What You Can Do
Human activity is the single biggest threat to sea turtles. Many of the threats to sea turtles are under our control.
You can help in the following ways:
- Protect coral reefs: when diving, maintain buoyancy control to be sure that you do not touch corals or raise sand from the bottom.
- Observe marine life from a distance. This way you will be able to see natural behavior. Do not disturb sea turtles on land or at sea, do not shine lights on turtles, ride turtles, disturb nests, collect hatchlings, or help nesting turtles back to the sea.
- Keep hazardous materials out of the sea: reduce or stop using chemical fertilizers and pesticides and keep other toxic chemicals from entering the ground or water.
- Do not drive on sandy beaches: incubating eggs can be crushed and ruts can trap hatchlings crawling to the sea.
- Turn off or shield lights at nesting beaches from April through January. Lights can prevent females from nesting and disorient newly-hatched turtles trying to find their way to the sea.
- Do not light fires on beaches: heat and debris can kill fragile turtle eggs.
- Avoid plastic and dispose of plastics appropriately. Buy products wrapped in biodegradable packaging (paper, cardboard, foil). Plastic bags, mistaken for jellyfish, kill sea turtles and other marine life. Discarded plastic degrades into tiny toxic particles that are ingested by marine creatures.
- Do not feed marine wildlife. Feeding marine animals might seem harmless, or even helpful, but it’s not!
- Help with beach cleaning projects. Contact STCB for details or check our Facebook page.
- Report turtles in trouble to STCB’s Hotline at 780-0433.
- Report beach fires, reef destruction, and harassment of wildlife to STINAPA at 717-8444.
- Do not eat seafood or choose seafood that is sustainably harvested. To learn more, go to the Seafood Selector
- Speak up for sea turtles: advocate for laws and practices that protect Bonaire’s natural heritage.
- Help and support Bonaire’s conservation organizations.