The Trust was formed in 2006 to seize the opportunities presented by the global trend towards ecotourism. Trinidad & Tobago is blessed with unique natural assets and is poised to take full advantage of this trend. This growing industry is expected to increase the number of tourists visiting Trinidad & Tobago by over 50% within the next nine years.
Currently a significant aspect of the local ecotourism activities is centered around the sea turtles which visit various nesting grounds on both islands. As such, a need was seen to strike a balance between protecting local sea turtle populations and maximizing the ecotourism potential of local communities.
The initial collaboration in the formation of the Trust was between five community groups (Nature Seekers., Fishing Pond Turtle Conservation Group, Grande Rivière Nature Tour Guide Association, and SOS Tobago and the M2M Network) and BHP Trinidad & Tobago.
The 5 community groups first came together because of the common challenges experienced in the conservation of sea turtles. These difficulties are access to funding, lack of trained staff, standardizing and nationalizing conservation protocol, and building strong organisational infrastructure. The communities approached BHP Trinidad & Tobago to support a national conservation programme and it is from this interaction that the company inspired the groups to think bigger. This level of collaboration gave birth to the "Turtle Village Trust".
The Trust is dedicated to fostering partnerships between community groups, corporate entities and government in a bid to establish Trinidad & Tobago as the premiere turtle watching destination.
