The Panama Project was initiated in 2012 with Wildlife Ocean Resource Conservation (WORC) organisation. As the first step, we educated and trained the community engaged in stealing turtle eggs and converted them to the patrol that protects the nests during breeding season. To protect the eggs from natural predators, we covered the nests by burrowing cages 1½ feet into the ground, a harmless in-situ conservation method that allows turtle hatchlings to emerge through the gaps of the cages.
The project today is a multiple partner case study. The project has 3 funding partners: DIMO (3 km), MAS Intimates (3 km) and Commercial Bank (11 km). Its key objective is to declare the site a protected area with data collection and support from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).
The ongoing project, a labour of love spanning over 12 years, has yielded remarkable results in safeguarding turtle populations and their nesting habitats. DIMO’s individual efforts have led to the protection of 1314 nests and 153,815 eggs, with an impressive 75%-89% hatchling survival rate. From Loggerhead to Green Turtle and Olive Ridley, the project has seen the successful nesting of various turtle species, contributing significantly to conservation of marine biodiversity along Sri Lanka’s coastal belt.
