Disney is Celebrating 20 Years of Sea Turtle Conservation at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Disney Parks Blog shared how they have been making a difference for sea turtle conservation at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

What's Happening:

  • Florida’s loggerhead sea turtles make up 40 percent of the global population, while other nesting aggregations are in steep decline.
  • In southeast Florida, this is the most stable population.
  • This is where Disney steps in with its sea turtle conservation program.
  • They are celebrating 20 years of sea turtle conservation efforts at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

  • The Disney Conservation team has recorded more than 20,000 sea turtle nests on their survey route since the program began. This resulted in 1.5 million sea turtle hatchlings.
  • There were nearly 19,000 hours spent surveying the five mile stretch of beach at the Resort.
  • With all of the research and work, they have seen a recovery of green sea turtles in Florida.
  • Disney, as well as other sea turtle conservation partners around the world, are committed to protecting these animals.
  • The Disney Conservation Fund continues to support innovative sea turtle research, including Arizona State University’s solar-powered fishing net. This minimizes sea turtle bycatch in fisheries.

  • They also continue to work on the front lines of conservation through Team BEACH, a global human behavior change network to save sea turtles in collaboration with The Oceanic Society and the State of the World’s Turtles.
  • At Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, they show up every day during sea turtle nesting season to continue to protect and monitor the conservation efforts.
  • Learn more about Disney’s commitment to sea turtle conservation by watching Season 2 of Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, now streaming on Disney+.

Tricia Kennedy
As a huge Disney fan Tricia enjoys having Walt Disney World basically in her backyard. When she's not at the theme parks she is either playing drums or with her dog Yoda. She is a lifelong Star Wars fan and has ridden Star Tours over 270 times.