National & International Policy Initiatives

A Voice for Sea Turtles

Representatives from the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) provide testimony to Congress, federal agencies, and International agencies and governments on issues affecting sea turtles and their habitat. STC closely monitors all issues related to the survival of sea turtles and informs conservationists, the media and STC members about steps that should be taken to ensure sea turtle survival. When threats to sea turtles and their habitats are identified, STC addresses these issues by developing solution–oriented strategies.

Initiatives include reducing sea turtle interactions in U.S. and international fisheries by advocating for better fishing policies, addressing international issues by developing solution–oriented strategies, and working for the conservation of endangered sea turtles in Central America.

Photo by Ralph Pace

Drawing on 6 decades of sea turtle conservation experience

National and International policy initiatives focus on reducing the many threats that sea turtles face, including: climate change and sea level rise, harvest of adults and eggs for consumption, marine debris, and degraded water quality and associated impacts to sea turtle habitats. Below are campaigns that STC has worked on:

Clifton Conservation Area

Tourism Alternative to Turtle Fishing

Drawing on the successes of the ecotourism industry at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, Sea Turtle Conservancy worked with the turtle fishers and vendors to plan an ecotourism project to replace and hopefully exceed the revenues generated by the consumptive turtle trade of Limón.

Sea Turtles & CITES

Commercial Fisheries

Atlantic Leatherback Strategy Retreat

The leatherback turtle is classified as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Pacific populations have declined drastically during the last decades but the status of Atlantic leatherback populations is less well known.

Tripartite Agreement

Cooperative Agreement for the Conservation of Sea Turtles of the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama