In 2006, Mel Tennant noticed turtle tracks on Gibraltor beach, and so began the Oracabessa turtle conservation program.

 The tracks belonged to an endangered female Hawksbill sea turtle, who had come up the beach to lay her eggs the night before. Mel now knows each mother turtle by name, and has a secret pact to protect them and their eggs from poaching, predation and natural threats.

Only a few hundred hatchlings survived to take their first swim in the sea that first year Mel noticed the tracks. Now, after over 10 years of conservation, we have more than 22,000 hatchlings leaving our beaches annually. We have also expanded our efforts to several other beaches along Jamaica’s north coast through partnerships with hotel stakeholders. Sea turtles are migratory species that travel thousands of miles each year. Their conservation therefore has to be built on partnerships, and thanks to Mel Jamaica is now one of the most important partners in the Caribbean.

Each year thousands of Jamaicans and foreign visitors come to be a part of our amazing story, and to create unforgettable moments in their own lives. The sea turtle program therefore provides us with an important opportunity to spread the message that stewardship is everyone’s responsibility.