Mexico's Playa Tesoro Sets Record for Olive Ridley Turtle Nesting

The turtle conservation camp at Playa Tesoro in Altamira, Tamaulipas, protected 1,329 olive ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) nests and released more than 73,000 hatchlings, the highest count recorded for the state. Director of Ecology María Luisa Cuevas Rivera credited natural species behavior and ongoing protection measures for the surge.

In neighboring Veracruz, the 13th Festival of the Marine Turtle in Cazones de Herrera’s Playa Chaparrales saw the release of 2,505 hatchlings of green, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles. The event, organized by the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) with municipal authorities and community groups, also included beach clean‑ups, educational workshops and cultural activities attended by nearly 4,000 people.