Projeto Tamar

Projeto Tamar Review

Five of the seven surviving sea-turtle species in the world roam and reproduce on Brazil's Atlantic coast, primarily in Bahia. The headquarters of Projeto Tamar, established in 1980, has turned what was once a small, struggling fishing village into a tourist destination with a mission—to save Brazil's giant sea turtles and their hatchlings. During the hatching season (September through March), workers patrol the shore at night to locate nests and move eggs or hatchlings at risk of being trampled or run over to safer areas or to the open-air hatchery at the base station. Here you can watch adult turtles in the swimming pools and see the baby turtles that are housed in tanks until they can be released to the sea. Eighteen other Tamar base stations on beaches along 1,000 km (621 mi) of coastline in five northeastern Brazilian states protect about 400,000 hatchlings born each year. The headquarters also has educational videos, lectures, and a gift shop where you can buy turtle-theme gifts. From December to February, you can sign up for the "Tartaruga by Night" project to help release hatchlings from the station hatchery to the sea.