Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - The Bay of Banderas is home to thousands of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, whom each year return to the beaches on which they were born to lay their eggs - one of Puerto Vallarta's most visible and interesting ecological cycles.

Created in 1981, the Puerto Vallarta Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection Program has been working with local environmental experts and scientists to help the thousands of baby Olive Ridley sea turtles born on local beaches survive long enough to reach the sea.

In order to protect the sea turtles, every year during nesting season (June-September), professional marine biologists and trained personnel from the city's Department of Environment and Ecology conduct nightly beach patrols in search of turtle nests. When one is found, they carefully gather the eggs and transport them, still in their nests, to the incubation pen located at El Holi beach.

As sea turtle nesting frequently takes place just outside the doors of Puerto Vallarta's finest resorts, the local hotel industry has been supporting the Department of Environment and Ecology Department's protection efforts for the last thirty-seven years.

With turtle season just around the corner, the city recently called on area hotels to donate the supplies needed to fully accommodate the protection efforts for the 2018-2019 season.

In response to the request, the Barceló Hotel's 'Green Team,' which works under a sustainability plan, donated some of the materials needed to support the program, including: gloves for cleaning nests, mesh for the construction of incubation pens, and 'black boxes' for handling the hatchlings.

The Barceló Hotel is committed to caring for the environment. The company has achieved Green Globe certification, a worldwide recognition for sustainable tourism, which is awarded to companies committed to making positive contributions to people and the planet.

With this donation, the personnel in charge of the sea turtle conservation program are prepared to begin patrolling the beaches of Banderas Bay as of June 15, 2018.