We’re an NGO (a non-profit organization) dedicated to the conservation, research, education, and awareness related to sea turtles and their habitat in Curaçao. We work together with volunteers and other dedicated people, who support us with their help, experience and donations. Our common mission is to protect sea turtles and their environment.
If there is anything I have learned after over thirty years of scuba diving is while an individual dive may be unspectacular or uneventful, you can be certain at the end of a trip you will have seen one or more things you will never forget. This is what keeps me going back. It’s those…
In the last few months, we have seen images of turtles in distress and difficult rescue missions. We have also seen the images of the happy moment when recovered turtles have been returned to the sea. But have you ever thought about what happens in the middle part of this story? When a turtle is…
On Saturday the 6th of June 13 of the 20 sea turtles that were rescued from Ascencion during the Sargassum Crisis were released back into the ocean at San Pedro. This massive release event was carried out under the supervision of STCC volunteers and involved a large group of people and organizations that have played…
We take great pride in our volunteers. They are the heart of our organization and without them, we could not fulfil our mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats. That being said, we value a professional approach and therefore we upgraded the volunteer training this year to a complete theoretical and infield training. For…
Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday morning we do beach monitoring. We check for any nesting activity, do health inspections, remove dangerous trash from the beaches, etc. We usually monitor several beaches around the island, including Klein Curacao.
In addition to monitoring, a few times per month we organize bigger clean-ups. This is made to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean and can harm sea turtles and other animals.
If you would like to join us for monitoring or clean-ups, please send us a message to info@seaturtleconservationcuracao.org or via our Social Media channels to receive more details and confirm your participation.
We engage in various conservation activities. These involve reducing threats (entanglement, hooking, changes to habitat, etc), taking care of turtles, nests and hatching, monitoring behaviour, and other activities that aid their survival.
We research and monitor various aspects around the life and environment of sea turtles. We collect data, observe and track their behaviour, etc. In addition, we monitor the changes and trends, that take place in sea turtle lives.
At STCC we conduct many educational activities, for both children and adults, as well as tourists. Education is important in conversation, to avoid unwanted and harmful behaviour. Awareness is another way in which we educate the public.
You can find more information on what we do and our achievements in the yearly activity reports.
Sea Turtles face many threats to their survival. Plastic pollution, climate change, poaching and many others. Click here to find more information on the threats sea turtles face.
Are you travelling soon to Curaçao or other locations where you might encounter sea turtles? Knowing these facts might come in handy, to make sure that your encounter leaves both you and them safe and happy.
Why you shouldn’t touch Sea Turtles?
First of all, they can bite. Their bites can be very dangerous. Second, any sunscreen on your skin can damage their micro-fauna on their carapace. In addition, sea turtles are wild animals, who are not accustomed to being touched. This can stress and frighten them.
What to do if you see hatchlings?
If you spot a hatching nest, the best you can do is not disturb the baby turtles and just make sure to keep a free path in front of them. It is important for them to crawl to the sea by themselves, so it is better not to carry them to the water. If this happens at night, make sure that you do not use any bright source of light as this might confuse them, making their way to the sea more difficult.
Should you help an injured sea turtle?
Without proper knowledge, you have a risk of making the injury worse. It is always better if a professional can help an injured turtle. On Curaçao, you can call us and let us know about the turtle. We will advise on what you can do and we will come to help the turtle or take it to the vet.
Avoid making camp-fire at a beach.
There is a possibility that under the sand there is a sea turtle nest. If you will make a camp-fire above the nest, this will raise the temperature under the sand and the eggs with hatchlings will not survive.
Having only been a volunteer at STCC since May this year I’ve already had some unforgettable experiences. I’ve been on two trips to Klein Curaçao, collecting nesting information for the…
Make people aware of the beauty of our oceans and thereby change their behaviour to make sure our oceans will stay beautiful and healthy. That is the reason why I…
If there is anything I have learned after over thirty years of scuba diving is while an individual dive may be unspectacular or uneventful, you can be certain at the…
We have several people who take care of all the necessary tasks, organize monitorings and clean-ups, as well as manage all other daily activities and volunteers.
Current staff:
Hans Pleij
Former staff:
Sabine Berendse (Founder & Director) and Ard Vreugdenhil (Field coordinator)
STCC is an NGO. As such, it relies greatly on volunteers for its daily tasks. We are happy to have so much support and help from so many people! Click here to see our volunteers.
Denise Vijber (Board president), Ger de Bouvrie (Treasurer & Secretary), Corinne Senior, Luis Santine, Leon Pors, Laureen Schenk.
Pieter de Geus, Odette Doest, Mira Timmer.
Julia Horrocks, Paul Hoetjes, Steven Dunbar.
Iris Toren, Eva Ortelee, Nicky Peijen, Amber Bembom, Isa van Mourik, Maarten Looijenga, Marnix Kuijten
Adinda de Ruiter, Auke van Doorn, Brit Duncan, Keano Lindsen, Kiki van der Veen, Rosa Bak, Mike Horsten, Renato Hoogendijk, Raydion Guanipa, Fynn Duncan
