In 1993, the Sea Turtle Conservancy established its Educational Program to begin directly engaging in issues that affect U.S. nesting populations of sea turtles. In 2007, Education Programs were established at STC’s research sites in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, and Bocas del Toro, Panama.
Drawing on Sea Turtle Conservancy’s five decades of international sea turtle conservation experience, this program is improving the survival outlook for marine turtles in the United States, especially in Florida (which supports 90% of all the sea turtle nesting in continental U.S.), as well as projects in Central America, by empowering small, local sea turtle groups, providing educational materials, recognizing citizens and businesses working for the benefit of sea turtles and their habitats, and establishing the concept of using sea turtle migration-tracking tracking as an online educational tool.
Environmental Education is an educational process that allows individuals and communities to create awareness on their environment and the conflicts affecting them, through understanding, appreciating, respecting and acquiring habits and customs. The goal is to foster awareness in human beings, leading them to an individual and collective action for the resolution of present and future environmental problems which might lead towards a change in society’s paradigm.