KIDO Foundation monitors nesting sea turtles in the proposed National Park area of High North, in Carriacou and adjacent relevant nesting beaches. KIDO is affiliated with WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network) and follows its tagging and data collection protocol procedures since 2002.

Prior to the beginning of KIDO Foundation monitoring and tagging activities, sea turtle eggs were poached indiscriminately, but our ongoing night and morning nesting monitoring program has demonstrated that effective protection of nesting beaches enables a general increase in nesting activities and a relevant reduction of poaching. From 35 nests counted and poached in 2001 to 500 nesting activities in 2017, this reflects a remarkable success in turtle monitoring for Carriacou.

During these 21 years of monitoring, our tagged leatherbacks and hawksbills showed a nesting site fidelity (they return after 2 or 3 years to nest on the same beach), with exceptions showing them nesting on different beaches in other islands (including Grenada, Union Island, Barbados, and Trinidad) sometimes during the same nesting season.

As the nesting habitats of sea turtles become increasingly threatened and reduced by the effects of climate change, land development, dumping, sand mining, coastal erosion, rising high water levels and other anthropogenic impacts, small secluded beaches on islands like Carriacou offer critically important patches of alternative nesting habitat for sea turtles in the region.

Additionally, our ongoing project offers training, subsistence salaries for local nature guides and volunteer positions to local and foreign students and research assistants. All of these activities help to establish a culture of nature and wildlife conservation on and around our islands.