Working on conservation’s frontline

At a remote field station in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, volunteers work to preserve endangered wildlife and an ecosystem recovering from intense human exploitation. Global Vision International staff member Raphaël Coleman explains the work of the conservation organisations involved

A female jaguar caught on a camera trap in Tortuguero. Her eyes shine bright green as the camera’s light bounces off the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer at the back of the eye which enhances her night vision

Pawprints in the sand so fresh you can see every detail, even in the rain. Claw marks in trees with sap still oozing from them. A distinctive pungent scent, reminiscent of sweat and cooked onions. A primal shiver runs through you as you realise a jaguar has passed through just minutes before. Tortuguero National Park (see Box 1) is one of the few places in the world where these big cats prey on sea turtles, dragging them from the beach into the jungle as they come ashore to nest. Coastal Jaguar Conservation (CJC) studies this unusual relationship between an apex predator and its reptilian prey in Tortuguero National Park, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Conservation