Mission and objectives

Mission and Objectives

The Turtle Foundation has seven country offices that are collectively committed to protecting sea turtles and their habitats worldwide. We want to prevent sea turtles from being cruelly killed and exterminated, their nesting beaches from being polluted and overbuilt, and their marine habitats from being contaminated and destroyed by plastic waste and other pollution.

Vision & Mission

Our vision  is a future where sea turtles and their habitats are sustainably protected, healthy, and safe from threat of extinction and destruction.
Our mission is to contribute to sea turtle conservation at our own project sites by cooperating with local communities to create a future where both sea turtles and people can thrive.

The world’s oceans have been populated by sea turtles for 200 million years, but the seven species that exist today are now all threatened with extinction.  From the majestic leatherback turtle, which can reach a weight of up to 700 kg and dive up to 1,000 metres, to the pretty hawksbill turtle, which is hunted mainly for its turtleshell, all species of sea turtles are under pressure from humans hunting for their eggs and meat. The increasing destruction of their habitats is also putting pressure on sea turtles. All over the world, their nesting beaches are being built up with roads and hotel complexes, coral reefs are being damaged, and plastic waste is being dumped into the seas, where the turtles mistake it for their favourite food, jellyfish.

We want to contribute to stopping this fatal development! Please support us in this!

In our project areas in Indonesia and on the Cape Verdean island of Boa Vista, we are developing concepts together with the local population on how to better protect the sea turtles when they lay their eggs and in the waters near the coast. With the implementation of concrete measures to protect the nesting beaches as well as with educational and public relations work, we have already been able to achieve a lot since the Turtle Foundation was founded in 2000.

But there are still many tasks ahead of us.

The Turtle Foundation’s national offices are recognised as non-profit organisations. We are financed by grants and private donations. We report on our activities as well as our income and expenditure every year in our annual report.