Asociación ANAI is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting the integration of biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development initiatives in tropical regions. Its work has focused on the Talamanca region in southeast Costa Rica. ANAI's members, board and staff are a mixture of local farmers, Costa Rican and international professionals, and a wide variety of volunteers.

The Playa Negra Sea Turtle Conservation Project—north of Puerto Viejo de Limón, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica —is run in conjunction between the organizations that work on conservation in Talamanca. Its objective is to improve the state of conservation of sea turtles that nest, inhabit, mate, and migrate in the south Caribbean Region of Costa Rica.

Although ANAI was one of the first organizations to provide protection for the leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica, many nesting beaches in the area remain unprotected. Through collaboration with EcoTeach, ANAI has added seven kilometers of newly protected beach to areas already under protection. In 2001, this area had more than 400 nests. In previous years, we estimate about 90% of the eggs from those nests had been poached. With an average size nest of 100 eggs, that means we had merely a 10% survival rate from over 3600 eggs!

We have substantially improved that record. ANAI reduced the poaching rate to 40% in 2001—we estimate the poaching rate well below 40% for 2002.

EcoTeach is provides technical support, as well as recruiting important volunteer help for the program. As a result of the efforts of EcoTeach and ANAI, a vulnerable sea turtle preserve near the communities of Cahuita & Puerto Viejo is under protection.