Grantee profile

Barbados Sea Turtle Project

The Barbados Sea Turtle Project of the University of the West Indies has been run since the late 1990s by Professor Julia Horrocks. It maintains close links with the Government’s Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. The Project contributes to scientific research on sea turtles, including migratory behaviour and the impact of sand temperature on incubation success and its implications for the ratio of males and females born. It also carries out active monitoring of the sea turtle population for six months of the year, operates a 24/7 hotline year round, and carries out emergency turtle rescues. The Project is active in local networks, running outreach and environmental education including coaching the public about illegal activities and advising on sustainable tourism practises, and provides fieldwork opportunities for students. Beyond Barbados, the Project is affiliated with the WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation) network, and hosts the network’s regional tagging centre. It runs training courses and provides training to other projects in the region. Some of the project’s impact can be demonstrated by the tenfold recovery of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle nesting in Barbados over the past 30 years.