In Miches, former turtle egg poacher now protects sea turtle nests

At 57, Guillermo Sosa Amparo can read a beach like few others. He follows tracks in the sand, identifies likely nesting sites and notices signs that might escape other observers.

For years, that knowledge served a different purpose. Sosa was a “huevero”, the local term for people who searched for turtle nests and took their eggs. Today, he does the opposite as a coastal monitor with Protortuga. Younger monitors, some barely in their twenties, now learn from his intimate knowledge of Miches’ beaches and turtles.

His story reflects a broader change along the eastern Dominican coast. People from communities where turtle eggs were extracted for decades have become part of the effort to protect the animals. Protortuga monitors the beaches of Limón, Celedonio, Esmeralda and La Vacama, where leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles come to reproduce.

The program combines beach patrols, nest identification and protection, hatchling monitoring, releases and scientific data collection. José Manuel Pérez, a monitor at Celedonio Beach, says the greatest satisfaction comes from recovering a nest and helping as many turtles as possible hatch.

The work demands early starts, long walks and night patrols. Protortuga estimates that about 90% of eggs were stolen before systematic monitoring began. It now protects roughly 95% of registered eggs, reporting a 97.5% anti-poaching protection rate in 2025. As theft has declined, erosion, excess moisture, roots entering nests and feral animals, especially dogs, have become more visible threats. Monitors say daily patrols remain essential.