Daniel Arauz
- Project name: Home range of hawksbill sea turtles as a conservation tool in Costa Rica
- Project site: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
- EDGE species: Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata
- Active: 2018 - 2020
Biography
Daniel currently manages a sea turtle project at CREMA where he catches, tags and monitors sea turtles in foraging grounds in Costa Rica. He also coordinates a sustainable fisheries project, working with local fisherman to promote science and conservation.
Daniel hopes that the EDGE Fellowship will allow him to acquire the skills he needs to be a local leader in the conservation of threatened marine species in Costa Rican waters. He looks forward to sharing his experiences as a young scientist, activist and conservationist with other Fellows, and in turn learn about their own experiences and the difficulties and challenges that they face in their respective fields of work. Daniel will be one of EDGE’s first Nat Geo Photo Ark EDGE Fellows.
EDGE Project
Daniel’s project aims to gather new data on the previously-studied Hawksbill turtle population in Punta Coyote, Costa Rica, and expand this research to other possible foraging grounds in the area. His objectives are to:
- Establish the area and time of use of foraging grounds by turtles.
- Describe the threats affecting these foraging grounds.
- Establish a citizen science program for tourism stakeholders and local citizens that encounter hawksbill sea turtles regularly.
- Raise awareness amongst local communities and decision-making authorities on the threats that affect hawksbill populations in the area.
- Lobby for the inclusion of his conservation strategy and management plans in the local government agenda.
