Save the sea turtles: This father-daughter conservation duo fights poaching in Costa Rica

There’s some good news for sea turtles: They are now safer in some parts of the world.

More than 1 million sea turtles were illegally harvested between 1990 and 2020. But a new analysis has found that between 2010 and 2020, the illegal catch of sea turtles was nearly 30% lower than in the previous decade.

That’s because conservationists around the world have been actively working to stop the poaching of sea turtle eggs.

Two of those conservationists are a father and daughter in Costa Rica who have been doing this work for years. Claudio Quesada-Rodríguez runs research and conservation projects for Ecology Project International in Missoula, Montana. He's based in the Pacuare Reserve in Costa Rica. His 13-year-old daughter Sara has accompanied her father on turtle protection missions since age 4.

Quesada-Rodríguez and his team go to the beach at night during the turtles’ nesting and hatching seasons and move the eggs to a hatchery to protect them. When the sea turtles hatch, they return the babies to the beach.

“The reason I spend so much time and effort with them is really because I just like them so much. I feel like I am helping save the species,” Sara says. “I feel like it is worth the effort to make sure the incredible sea turtles can nest safely. In the end, I feel you can see our efforts.”

Quesada-Rodríguez says educating local communities about the role sea turtles play in the ecosystem plays a key role in his work. Now, he’s finally seeing results after doing this work for 30 years.

Spanish translation by Analia Cooper.

English voice-over by Maya Rogers.

Devin Speak produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Welch also adapted it for the web.