Costa Rica, a country blessed with natural resources, has several non-governmental groups working daily to protect and preserve the country’s biodiversity. Among these groups are those who strive to maintain a species that has been on Earth for millions of years: sea turtles.

On these shores, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic, the nesting of five species of turtles occurs: leatherback, hawksbill, green, loggerhead and Kemp. According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the populations of these marine animals are in extreme danger.

These local and international organizations protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica depend almost entirely on foreign donations and volunteer work, foreign and domestic.

Jairo Sandoval Mora, Costa Rican biologist, as a child watched the turtles arrive to beaches in his area.  He fell in love with them. He walked miles every night to protect and study them. A few days ago and at his 26 years, his life was extinguished.

Jairo was killed by drug traffickers, because he complained to a  national newspapers what is happening on those beaches. The traffickers are exchanging drugs for turtle eggs.

Today, the Costa Rican people and the international community call on the Government of Costa Rica to clarify the true reasons for his death.  We call for justice for Jairo.

Unfortunately, the Costa Rican government is sometimes weak on protecting the country’s natural resources. It allocates resources for  scientific research but offers little help for those like Jairo who work hard and under adverse conditions to conserve species and ecosystems.

Hopefully this does not happen again and that the life and death of Jairo will be an inspiration and motivation to us all for action so that evil does not prevail, for the good of all mankind, for the sake of protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica and our planet.

Jairo, thank you very much!

Written by YRD