Every year, thousands of sea turtles return to Mexico’s beaches to nest. These ancient travelers face more threats than ever before—from poaching, plastic pollution, shrinking habitats, and ecosystems thrown out of balance by climate change.
But there’s hope. With your support, WILDCOAST works with local communities to protect critical nesting beaches, restore coastal ecosystems, and ensure sea turtles can thrive for generations to come.
For 25 years, WILDCOAST has partnered with communities across Mexico and California to defend sea turtles and the wild places they depend on. Every dollar goes directly into action—patrolling beaches, restoring ecosystems, and building a legacy of protection.
This year-end, you can be part of that legacy.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, two sea turtle stories are unfolding side by side.
Olive ridley sea turtles were once on the brink of extinction in the region. Thanks to decades of protection and WILDCOAST’s campaigns, they’ve made a stunning comeback with nearly 164 million hatchlings emerging at Morro Ayuta since 2016.
Eastern Pacific leatherback sea turtles, the ocean’s giants, are now critically endangered in the region. Their population has dropped by 90%, with only about 400 individuals left in the region. Each nest is precious, but vulnerable to poaching, predators, and climate change.
By protecting Oaxaca’s beaches, we can replicate the olive ridley miracle for leatherbacks. With community partners, WILDCOAST is working to monitor beaches, relocate nests to safe enclosures, and give these ancient travelers a fighting chance.
Olive ridley eggs incubate for about 45 days.
Olive ridleys are the smallest sea turtle in the world, growing up to 100 lbs.
Leatherback eggs incubate for about 60 days.
Mature leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle in the world, growing up to 1,500 lbs.
“The first time I saw a leatherback sea turtle nesting was amazing. It's such a huge and impressive animal. Watching it emerge from the sea under the moonlight was incredible. Its size and the great effort it took to come ashore made me think about how vulnerable they are and all the threats they face just to survive to adulthood. I still have the picture of my first leatherback.”
“Of all the nights I've spent monitoring turtles at the Morro Ayuta Beach Sanctuary, there's one I'll always remember. It was a night during a mass nesting event, right under a full moon. The sky was completely clear, without a single cloud or star. That night, because of the moon's intense brightness, many turtles became disoriented. Instead of returning to the sea, they moved further inland.
What made that night special was that every member of the community team knew exactly what to do, and we did it with respect. We picked up the disoriented turtles and carried them back to where the waves met the shore. That night, we didn't just save a lot of turtles; we also strengthened our community bonds, learned from each other, and remembered that caring for wildlife is also caring for our own history.”
"As the sun began to rise over the horizon, my colleagues and I arrived at Playa Escobilla, a remote beach in Oaxaca, Mexico, known for one of nature's most extraordinary spectacles. We were there to witness an "arribada," the Spanish word for "arrival" that perfectly describes the synchronized, mass nesting event of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles that we were hoping to witness. Despite having grown up in San Diego, CA, which has its own population of green sea
