In addition to whales, dolphins, and monk seals, Earthtrust has been an active advocate for the preservation of sea turtles, both in Hawaii and throughout the world. Earthtrust's Sea Turtle Protection Project has produced, in concert with the Hawaii-based Honu Project, three videos on sea turtle protection.
For All Time. Documents the situation at one of the most important nesting sites for leatherback turtles in the world, at Playa Grande on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. This video, together with the advocacy activities of the Honu Project and many other parties, helped push the Costa Rican government into declaring Playa Grande a National Park, now called Las Baulas de Guanacaste. 15 minutes.
Fall of the Ancients: Hawaii's Green Sea Turtles in Crisis. Sea turtles have been swimming the Earth's oceans since the age of the dinosaur. But today, green sea turtle populations in Hawaii, Florida, and other areas of the world are being devastated by a mysterious disease called fibropapilloma. This disease--which is most often fatal--is at epidemic levels in some areas, and is starting to spread to other species of sea turtles as well. Fall of the Ancients takes a close look at fibropapilloma--its characteristics, research being done by concerned scientists, and potential causes. The work of sea turtle biologist George Balazs (Honolulu Lab, NMFS) is highlighted. Fall of the Ancients also describes poaching and environmental pollution as threats to sea turtles populations, and a novel Hawaii-based turtle breeding and education program. 45 minutes.
Hawaii's Threatened Sea Turtles. This is an updated version of Fall of the Ancients, produced by Earthtrust and the Honu Project for broadcast on public TV in Hawaii in 1995. 29 minutes.