The 2026 Sea Turtle Season Begins in Miches
Miches, Dominican Republic – March 1, 2026.
With its official start on March 1st, and extending until November 30th, the sea turtle nesting season in Miches was inaugurated, one of the most important natural cycles for the country’s coastal biodiversity.
The Protortuga program —the largest in the Dominican Republic for the protection of sea turtles— opened the season with the rehabilitation and preparation of the nursery located in Rancho Wild District, in Playa Limón.
A team of volunteers and coastal monitors came together to prepare the nest nursery, under the leadership of Gustavo Román, executive director of the El Seibo-Miches Promiches Hotel and Tourism Association and General Coordinator of Protortuga, and Claudio Quezada, International Scientific Advisor of the program.
Claudio Quezada emphasized that “Miches presents the ideal conditions for the nesting of sea turtles, where some currents converge that help the turtles find these sites to come and nest.”.
Each year, turtles travel approximately 3,000 kilometers, crossing currents and open seas to reach these shores. They do so because here they find wide beaches, minimal human intervention, and an environment increasingly committed to their protection.
For his part, Gustavo Román, general coordinator of the program, explained that the nursery “It is a space that replicates the natural conditions of the nest, as best we can, to relocate those nests that are in danger.”, guaranteeing greater chances of survival.
During the 2025 season, 50 nesting events were recorded and 1,189 hatchlings made it to the sea, results that reflect the positive impact of constant monitoring and collaborative work.
This effort is made possible thanks to the support of partners such as Tropicalia, YANUNA, YasterGraph, Arena Tours, Club Med Miches Playa Esmeralda and Rancho Wild District, who join the mission to protect this life cycle and preserve the marine ecosystems of Miches.
Protortuga is part of the Miches Conservation FundProtortuga is an initiative that channels resources from the private sector and strategic partners toward priority environmental programs in the region, such as sea turtle protection, scientific monitoring, and environmental education. Protortuga is led by Promiches with the support of the Ministry of the Environment.
Through the Conservation Fund, companies and institutions can become Guardians of the Sea, contributing directly to the protection of our coasts and strengthening a more responsible and regenerative tourism development model.
More information on how to support this initiative can be found at:
https://protortuga.com/apoyanos/
