In July 2021, Only One is partnering with Arcelio González and his fellow ocean guardians at the Sea Turtle Conservancy to protect endangered sea turtles on Panama’s Caribbean coast.
The Challenge
Arcelio’s people, the Ngäbe, were among the first to sound the alarm: the sea turtles in their ancestral waters were disappearing.
On Panama’s Caribbean coast, there is an incredible diversity of marine life, including critically endangered sea turtles. These turtles are up against serious threats: clandestine fishing with harpoons and nets, direct poaching of nesting females, and accidental maiming with longlines intended to catch sharks to name a few.
Because of human activities like poaching and climate change, six out of seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered. Three are critically endangered.
The Changemakers
For over a decade, the communities of the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca (traditional region) have been at the heart of efforts to save sea turtles in the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park. More than 30 people from the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca now work as part of the Sea Turtle Conservancy to research and protect four species of turtle. On Chiriquí Beach alone, they take care of approximately 4,000 turtle nests each year.
Working on an island with no electricity or running water has its challenges, but it is the night-time patrols that are the most arduous task.
Arcelio González
Recruited when he was only 14 by Cristina Ordoñez, a marine biologist who leads the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s research and conservation work in Panama, Arcelio gradually became more and more interested in conserving vulnerable sea turtle species like the hawksbill and the leatherback, which are critically endangered. Arcelio is now a leader in collecting data for understanding nesting trends. He has five children and hopes he can teach them the value of protecting nature, especially turtles.
Project impact
Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen sailed out on the SeaLegacy 1 to meet Arcelio and his fellow turtle protectors and share the news that Only One would be supporting their project.
3 members of the local Indigenous community will be trained in nest monitoring
9 kilometers of vital nesting beach will be surveyed and defended
2 watchmen will be hired for a new turtle research station
2 solar panels will be bought to provide power to the station
12 headlamps with red-light lamps will be bought for night-time nesting patrols
A day in the life
During the six-month nesting season, Arcelio spends almost all his time on an uninhabited island in Bastimentos Island National Park. In the daytime, when it is sweltering hot, Arcelio combs the beaches for warning signs of illegal activities. The night-time patrols are when the team keeps watch over the vulnerable nesting females.
“When I joined the project, having to stay up throughout the night was what really hit me. I wasn’t used to staying up all night, and then during the day I could not sleep. My internal clock was flipped on its head. But the more I learned about the sea turtles, the more I wanted to protect them, so it became easier and I adapted.”
Arcelio often carries out night-time patrols barefoot, walking several kilometers back and forth in the pitch black in search of sea turtles. The only shelter with a roof is the two-story research station that Arcelio and his brothers built, completed only a month ago. There are no beds and Arcelio mostly naps in a hammock whenever he finds the time. The mosquitoes are relentless, and there are snakes all over the island.
A note from Cristina Mittermeier
“I have to tell you that when I shared the news with Arcelio and the Sea Turtle Conservancy team that they were receiving funds from Only One, I got way more emotional than they did, because it felt incredible to see the power of Only One reflected in such a tangible way in the company of remarkable changemakers. Paul and I founded Only One in the hope of creating a global community of people investing in a healthy future for our planet. That dream has now become a reality: Only One members are supporting the heroes like Arcelio on the frontlines of ocean conservation in continuing their work.”
