Animal Welfare Brazil Project #8348

Save the Amazon: Protect Jaguars and Wildlife

by Action Change (Formerly GVI Trust)

Project Report | Feb 18, 2020
Record-breaking Turtles and Fleeting Breeders

By GVI Trust | Operations Team

Dear Supporters,

The final quarter here in Jalova is a very special time of year, as two mutually distinct worlds collide in an explosion of life. The end of the year brings with it both the height of baby turtle emergences from nests that we have spent the last eight months diligently marking and the iridescent colourations of the breeding migrant birds. These two worlds come to Jalova and coexist in harmony, making this quarter truly unique in what can be experienced by volunteers and staff present.

2019 was a record-breaking year here in Jalova. Times were beaten, species lists were enlarged but arguably most importantly we had a record-breaking turtle season. Due to the exertion of our excellent volunteers and through the ever-present support of the GVI Trust we were able to mark more nests, see more total turtles and safely guide more hatchlings back to the sea than ever before in the ten years this base has been collecting data. We saw a total of 18,111 turtle tracks on our beach, guided 5,403 hatchlings and marked 109 nests. These are unprecedented numbers within our comparatively small survey area of three-miles of beach and it really hammers home the unparalleled importance of this national park and the work that we are doing here. Volunteers from all around the world have come to our little strip of paradise and made a real difference over an extended period of time and that more than anything really embodies everything we stand for. The passion and commitment shown by all the wonderful people that have contributed this year was truly inspiring.

The globally significant work that we do here in Jalova coincides strongly with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) that are set by the UN. SDG 15, Life on Land, and SDG 16, Life in Water, are both represented by the turtle population here as, by their very nature, they embody the link between earth and sea. The study of these areas, beaches and coastlines, is so vital to the preservation of our future because they are so sensitive and dynamic in their expression of damage. Be this through the waste that washes up on the beaches indicating the health of the oceans or diversity of fauna who traffic the beach indicative of forest health, these areas are sensitive to all. These inter-tidal areas are affected by both land pollution and sea-pollution and by human pressures both on habitats. It is therefore imperative that these areas are focussed on as they are showing us the direct consequences of the health of the planet. It is only through the direct support of the GVI Trust that we are able to continue to work here and provide a cutting-edge location for volunteers to come and express their passion for helping our world. Every single individual through our gates contributes to our global vision and makes a difference in more ways than they could ever know.

Working with these huge aquatic reptiles is not easy. There are two surveys that must occur every day for our data to be comparable and to form a coherent picture of our test area. These two surveys are the morning Nest Check and the nocturnal Night Walk. The crux of Nest Check runs in parallel with the beach itself, as they are both ever-changing and always exciting. Although some of the longest, these can be some of the most rewarding types of surveys as they encompass so many different types of skills that we encourage participants to exhibit while they are here with us. Nests Checks go out every morning from 5.30 during the latter part of the year. As a group this year we completed roughly 750 hours on the beach, which is approximately the same as spending a whole month out there during a year!

This commitment is testament to the quality of volunteers we have had this year, with the vast majority being passionate and exceptional individuals with a passion for helping this national park. This staggering amount of data collection hours would not be possible without the pervasive support of the GVI Trust either. These Nest Checks allow us to monitor one of the most dynamic habitats within the park, indeed the habitat that enabled this area of land to become a park. Every single day something is altered, no Nest Check is the same as the other. Engraved into the sand is the story of the night before, the roads taken by the expecting mothers, shadowed by the member of the Panthera genus that has evolved for millions of years to be the master of stealth. During high turtle season the mighty Jaguar occurs on our beaches in record concentrations, able to coexist with so many of its kin due to the high availability of resources. To witness stories told via prints really helps to invoke the imagination of every participant, bringing us closer to insights into this incredibly ethereal predator.

This being Tortuguero the Turtle project holds a special place in everyone’s heart but it is by no means all that must be accomplished here. This comes sharply into focus during this final quarter as the forest comes alive with kaleidoscopic colourations that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hubble telescope photograph. These extravagant breeding colourations are found on the bird migrants who arrive in Jalova for arguably the most evolutionarily vital part of their lives. This, on top of the turtle hatchlings and Jaguar activity certainly makes for very exciting times here! They flock to our trees in great numbers, happily gobbling up all the year-round available resources in a quick pit-stop on their marathonic journeys. They highly require this quick pit-stop because they have come to the neotropics for arguably the most evolutionarily vital reason; to breed. I guess they wouldn’t come all this way if they didn’t have an important reason. Costa Rica is famed for is Avifauna and just by spending a couple of days here it is not hard to see why.

Even someone who had previously expressed little interest in birds would be blown away by the sheer diversity and abundance of birds. They represent a clear and distinct place within the psyche of the Costa Rican naturalist, or any avifauna enthusiast. Some of them are with you day in and day out, they are your constant companions and you spend every day in their present and they in yours. Then, occasionally, some elusive species graces you with their presence and it drastically improves your day; to be able to witness it and share those rare moments.

So many amazing things happened this year in Jalova and none of it would be possible without the support of the Trust. In order to collect all of this cutting-edge data we need functional and hardy-equipment and electronics do not do as well in the humidity as mosquitoes do. It is the support of the GVI Trust and their generosity that has enabled us to keep on collecting this information and allowed us to keep on providing volunteers from all around the world to come to Jalova and experience so many once-in-a-lifetime moments.

From all of us here at Jalova we want to say thank you to everyone who has contributed and continues to contribute, without you none of this would be possible.

With Gratitude,

Costa Rica Conservation

Permalink

Nov 21, 2019
Battle of the Beach!

By Maximilian King | Program Manager

Dear Supporters,

With the Turtle and Jaguar projects in full swing these past three months, our daily routine has consisted of turtle night and morning patrols alongside weekly long-distance jaguar partols. This means that collectively we have walked approximately 800 miles along our beach during this time. In collaboration with the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), we worked nearly 300 adult female green turtles and marked the location of over 100 nests on our beach. A good season for our green turtles and high numbers of volunteers with us on base meant we were able to achieve the best turtle season for us here at Jalova so far!

An excellent jaguar season was not far behind, with over 50 temporary cameras set up for our jaguar partners, Coastal Jaguar Conservation (CJC). This means we were able to collect over 100,000 videos in footage for them during this period! Granted the star of these videos was our local Black Vulture population, but the Jaguars showed their faces, leaving everyone on base excited for more! These videos could not have been collected without the support of everyone from the GVI Trust. The cameras we use can only be purchased with the help of Charitable Funds! We cannot thank all the donors and supporters enough for their support, this footage is a direct result of your continued generosity!

This beach marks the crossover point between SDG 14, life below water, and SDG 15, life on land, so we have done everything in our power in order to protect it. A key role that you, our donors and supporters, can play, is supporting our efforts to keep this place clean and healthy! The people of Jalova embarked on a mission during this quarter – to clean this beach of as much plastic as possible! The strong currents of our Carribean sea means that large quantities of plastic accumulate along our shores. So we held not one but FOUR beach cleans along our coast line, focusing on areas of large build up and areas never cleaned before to collect over 200KG of trash! The impact of a clean this large was something that left the people of Jalova in awe. No more plastic for our baby turtles to climb over, no more bottles getting stuck in the egg chambers of our nesting females, the only downside is that our work here is never done!

If the beach is not for you, never fear! The forest is alive with wildlife of all sizes, from the smallest little Tink Frog to the largest breathtaking Tapir, we’ve seen it all! We’ve witnessed Sloths tangling high up in the treetops, we’ve watched Kingfishers fish in the cool waters of our rivers and we stood in awe of Howler Monkeys as they yell into the morning as they rest in the trees right here on our base!

Living within this beautifully humid rainforest means the challenges we face are unique to our location. Technology does not live as happily as we do within this environment, so maintaining it’s upkeep is crucial for our communication and scientific data needs. The monitoring of this habitat is crucial for the survival and maintenance of the national park, which cannot be done without our bi-annual scientific reports and communications with our partners. We need your help to keep our cameras rolling and laptops buzzing!

We could not have achieved so much without the support of the GVI Trust donors and supporters! The team at Jalova is indebted to your constant generosity and will continue to adore the devotion you show us for as long as you remain by our side!

With Gratitude,

Costa Rica Conservation

Permalink

Aug 22, 2019
Babies and Mums - A match nearly as old as life!

By Maximilian King | Program Manager

Dear Supporters,

April, May and June are times of change throughout the world, when the cold winter rains bid us farewell and the reassuring hopefulness of the summer seems just around the corner. However, nowhere is this sensation of alteration better expressed than in the ever-dynamic neotropical rainforest. These changes in Jalova mean one main exciting thing to everyone here; babies! This is the time when all the mothers and fathers of the natural world are hard at work building nests out of twigs and twine or braving the beach under the gaze of the milky way.

The yearly rains in Jalova bring change, and this is positive change for the life of Tortuguero National Park (TNP) as it means an abundance of resources. Almost as if they have evolved for millions of years to know this, the animals recognize the richness and start building nests and finding mates; meaning that the babies are on the way.

Of all the babies we’ve had on base, the Rufous-tailed hummingbirds were a highlight. The mother diligently attended the eggs and fledglings for four weeks, which is commendable, less so was her placement of the nest. It was built on a branch at head height, in the middle of a busy path through base. We had to block it off for a month and circumvent the nest through the adjacent bushes and tall grass. However, everyone’s wet socks were justified when the babies fledged, seeing the little beaks and faces for the first time was a magical experience. It wasn’t just the hummingbirds who utilized our beautiful base as their suburban heaven for their children. A Kiskadee Flycatcher pair, flamboyant birds with a taste for cacophony raised hatchlings and the lime-green iguana young found perches all over base to soak up the preciously rare sunlight.

Most excitingly of all however, this time of year brings Tortuguero’s namesake to our beautiful beach, sea turtles! Nothing will compare with the Jurassic feeling that overcomes one when they first witness these archaic reptiles drag their ungainly bodies out of the depths and onto the sand. The starlight reflects off the surface of the Caribbean, revealing the soaking silhouette of a gentle giant. Waves break over them, like a mountain torrent over boulders. They stare up at their task, miles of empty moonlit beach, the second-hand sunlight conjuring up shapes to scare all but the hardiest. Yet they press on, knowing that their task is one of the most important in survival. Like a man on the moon, these creatures haul themselves further into this alien world in order to create the next generation.

This time of year, the beach is transformed by the lumbering Leatherbacks turtles. They create a colossal mess while nesting, flinging sand like feral diggers. The presence of these creatures means plenty more beach time for the volunteers, who go out every night between 21:00 and 02:00 to search for nesting turtles; a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When a nesting mother is encountered certain data is gathered. This includes carapace length and width, whether she has any injuries and if the group is lucky enough to encounter her before she has laid her eggs, they are counted while she lays them. Although most nests will not hatch for the next two months, to share these intimate and expressive moments with the mother is unrivalled.

To preserve this biological fairy-tale, funds must be raised and in order to do this we organized a 24-hour survey. This was a mammoth undertaking, as most surveys are no longer than two hours, so this one had to be completed in stages with different rotating groups of volunteers. The aim of this mission was to have at least one survey out in the national park for 24 hours. During this was two turtle night walks and a Jag Walk, which in total is nearly 40 miles on our beach. Supplemented to this extraordinary amount of distance on sand were a bird boat and an enormous forest survey, assessing over four miles of dense and coastal forest. Every single person delightedly participated, showing both commitment and exaggerating the sense of family that is generated here in Jalova. All the effort, sweat and blisters were worth-while, as thanks to everyone who selflessly donated, we managed to raise over £700!

The GVI Jalova Base is situated in one of the most relevant and vital locales in the world when it comes to the preservation of its biodiversity. The research that the field team and volunteers come together to accomplish is incomparably important to the fate of sea turtles and indeed global fauna as a whole. It all contributes to the UN’s sustainable development goals; Life on Land and Life at Sea, sea turtles being synonymous with the link between the two. What is achieved here at Jalova is nothing short of providing insight into the future of our planet and making a difference in its conservation. However, none of this would be possible without the help of people on the outside.

The continuing support of fellow conscientious humans give us hope that the future is not as bleak as the news makes it seem and it should never be understated how important every single donation is.

With Gratitude,

Costa Rica Conservation

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 19 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.