The Proyecto Parlama Ethos

Proyecto Parlama's Mission Statement:

“To provide managerial assistance that utilises international volunteers, sound scientific methodology and firm conservation practices. Thus increasing levels of community collaboration in the conservation of sea turtles, protection of mangroves, and other locally endangered wildlife”.

Our Vision:

To create a ‘model’ hatchery and sea turtle monitoring programme by training local people to establish themselves as ecological stewards to take responsibility of their local conservation issues, provided by our education programme, capacity building and our active continued community involvement.

Our Aims:

• To provide local capacity building workshops and an education programme to increase knowledge and understanding of local environment and conservation issues within the community.

• Providing hatchery management training for local people to enable sustainable management of sea turtles through education and community based conservation.

• To achieve 100% collaboration to the 1-dozen donation system and eventually increasing up to the legally stated 20%.

• To offer alternative sources of income to low income families to either restrict their need for the use of sea turtle eggs or to increase their participation to the donation system beyond 20%.

• Improving the value of volunteering for the volunteer providing insight, experience and learning opportunities which contribute to the future development of all those involved, including the community.

• Initiating a volunteer programme and a home-stay ecotourism project that will not only bring additional money into the local community but will provide a multi cultural interaction, raising the communities pride in their village and to the local conservation of their environment.

• Working with the local fishing community will allow us the opportunity to understand local fishing problems and its effect on sea turtles. Providing education into effective release of sea turtles that are captured on hooks or suffering “near drowning” from being caught in nets may save many turtles.