Indigenous women revive Amazon turtle populations
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In Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, seven Siekopai women known as Tari Nomiowa’i, or “turtle women,” are protecting endangered charapa turtles, also called yellow-spotted Amazon River turtles, along the Aguarico River.
These women combine traditional knowledge passed down through generations with modern technology to combat threats to the turtles, including hunting, egg harvesting, pollution, and habitat loss from boat traffic and rising water levels. The Siekopai women patrol the riverbanks, locate turtle nests, and carefully collect the eggs.
They record details about each nest, date, time, location, and egg count, using the Epicollect5 app before moving the eggs to a protected incubation facility. There, they nurture the eggs and, after they hatch, feed the baby turtles cassava, sweet potato, and taro leaves for a month. During the 2025-26 nesting season, the group collected 235 charapa turtle eggs and successfully released 208 hatchlings into the Aguarico River.
The women also involve the local community, including schoolchildren, in the release and educational workshops, fostering a sense of stewardship for the species. Their work is deeply rooted in Siekopai culture and the belief that turtles connect the physical and spiritual worlds, honoring ancestral guardians and strengthening the community’s relationship with nature.
