LIFE FOR LIFE
Who are Life For Life?
LFL is a low key, non-profit volunteering program run by local volunteers, Ricardo and Maru. They are passionate about sea turtle protection and local community work around the North West Osa Peninsular which is on the Southern Pacific coast line of Costa Rica and rich in biodiversity. This small organisation has 10 years of promising recorded data and has grand ideas for the future. These ideas include reciting the original hatchery, erection of a second, introducing more ‘turtle awareness’ programs into local schools and improving the living conditions of hosting families. Their plan is only successful with your help; therefor it is a crucial yet exciting time to join.
THE TURTLE MAN
A Naturalists paradise
Ricardo, a local Artist turned Naturalist discovered the beautiful Osa Peninsula and its biodiversity 35 years ago. Favouring natural tranquillity over bustling city living, he set up permanent home and business as a tour guide showing holiday makers the flora and fauna of Rio Claro. With just one handmade canoe, he built a good reputation due to his infectious personality and genuine love for Rio Claro. Ricardo also enjoyed observing his favourite neighbours……the Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Green and Leatherback turtle.
Marine Pollution
During the last 10-15 years, many locals noticed a gradual increase in marine pollution, particularly plastics. Knowing the turtles and their eggs were already vulnerable to human poaching and natural predation, Ricardo didn’t want ‘another’ polluted beach to be a contributing factor to their decline.
Preservation & Art
With the help of the local community, action was taken and regular beach patrols took place where random debris and plastics were collected daily. Due to the lack of recycling facilities, Ricardo creatively transformed the waste material into jewellery and Artwork. Eventually enough profits were made from his river tour business and Art sales to fund the errection of the first secure hatchery. This was a big step into combating marine pollution and the cunning exploitations of poachers.
Release
So, with one man’s love for nature and passion for preserving the environment, the ‘Life for life’ Turtle Marine Conservation Project was born. In the last 10 years, 100’s of thousands baby turtles have been released into the Ocean giving them a better chance for survival.
CONSERVATION MATTERS
Ecosystems and Threats
These iconic creatures are culturally significant, but more importantly, play a fundamental role in maintaining the health of sea grass beds, coral reefs and stabilising the jellyfish population on which they feed thus creating a healthy marine ecosystem. Much more can to be learnt by respectively observing these creatures but today, many species are struggling for survival. Human exploitation, natural predation, incidental capture, marine debris, coastal development and even climate change has contributed to their rapid decline.
Historic Creatures
Sea Turtles are graceful solitary explorers, they are cautious, mysterious and mother to the Ocean. To witness such beauty effortlessly drifting in the deep blue leaves many speechless and infuses fond lasting memory. These ancient reptiles have navigated the world’s oceans for over 100 million years, have outlived the Dinosaurs and could tell a thousand tales given power of speech.
Conservation Efforts
Without conservation efforts, experts predict that most turtle species will become extinct within 50 years and even less for the most critically endangered. We cannot put a stop to natural inferences, but together we can decrease human threats. YOUR efforts will play a very important role in changing the situation for turtles in this beautiful but vulnerable area of the Osa Peninsular, Costa Rica.
Volunteer at LFL
Help change attitudes and preserve the turtle’s future
SEA TURTLE SPECIES
Here at Life for Life Turtles we are visited by four different species of Turtles. The most common is the Hawksbill, followed by the Olive Ridley, Green Turtle and the occasional Leatherback.
 HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLEStatus: Critically endangered. This species is small to medium in size measuring up to 1.2m and weighing 45 to 90kg. They are recognised by their beautiful often heart shaped shell. They consume sponges, jellyfish and crustaceans and reproduce from 3 years of age. The females mate every 2 to 3 years and lay 100 to 150 eggs three times a season and live up to 50 years. They are heavily poached for their meat, eggs and shell which used to be commonly used in furniture decoration. |  OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLEStatus: Vulnerable Small in size compared to other species and when fully grown measure up 1 to 1.2m and weigh around 45kg. Featuring a hard heart shaped shell with Brown and Green colouring, They feed on shrimp, crab, lobster, jellyfish and sea algae. Ridley’s reach sexual maturity at 15 and reproduce up to 3 times a year, famously nesting in large groups. They are poached for their meat, eggs, skin and often die from entanglement. Although abundant, their numbers are rapidly declining. |  GREEN SEA TURTLEStatus: Endangered. This species is fairly large measuring up to 1.5m and weigh up to 400 pounds on average. Its hard shell is decorated with ever-changing shades of Red and Orange and their meat is Green. Interestingly they are born carnivorous and later become vegetarians, consuming algae from sea grass beds. The females reproduce every 2 to 4 years laying 100 - 200 small eggs two to three times a season and live to 80 years. They are mainly poached for thier meat. |
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 LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLEGlobal status: Critically endangered The leatherback is the largest of all sea turtles measuring up to 2.2m and weigh up to 700kg. They have a soft ‘leather-like’ dark grey shell. They reproduce 5-7 times per season and lay around 80 eggs per drop and live for approx 40-45 years. They poached not for their meat but for their eggs which are described as delicious and believed to have aphrodisiac powers. |