Nature Seekers

Nature Seekers is a community-based environmental organization established in 1990 in Matura, Trinidad and Tobago, in response to the severe killing of nesting female leatherback turtles at Matura Beach. Before the organization was formed, turtle poaching had become sufficiently serious that the beach was declared a prohibited area under the Forest Act. The Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division then worked with residents to create a tour-guide training programme designed to give the community a practical role in conservation. Nature Seekers emerged from that initiative and initially operated as a volunteer group despite persistent difficulty securing funds. The organization’s central activity is the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme. Its work combines night patrols, visitor management, guided turtle-watching tours, nest assistance, beach cleanups, public education and scientific monitoring. Nature Seekers also participates in turtle-tagging work with the Forestry Division, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network and the Institute of Marine Affairs. Tagging and nest data help document turtle movements, nesting behaviour and hatchling outcomes. Through its association with Earthwatch and the Trinidad Leatherback Project, the organization has also supported volunteer travel, research assistance and wider public awareness of the leatherback turtle’s endangered status. Nature Seekers presents conservation as a community development activity rather than only as an enforcement programme. The group has provided employment and training, while its visitor services have contributed to the growth of tourism-related businesses in Matura, including accommodation and other local services. The organization’s account of its impact is that the nightly rate of turtle slaughter fell from approximately 30 percent before its formation to zero after sustained patrols, education and community involvement. The conservation effort initially encountered opposition because some residents depended on turtle meat and eggs or objected to seasonal restrictions on beach access. Over time, however, conservation awareness increased, and some former poachers and their families reportedly became supporters or participants in the programme. Beyond turtle protection, Nature Seekers has expanded into reforestation, watershed rehabilitation, recycling, natural jewellery and other environmentally oriented livelihood activities. It manages a project under Trinidad and Tobago’s National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme and promotes ecotourism intended to minimize pressure on natural resources. The organization has also worked with public agencies, businesses and other community groups, reflecting a partnership-based operating model. In 2006, Nature Seekers joined other community organizations, the Forestry Division and BHP Billiton Trinidad & Tobago in establishing the Turtle Village Trust. The trust sought to connect conservation groups and communities and to position Trinidad and Tobago as a leading turtle-tourism destination. Nature Seekers has received recognition from Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago and international environmental and tourism bodies, including awards associated with conservation, sustainable tourism and product innovation. The organization remains principally identified with Matura’s leatherback turtle conservation programme, while its broader mission links biodiversity protection, education, local employment and responsible tourism.

Nature Seekers was formed in 1990 after the killing of nesting female leatherback turtles at Matura Beach became a major conservation and community problem. The beach was declared a prohibited area under Trinidad and Tobago’s Forest Act, but legal restrictions alone did not provide a durable solution. The Forestry Division’s Wildlife Section therefore worked with the Matura community to establish tour-guide training. The programme aimed to explain the ecological importance of the turtles while giving residents a constructive role in managing visitors and protecting the nesting beach. Nature Seekers developed from this process. The organization began as a volunteer initiative and struggled to obtain operating funds. It later received government authorization to patrol Matura Beach and provide mandatory guiding services for visitors during the nesting season. This arrangement allowed conservation enforcement, tourism management and public education to be combined. Patrols helped protect nesting females, while guides taught visitors how to observe turtles without damaging nests or disturbing the animals. Nature Seekers also became involved in assisting the nesting process and collecting information from nests. The organization’s first and defining programme was the Matura Turtle Conservation Programme. It incorporated beach patrols, guided tours, seasonal cleanups, studies of tourism impacts and measures intended to keep the beach suitable for both turtles and visitors. The Pilot Sea Turtle Tagging Project, conducted with the Forestry Division, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network and the Institute of Marine Affairs, added a research component by tracking turtles and recording hatchling and nest information. Through the Trinidad Leatherback Project and its relationship with Earthwatch, Nature Seekers gained volunteer assistance, funding and international visibility for the conservation of an endangered species. Conservation restrictions initially created tension in Matura. Some residents depended on turtle meat and eggs, while others resented the closure of the beach during nesting season because it affected recreation and customary use. Nature Seekers gradually pursued a more inclusive approach, emphasizing jobs, training, tourism and community benefits. The resulting growth in visitors supported bed-and-breakfast operators and other local businesses. The organization has stated that the proportion of turtles slaughtered by poachers fell from about 30 percent on a typical night before the programme to zero after its patrols and community work became established. Its experience subsequently became an example of community-based conservation in Trinidad and Tobago. Nature Seekers later broadened its environmental portfolio. It participated in the National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme, managing one of the programme’s projects and linking forest restoration with low-impact ecotourism. It also developed recycling activities, natural jewellery and the Adopt a Turtle programme, which combines fundraising with educational engagement. These activities extended the group’s work beyond seasonal turtle protection without displacing its core focus. In 2006, Nature Seekers helped establish the Turtle Village Trust with other community organizations, the Forestry Division and BHP Billiton Trinidad & Tobago. The trust was intended to build partnerships among conservation groups and local communities and to promote Trinidad and Tobago as a premier turtle-tourism destination. Nature Seekers has also received a range of conservation, tourism and sustainability awards, including recognition from Caribbean conservation and tourism bodies, Trinidad and Tobago’s Environmental Management Authority and the President of Trinidad and Tobago. The organization’s continuing identity rests on integrating wildlife protection with community development and responsible tourism.

• 2006

  Turtle Village Trust is formed

  [1]Nature Seekersen.wikipedia.org

  Nature Seekers joins community organizations, the Forestry Division and BHP Billiton Trinidad & Tobago to create the Turtle Village Trust and promote partnership-based turtle tourism.

• 1990

  Nature Seekers is established

  [1]Nature Seekersen.wikipedia.org

  Nature Seekers emerges from a Forestry Division and Matura community tour-guide training initiative created in response to leatherback turtle poaching.

• 1990

  Matura Beach receives protected-area restrictions

  [1]Nature Seekersen.wikipedia.org

  Matura Beach is declared a prohibited area under the Forest Act as the killing of nesting female leatherback turtles becomes a serious conservation concern.

A community-led conservation and ecotourism organization that protects leatherback turtles while creating local livelihoods, environmental education and low-impact tourism opportunities.

• Conservation programme · 1990

  Matura Turtle Conservation Programme

  Nature Seekers’ principal programme protects leatherback turtles nesting at Matura Beach. It combines night patrols, assistance during nesting, visitor guiding, conservation education, beach maintenance, tourism-impact studies and nest-related data collection. The programme is designed to protect turtles while allowing carefully managed public access and creating local employment.

• Ecotourism service

  Matura Beach turtle tours

  Guided night tours give visitors an organized way to observe nesting leatherback turtles while reducing disturbance to animals and nests. Guides explain the species’ conservation status, enforce beach protocols and connect tourism revenue with local conservation work. Nature Seekers also guides visitors to other natural attractions in the surrounding area.

• Wildlife research

  Pilot Sea Turtle Tagging Project

  This research initiative records turtle movements and nest or hatchling information through tagging and field observation. It is conducted in association with Trinidad and Tobago’s Forestry Division, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network and the Institute of Marine Affairs, supporting broader understanding of leatherback migration and reproduction.

• Conservation fundraising

  Adopt a Turtle

  The Adopt a Turtle programme uses symbolic adoption to raise funds for conservation activities and provide participants with information about leatherback turtles. It combines public engagement, education and financial support for Nature Seekers’ wider environmental work.

• Sustainable craft

  Natural jewellery and recycled products

  Nature Seekers has expanded into environmentally oriented craft and recycling activities, including natural jewellery. These activities diversify community income and reinforce the organization’s message that conservation can support practical local livelihoods.

• 1990Matura Turtle Conservation Programme

  Trinidad and Tobago

  A long-running community conservation effort using patrols, guided tourism, education, tagging, beach maintenance and nest monitoring to protect leatherback turtles at Matura Beach.

  Outcome. Nature Seekers reports that turtle slaughter fell from roughly 30 percent on a typical night to zero, while Matura developed a stronger conservation and tourism economy.

  Source
• Trinidad Leatherback Project

  Trinidad and Tobago · International volunteer network

  A partnership associated with Earthwatch that brings volunteers and funding to leatherback conservation and raises international awareness of the species’ endangered status.

  Outcome. The project expanded field support and international visibility for Nature Seekers’ turtle work.

  Source
• Matura Beach annual cleanup

  Trinidad and Tobago

  A recurring cleanup effort intended to reduce hazards and maintain suitable nesting conditions for turtles while improving the visitor environment.

  Outcome. The activity supports the organization’s objective of balancing turtle protection with responsible public use of the beach.

  Source

1. 1Nature Seekersen.wikipedia.org