that I was going to help protect the environment. I made nature protection a choice in my life. I thought that by helping save animal life and rainforest life, people can be responsible with themselves, their children, and their grandchildren.
There are no small steps when protecting the environment. We can always make the difference with our so-called trivial daily actions. For instance, when I listened to Rotney explaining how seashells were necessary for the composition of sand and how this affected turtle nesting, I stopped buying jewelry made out of natural seashells. Very soon and as a chain reaction, my friends and family stopped buying products made of natural seashells, too.
You can do the same, you can be more careful with the choices you make in life. As a responsible consumer, ask for more information about the products you are about to purchase. Keep yourself informed. Support nature protection NGOs or government programs and join as a volunteer.
We are an important part in this world and it is our responsibility to watch for its health. It is our own life what we are talking about.
