SEVEN “TURTLE WOMEN” SENT 208 HATCHLINGS BACK TO THE AMAZON.
235 eggs in. 208 tiny turtles out.
SEVEN “TURTLE WOMEN” SENT 208 HATCHLINGS BACK TO THE AMAZON
Along Ecuador's Aguarico River, the Siekopai group Tari Nomiowa'i — 'Turtle Women' — is combining ancestral ecological knowledge with modern data collection to protect vulnerable charapa turtles.
WHAT HAPPENED
The seven women patrol riverbanks for tracks and nests, log date, time, location and egg counts with the Epicollect5 app, then move threatened eggs to a protected incubation facility. During the 2025–26 nesting season they collected 235 eggs. After hatching and about a month of care, 208 young turtles were released into the Aguarico River in March and April 2026, with local residents and schoolchildren joining the releases and workshops.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
The technology stack here is an app, an incubator and knowledge passed down through a family. The result is 208 turtles back in the river — plus kids learning why the next nests should be left alone. No billion-dollar moonshot required.
ORIGINAL SOURCEMongabayRead the original report