Turtle Camp

CEA's Turtle Camp

Centro Ecologico Akumal, also known as CEA was founded in 1993. It has five different programs and one of them is the Sea Turtle Protection, Conservation and Research Program. CEA started this program in 1994, and 7 years later it finally obtained a permit from SEMARNAT to be a Turtle Camp. Since then, CEA has an up to date data base with all the information about the turtles coming to Akumal each year.

The camp's main goal is to monitor the green and loggerhead turtles that come to Akumal each year during the nesting season, and the juvenile green turtles that live in the bay area. These two species are endangered and throughout a lot of activities, CEA's Turtle Camp helps preserve these specie.

Patrols: Nightly on nesting beaches to protect and monitor nesting females, nests and hatchlings.

Research: Nesting frequency, egg survival and behavior of turtles feeding in Akumal Bay.

Education: Raising awareness among tourists and residents on sea turtle biology and conservation issues.

The Turtle Camp receives volunteers every month or so from all around the world. Without them, the camp would not function correctly. Their efforts and help are hugely appreciated.

Armando Lorences Camargo, also known as Tortuman (turtleman), is the coordinator of the Turtle Program and Turtle Camp. He started doing volunteer turtle work 20 years ago, so he is quite the expert. He says it all started as a hobby and now it’s his work, so he loves doing what he does. He is the volunteers leader and they follow him wherever he goes. He is a sort of ‘dad’ to them, or at least, that’s what they say. Armando has been working at CEA for one year.