The beaches of Tumaco, the Pearl of the Pacific, in Nariño, are the passing home of some very special guests, as From time to time, sea turtles choose these lands as the birthplace of their hatchlings, becoming a vital element in the District’s coastal marine ecosystems.
However, these species have been affected by anthropogenic threats—all those caused by man: the overexploitation of beaches, pollution by solid waste, even high levels of noise—which alter their tranquility and the birth process. her babies.
For this reason, in 2018, the Freedivers Pacific Foundation was born, an organization created by three brothers: Cristian Camilo Meneses, Alejandro Meneses and Andrés Felipe Meneses, sons of a champion of environmental causes, the marine biologist Cristian Eduardo Meneses, who have passed the most of his life admiring life at sea.
ANDThis dream has led to the release of 835 turtles in the territory to date in the last 5 months. Johan Moreno, head of human talent at Freedivers Pacific, says that they have managed to raise awareness among the population about the importance of turtles.
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“As we started awareness campaigns with people telling them that these are species that are in danger of extinction, and that they should be protected by everyone, they themselves began to call us every time they found one, there were even those who “I wanted to take pets, but little by little they learned that it wasn’t like that,” he said.
Today the foundation is betting on the Tortugario La Perla project, a space dedicated not only to the conservation and protection of the sea turtles that nest in the territory, but also a research center, which also contributes to the tourist development of the area. region.
“Our main objective is to have a detailed record of the marine species that are in the territory, especially the turtles that nest and spawn in Tumaco, we have different species that nest, however, we have only recorded two of them, the olive ridley turtle and the hawksbill turtle,” said the leader.
The organization aims to transform the territory, support children and young people, as it also encourages sports in vulnerable areas of the Tumaco District, promoting volunteering, diving and freediving.
“Our main objective is to be able to cover the 80 hours of volunteering that young people must do in educational institutions,” he stated.
The socialization of the project on the La Perla Turtle Farm was developed with the presence of District authorities and young people from different educational institutions, who were interested in this initiative for the conservation and protection of the territory’s species.
