Proyecto
Yaug Galu
We are collaborating with the Guna people on a long-term sea turtle monitoring program, study in-water habitat use, create conservation culture, and protect the leatherback sea turtle.
Location: Armila, Panama
Project Type: Sea Turtle Monitoring Program
Funded By:
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Keystone Species Alliance
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Prince Bernhard Nature Fund
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Philip Stephenson Foundation
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Earth Law Center
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Additional private donors
Project Overview
The Sacred Turtle Project: Community-Led Sea Turtle Conservation
To the Guna people of Panama, leatherback sea turtles are more than just animals. They are ancestors, kin, a sacred thread in the fabric of life. Named in their language, Proyecto Yaug Galu (the Sacred Turtle Project) honors this deep cultural connection. The sea turtle monitoring program is dedicated to protecting the fourth-largest aggregation of nesting leatherback sea turtles in the world.
Armila provides a secluded sanctuary due to its remote location from large developments, light pollution, and poaching. However, many threats still loom. Beach erosion is reshaping the coastline, hatchlings trapped in plastic waste are perishing in the heat of the sun, port development across the border in Colombia ,and the corresponding increase in vessel traffic affect coastal inter-nesting females, and many nesting females arrive onshore bearing scars and ailments from the dangers they face at sea.
How are we collaborating with the Guna community?
We are combining rigorous science with deep respect for local traditions to protect one of the planet’s last great leatherback nesting sites in Armila, Panama. Through satellite tagging, long-term monitoring, and the mentorship of emerging scientists, we’re uncovering the inter-nesting movements and vast migratory journeys of these magnificent sea turtles.
What is the challenge being addressed?
Together with Guna communities, we are using data-driven research to spotlight the hidden dangers posed by proposed development along these fragile coastlines. By amplifying Indigenous knowledge and scientific insight, we aim to defend not only an endangered species, but also a way of life, ensuring that both the sea turtles and the people who revere them can thrive for generations to come.
Project Components
At the heart of Proyecto Yaug Galu is a commitment to rigorous, ethically grounded research that both informs and empowers conservation. Each component of the project integrates proven scientific methods, tailored to local context and co-developed with our Guna partners.
We apply a diverse toolkit of research methods, grounded in ecological science, participatory conservation, and cross-cultural collaboration. These methods not only generate high-quality data but also support local leadership, advocacy, and lasting conservation outcomes in one of the world’s most critical leatherback nesting sites.
Background & Goals
Protecting Sea Turtles, Empowering Communities
Proyecto Yaug Galu began as a dream nurtured by Wiguidili Crespo Arosemena, a daughter of the coastal community of Armila, where she shared the shores with the majestic leatherback turtles. It was these very beaches that first sparked her passion for marine biology. Alongside her best friend and fellow marine biology student, Lineylis (Lis) Ríos, Wiguidili envisioned conducting their thesis research within the heart of her own home in Guna Yala.
Their journey took a welcoming turn when they were introduced to Callie Veelenturf through a mutual connection with the Manager of the Department of Oceans and Coasts at Panama's Ministry of Environment, Marino Abrego. Our founder's mentorship became a guiding light, helping them secure essential funding to both support their research and broaden conservation efforts.
How did the local Guna community contribute to early understanding and protection of the leatherback turtle population before formal scientific studies began?
Though no formal scientific study had yet been conducted on the leatherback population in the region, the community itself had long been stewards of the beaches. For decades, they had watched over the turtles, with Wiguidili’s father among those who had quietly gathered invaluable local knowledge. This rich history of ecological awareness provides an essential pillar of the project, blending scientific inquiry with generations of local wisdom.
What is our primary goal?
Protecting these turtles is an urgent mission. Leatherback sea turtles hold ecological, cultural, and global significance. The Northwest Atlantic leatherback turtle population is estimated to contain approximately 20,000 individuals, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In stark contrast, the Pacific Ocean is home to only a few hundred of these ancient creatures. The team hopes to leverage years of collected data to strengthen protections in the Atlantic, ensuring that Atlantic leatherbacks do not face the same fate as their Pacific counterparts.
Impact & Results
More Than Data: Transforming Conservation Through Connection and Action
Through Proyecto Yaug Galu, we have generated a broad and meaningful impact at the intersection of science, conservation, and culture. Our satellite tagging efforts have uncovered key nesting and migratory patterns, revealing high-use areas that are vital to the survival of leatherback turtles, many of which are threatened by proposed developments.
These scientific discoveries have directly informed environmental impact assessments and strengthened campaigns opposing unsustainable coastal projects.
At the same time, the project is deeply rooted in community empowerment: Guna youth and elders are active participants in research and monitoring, fostering the transfer of intergenerational knowledge and reinforcing local leadership in conservation.
Academic contributions have also flourished, with Panamanian students producing undergraduate theses that add valuable insight to national and international marine turtle science. Above all, by embedding Guna values and voices into every aspect of the work, the project honors the cultural and spiritual dimensions of conservation, ensuring that our efforts are not only scientifically sound, but also just, inclusive, and enduring.
Discover below our findings and observations from the 2024 season.
588
hours monitoring nesting beaches
84
nights monitoring Armila beaches
504
kilometers (~313 miles) of beach monitored
6494
neonates (baby sea turtles) released
296
number of nests counted
1.53m x 1.09m
(~5 feet x 3.5 feet) average turtle size
118
leatherback sea turtles tagged
151
exhumations conducted (process of locating and digging up nests that have already hatched and documenting the remains)
Leatherbacks and the Guna People's Legacy
The leatherback sea turtle is a sacred creature of ecological importance for the Guna people of Armila.
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Known as Yaug Galu in the Guna language, the leatherback holds a place of reverence in their cosmology, seen as an ancestral spirit, a living embodiment of memory and identity.
In 2025, the Guna marked the 100th anniversary of the Guna Revolution, a historic act of resistance that reshaped the course of their future. In 1925, the Guna rose up against a Panamanian government intent on erasing their cultural identity, banning traditional dress, suppressing ceremonial life, and dismantling Indigenous self-governance. The revolution wasn’t just political; it was a declaration of cultural survival, a defense of a worldview deeply rooted in the natural world.
This legacy of resilience carries forward into today’s environmental challenges.
Effective conservation cannot stand apart from cultural sovereignty. Indigenous knowledge systems, built through millennia of close observation and interdependence with ecosystems, offer invaluable insights and wisdom that scientific models may unintentionally overlook.
When culture and science move together, the path to conservation becomes deeper and more durable.
Through Proyecto Yaug Galu, we witness this firsthand: Guna elders guiding beach monitoring protocols based on traditional understanding, youth tagging turtles in ways their ancestors might have only dreamed of, and a shared commitment to defend not only biodiversity, but the sacred relationships that sustain it.
Around the world, Indigenous communities continue to lead the defense of land, water, and life, often on the frontlines of climate change and extractive development. The Guna are part of this global resistance, reminding us that true conservation is not just about protecting species. It's about honoring the people and stories that have long protected them.
Be A Part of the Movement
Proyecto Yaug Galu goes beyond traditional turtle research.
It’s a movement to protect sacred coastlines, preserve endangered traditions, and defend Earth’s oldest navigators. As we deepen our partnerships and scale our science, we remain committed to a simple truth: conservation must be local, rooted in respect, and led by those who call these coasts home.
Donations are crucial to the continued success of this program, enabling us to expand monitoring efforts, invest in new technologies, and empower the local community.
Help us continue this vital work for years to come by donating today.
