SEE Turtles: Protecting Endangered Sea Turtles Through Conservation Tourism
About You
Location
Project Street Address
7227 SW Linette Way
Project City
Beaverton
Project Province/State
OR
Project Postal/Zip Code
97007
Project Country
Your idea
Name Your Project
SEE Turtles: Protecting Endangered Sea Turtles Through Conservation Tourism
Describe Your Idea
Innovation
Are you a traveler or a travel company?
Travel company.
Tell us your idea. What makes your idea innovative?
SEE Turtles is building a replicable model to support sea turtle protection through conservation tourism. Most sea turtle species are endangered because of human activities that threaten their survival. This is the first systematic attempt to build a worldwide market for conservation tourism focused around a single charismatic animal which directly reduces its primary threats and promotes alternatives for local residents. We are building a unique network of conservation groups, responsible tour operators, and travelers working to benefit sea turtles and nearby communities. Income from tourist fees diversifies project funding and provides employment for local residents. Volunteer tourists provide a critical source of manpower and support efforts to monitor areas with high poaching rates.
Carefully managed conservation tourism remains an untapped resource for turtle conservation. A WWF study showed that roughly 200,000 tourists visit turtle sites, concentrated at a few locations. This study also showed that tourism can generate three times more income to communities than poaching. Most turtle groups have no resources to market their sites; SEE Turtles fills that critical niche.
Impact
What is the likely impact of your idea?
In our first year, we generated $40,000 in donations and fees to 5 turtle groups and 10 communities; reached 10 million people; and launched a personal volunteer matching service. We also created turtle watching guidelines that we promote with tour operators and their clients, the sea turtle community, government agencies, and the media.
As the project expands, we will include new species and educate more travelers about responsible wildlife watching, benefiting more conservation projects and nearby communities around the world. We will reach new audiences including schools and colleges, volunteer tourists, and affinity travel programs. Our project also impacts travelers with participation and close interaction with local conservationists and residents. We will harness these travelers to build a new network for conservation that takes promotes sustainability in their own lives.
What would it take to launch or spread your idea?
To spread our idea, we need to invest funds in promotion, both through media exposure and marketing. The ecotourism market is well-developed and it requires significant resources to compete for attention. Our budget for the pilot phase is $150,000, raised through private donations and grants. These funds are used to build the website, attend key conferences, build relationships with communities and tour operators, and marketing and promotion.
As the project grows, operating expenses will decrease as the initial costs are covered. Beginning in 2010, we will begin receiving commissions from tour operators for filling trips and attracting clients, which we will use for operating expenses and reinvest in the conservation programs. We expect to generate more funds for conservation than expenses and be self-sustaining within 4 years, when we believe our private funding will run out.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Describe yourself as a social innovator.
T When I travel, I consciously choose locations away from overloaded tourist destinations, preferring instead small communities that offer more personal interaction and experience. I choose locally-owned hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc and strive to set a good example for other travelers. I search out businesses which integrate environmental and social responsibility as part of the business model instead of as a marketing tool.
Having run sea turtle projects in Costa Rica, I have seen first-hand the power of travel to sustain conservation efforts and transform communities from economies based on turtle exploitation to ones based on protection. I co-founded SEE Turtles to bring that alternative to sites around the world.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Green turtle nesting on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast | 431.63 KB |
| Researchers releasing a loggerhead turtle off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico | 432.65 KB |
 | 157 weeks agoPamela Comstock said: 5 major extinctions throughout the history of the Earth about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 157 weeks agoPamela Comstock said: I can't think of a better way of taking time off; relaxing while learning and helping to conserve an endangered specie and its ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 157 weeks agoJohn Brandon Bethea said: I fully support this idea even as a competitor in this contest. Not sure if you are aware but there is a sea turtle research center ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 157 weeks agoWallace J Nichols said: Thanks for taking the time to read about and vote for this exciting project. We've helped many communities and sea turtles already in ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
