The ISTS Board of Directors has approved a Small Grant Program to help ISTS members and local communities achieve their sea turtle-related research, conservation, and education goals. This decision illustrates the interest of the ISTS to support its members in their efforts to fulfill the Vision and Mission of the Society.
The program will provide four grants of up to US $1,500 each to support projects aimed at generating knowledge, applying and/or assessing conservation measures, and supporting community outreach, awareness, and education initiatives. Building capacity for local leadership and community-based conservation relevant to sea turtles and their habitats are also major aims of the program.
The program for 2023 closed on 15th August 2023.
Previous Small Grant Winners
- Improving the Community Economy through knitting noken for Local Community to Support Leatherback Sea turtle Conservation Effort at the Jeen Womom Coastal Park, Tambrauw, West Papua, Indonesia
- Local Communities Fighting Plastic and Light Pollution. Conducted by OSA Conservation, in Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica
- Sea turtle population monitoring using facial ID & enabling citizen scientists, Watamu Kenya
- Rescue of sea turtle nests in Pongara National Park, Gabon
- Using Virtual Reality for Training of Tour Guides on Turtle Watching Best Practices, Associação Projecto Biodiversidade, Cabo Verde
- ORP Vaavoshi Turtle Festival 2022, Olive Ridley Project, Maldives