Along Kenya's coastline, community conservation groups are helping sea turtles get more of their eggs safely to the water. The groups work with the International Fund for Animal Welfare to protect nests that might otherwise be lost to flooding, predators, human disturbance, or coastal development.
Community members patrol nesting beaches and watch for female turtles laying eggs. When a nest is in danger, trained members carefully dig out the eggs by hand and move them to a safer place, keeping each egg in its original position.
The new nest is covered with sand, marked, recorded, and monitored until the hatchlings emerge. IFAW says Kenya's waters are home to five of the world's seven sea turtle species, including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle.
The work joins local knowledge with conservation science. Each protected nest gives young turtles another chance to reach the ocean and helps coastal communities care for the marine life around them.
