Sea turtle conservation efforts in Playa Teopa predate the establishment of the Careyes Foundation. Back in 1983, biologist Alejandro Peña together with his biology colleagues found just ten nests on the Careyes coast, laid by just 3 or 4 individual sea turtles. Now, thanks to the establishment of the Sea Turtle Protection & Conservation Center, around 2,000 sea turtles nest on Playa Teopa annually. To date we have released over 2 million newborn sea turtles of four vulnerable or critically endangered species (Olive Ridley, Black, Hawksbill, and Leatherback) safely into the ocean. 

The STPCC staff work 24 hours per day, 365 days a year patrolling 3.7 miles of coastline to collect and carefully transport turtle eggs to the protected hatching facility. There the eggs remain, safe from land predators and poachers, until the time they hatch (45-60 days later). The hatchlings are then immediately released into the ocean. 

Teopa, Faro, Ventanas and Tigre del Mar beaches together make up 37 hectares of federally protected Sea Turtle Sanctuary, established in 1986. The STPCC partners with researchers to support sea turtle conservation science and is regulated by the Mexican Secretary for the Environment.

Management plan 2022-2023

Environmental education is an integral part of our efforts in sea turtle conservation. Elementary school students are invited each year to our sea turtle field trips to learn about the biology and conservation of the turtles, and help release newly hatched sea turtles into the ocean.