REKAWA (Sri Lanka): Weerawarna and more than a dozen other former nest-raiders work for the Turtle Conservation Project, a local group dedicated to safeguarding the turtle nests of Rekawa beach in southern Sri Lanka, where about 100,000 turtle eggs are buried each year.

“I definitely love them,” said Weerawarna, 27. “We like protecting them.”

This one-mile stretch of sand is one of the country’s most important nesting grounds for the endangered green turtle, and one of South Asia’s only beaches where five species of turtle nest.

The group’s community-based conservation philosophy is part of a worldwide shift toward connecting locals with their environment that experts say may offer the best chance for protecting endangered species.

Before the project was founded in 1994, the Rekawa nests were regularly picked clean by poachers who spent nights at the beach fighting over turtle eggs and drinking coconut liquour.

Siripala Edisuriya poached eggs for 15 years, selling them to tea shops and market stalls because he couldn’t find other work. Now, he’s a nest patroller on the night shift.

The number of marine turtles is difficult to pinpoint, but green turtles are endangered and other species are even more vulnerable, said Brian Hutchinson, a marine turtle specialist with IUCN World Conservation Union.

“Overall, the population shows that the species are generally in decline, so there’s a lot of work to be done,” Hutchinson said.—AP