The Leatherback Project

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Everyday, all around the world, women lead us down a path of progress. With a compass calibrated with empathy, creativity, collaboration, and dynamic foresight, the women of the world help us shape a brighter future for all. Today’s #InternationalWomensDay, gives us all a chance to celebrate those who inspire, invite, and create space for the next generation of women who will #AccelerateAction, advancing the rights, equality, and empowerment of women everywhere. At The Leatherback Project, we’re thankful to work alongside women who continually uplift one another, ensuring that our hearts and minds remain centered on our shared mission. Women forge change by advocating for those with no voice, protecting those we love (human and non-human), and safeguarding our communities made vulnerable by the impacts of a changing planet. Without the women who came before us, we wouldn’t have the incredible opportunity to work together and stand up #ForNature. Today, we honor those who broke barriers, empowering women to wholeheartedly dedicate our hearts, minds, and efforts to caring for planet Earth. Thank you to the remarkable women, past, present, and future, who utilize their unique gifts to shape the world. Let us know in the comments which women have inspired you!

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The leatherbacks are back! 🐢✨ March marks the start of nesting season in Armila, Guna Yala, Panama, home to one of the world’s largest leatherback nesting aggregations. For the third year, Proyecto Yaug Galu is on the beach, weaving together Indigenous knowledge and scientific research to protect these sacred keystone species. This project began as the thesis research of @Wiiguii19 and @Liz Nuñez, two marine biology students from the University of Panama. Wiiguii, from the community of Armila, carries forward generations of deep cultural connection to leatherbacks, which are considered sacred in Guna traditions. Over the years, the team has built a powerful record of data to track the health of this population. Last season: 🏝️ 504 km of nesting beach was surveyed 🕒 588 hours were monitored 🌙 84 nights were patrolled 🔍 118 turtles were tagged 🥚 151 nests were excavated 🐢 6,494 neonates were released 📏 Leatherbacks averaged 1.53m x 1.09m Leatherback sea turtles hold ecological, cultural, and global significance. The Northwest Atlantic hosts a populations of ~20,000 leatherbacks, but in the Pacific, it is estimated that less than one thousand remain. Protecting these turtles is an urgent mission. The team hopes to leverage years of collected data to strengthen protections in the Atlantic, ensuring that Atlantic leatherbacks do not face the same fate as their Pacific counterparts. This season, the work continues. Read more in our latest newsletter and subscribe to stay in the know! Link in bio! Video @Nik 🍉 c #extinctionisforever #seaturtle #conservation #marinebiology #leatherbackseaturtle #rightsofnature #nature #ocean #beach #panama #gunayala #armila

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Water connects us all. From the glaciers to the sea, water flows through every part of life on Earth. As glaciers melt, rising sea levels reshape coastlines, disrupt marine ecosystems, and threaten species that depend on coastal habitats to nest, like all seven sea turtle species. Glaciers store 70% of Earth’s freshwater, but they are disappearing fast. As they melt, the excess water flows into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise at an accelerating rate, threatening coastal communities, reshaping ecosystems, and putting species at risk. Rising seas can swallow nesting beaches. Slow rises in sea level allows for beach zonification and areas of low lying vegetation and dry sand to be preserved, but with today’s sea level rising rates, nesting habitats are eroding away. Warming waters disrupt ocean currents and food webs. The ripple effects of melting ice reach far beyond the poles, touching every part of our blue planet. Protecting water in all its forms means protecting the ocean, marine wildlife, and our shared future. #WorldWaterDay