Ready, Hatch, Repopulate!

To help three species of endangered turtles to repopulate, more than 6,000 hatchlings have been released in Peru’s Amazon Basin, for well-balanced biodiversity and as part of the fragile ecosystem’s preservation of the rainforest.

“With the release of these species at risk, it will be possible to repopulate the lagoons and rivers of the Amazon,” explains Gustavo Montoya, head of the Cordillera Azul del Sernanp National Park.

Turtle eggs of the taricaya, charapa, and terapo species were collected from natural beaches of the Amazon basin and transferred to artificial ones where they were incubated for 60 days. Upon hatching, 6,100 baby turtles were released back into the lakes and lagoons of the marine area in an effort to repopulate the threatened species. It is crucial to preserve the Amazon rainforest because of its ability to store greenhouse gases.