Indigenous 'Turtle Women' of Ecuador release 208 hatchlings after safeguarding river nests

Seven Indigenous Siekopai women, known as Tari Nomiowa’i or “Turtle Women,” combine ancestral ecological wisdom with modern data-collection tools to protect the vulnerable yellow-spotted Amazon River turtle in Ecuador's Amazon. During the 2025-26 nesting period they gathered 235 eggs, incubated them safely, and after hatching cared for the juveniles for about a month before releasing 208 hatchlings into the Aguarico River in March-April 2026.

The women record nest details with the Epicollect5 app, creating a digital log that aids future conservation planning. Their work also serves cultural goals, reinforcing the Siekopai’s spiritual link to the turtles and involving local schoolchildren in educational workshops. While the releases mark a notable short-term success, ongoing threats such as predation, pollution, and climate-driven flooding mean continued river and beach protection remains essential for long-term population recovery.