Tracking Turtle Travels

Exploring data to see how sea turtles in South Africa’s oceans make their moves.

Leatherback sea turtles, the largest of all sea turtles, are known for their incredible migratory journeys. Fewer of them make those journeys as the years pass, which The Leatherback Trust is trying to change.

Eastern Pacific leatherback turtles are critically endangered, with a population that has declined by more than 98% since 1990. The Trust works to reverse that trend by tackling the five most deadly threats to leatherbacks and other sea turtles around the world: development, fishing, nest disturbance, pollution, and climate change.

Their scientists conduct research at nesting beaches and at sea, collecting critical data to support conservation interventions. That’s where SAS came in on this project, turning that data into visualizations that the Trust can share with educators to grow awareness about their mission, as well as help with fundraising.