Critical work conserving endangered turtles

HRH The Princess Royal announced the winners of the UK's top conservation prize - The Whitley Award - to a packed audience at the Royal Geographical Society, London.

Among the eight winners is Costa Rican national, Didiher Chacón-Chaverri, who is being recognized for his critical work to conserve endangered turtle species nesting along Costa Rica's coastline. Chacón-Chaverri has won The Whitley Award for People and Environment sponsored by WWF-UK.

Since 1994, Whitley Awards have been awarded annually by UK-based conservation charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), and are now worth GBP £30,000 each. The Awards are one of the largest nature conservation awards available and recognise outstanding work by conservation leaders around the world fighting to safeguard the planet's resources and wildlife. WFN gave GBP £1 million in Awards and Grants last year.

Speaking about the Winners of the 2005 Whitley Awards, Sir David Attenborough, the famous wildlife documentary broadcaster and Trustee of the Whitley Fund for Nature, said, "People and their activities are often depicted as the cause of degradation to wilderness areas, but so too are they part of the solution. The Whitley Award Winners are geographically isolated from each other, but all demonstrate how local people are critical to the success of conservation work. Through education, research, great personal hardship and above all extreme dedication and commitment, all the Winners have overcome daunting obstacles to emerge as national conservation champions in their countries."

Founder and Chairman of WFN, Edward Whitley, added, "Didiher is one of those special conservationists who has looked beyond his own shores to the situation globally. He is now working internationally to protect turtles from illegal trade and accidental death in fishing nets, something which his award form the Whitley Fund for Nature will allow him to pursue."

Didiher Chacón-Chaverri, 40, is spearheading a Sea Turtle conservation program for the South Caribbean by building on his work to conserve nesting leatherback, hawksbill and green sea turtles on Costa Rican beaches. The sea turtles of the South Caribbean have always been used by the local communities of Talamanca in Costa Rica for food and trade. Sadly, as a result of their extended and unsustainable use, turtle numbers have fallen dramatically. Both leatherback and hawksbill turtles are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, whilst the green sea turtle is endangered.

Despite the area's importance for turtle breeding, as recently as 1984, the coastal communities of Gandoca beach were killing all nesting turtles and removing eggs for consumption and sale on the black market. Today, due to Chacón-Chaverri's work, most of the eggs laid each year, and all the turtles that lay them, are left undisturbed by locals.

Chacón-Chaverri has helped the community find new ways of making an income. Working hand in hand with local families in Cahuita National Park and Gandoca/Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, he is educating people about the impact they have on turtles, and helping families develop activities that do not harm them. Poaching, illegal trade and habitat degradation all threaten turtle survival, but by working with the Government, locals, and international volunteers, Chacón-Chaverri's work is having a positive impact.

Originally educated at the Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, Chacón-Chaverri is also an Associate Researcher for the Center for the Rescue and Rehabilitation of Sea Turtles in Parque Marino, and country coordinator for WIDECAST, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. Didiher understands that, as a migratory species, the future conservation of sea turtles not only lies with the government of Costa Rica, or his work at a grass roots level, but also internationally. Consequently, he is an active voluntary advisor to the CITES Convention and Interamerican Convention for Sea Turtle Protection, as well as being a member of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group of IUCN and other international groups.

Seven other winners will also receive Whitley Awards of £30,000 each.