Death of Jairo Mora Sandoval

Todd Steiner, executive director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network raised money for a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. "Jairo’s murderers must be brought to justice so that [people] know that this will never be tolerated," said Steiner in a statement. "The whole world is watching to make sure the Costa Rican government brings these thugs to justice and makes sea turtle nesting beaches safe for conservationists to do their work." A petition started by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project calling for swift justice generated more than 10,000 signatures within two weeks.

On June 5, vigils in honor of Mora were held in at least six Costa Rica cities to coincide with World Environment Day. Ecologist Federation president Mauricio Álvarez, who helped organize the vigils, said "We are asking for justice for Jairo’s murder and ...demand a halt to the impunity that has reigned over too many threats to ecologists, farmers and indigenous groups." Despite rainy weather, hundred of people showed up to carry signs, light candles, and place stuffed turtles on the beach. Leaflets blamed police and the government for Mora's death and demanded swift justice. Among those in attendance were Roberto Molina, secretary general of the Environmental Ministry's labor union, and José Lino Chavez, Vice Minister of Waters and Oceans.

Following Mora's death, WIDECAST suspended beach patrol operations. "We can’t risk human lives for this project," Chacón said. "But this is probably the exact result that the killers were hoping for." Many volunteers quit the project after Mora's death, leaving the organization 200 people short staffed. Organizations such as WIDECAST depend heavily on foreign volunteers. According to Chacón, the future of his organization will be in jeopardy if the situation continues. Aimee Leslie, who oversees sea turtle efforts for the World Wildlife Foundation called the situation "a critical point for conservation" in Costa Rica and "a national security issue. She said that conservation efforts were already difficult without being scared for one's life. Lizano said she was in negotiations with the police for armed escorts on future patrols, but vowed to continue to work even if they refused. "If we forget about this beach, then Jairo died for nothing," she said.

Prompted by the death of Mora, dozens of environmentalists met with the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAE), headed by René Castro, to discuss their dissatisfaction with current conservation efforts on June 4. Their requests included punishing those responsible for Mora's death, greater criminal penalties for poaching, and more efforts by MINAE to fight egg poachers. Castro suggested implementing a plan submitted by WIDECAST. The plan would give park rangers jurisdiction to arrest poachers on Moín Beach and create a code of conduct for beach visitors nationwide. It would also increase penalties for poaching, name a new protected area after Mora, and set up a memorial fund in his name. The proposal was initially met with enthusiasm, but it later gave way to complaints about lax environmental enforcement nationwide. "This isn’t only happening in Moín and this not only happening with turtle conservation," remarked Molina. Deputy Minister of Security Celso Gamboa, who was also in attendance, promised to increase security forces in Limón.

It is given biennially and the winner is announced at the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC). The 2018 Awardee will be announced at IMCC5, that will be held in Kuching (Malaysia) in June 24–29. The inaugural Award was given, posthumously to Jairo Mora Sandoval at the 2016 IMCC in St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, with his mother receiving the funds to set up an NGO to continue his work to protect the sea turtles of Costa Rica.

In 2016, the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB Marine) announced the "Jairo Mora Sandoval Bravery Award." The award is for bravery associated with an outstanding contribution to the field of marine conservation, with particular emphasis on responsible and educated scientific endeavor, public engagement and conservation activism. The initiative to honor Jairo's commitment to marine conservation was instigated by the SCB Marine Policy Committee, and includes a $1,000 financial component.

The first trial of the alleged perpetrators ended in a mistrial and a second trial was held in 2015. In January 2016, a court found seven men accused of Mora's murder not guilty based on reasonable doubt. Four of the men were, however, sentenced to lengthy prison terms due to assault, kidnapping and aggravated robbery for a crime that occurred on the same beach shortly before Mora's murder. (Donald Salmón: 27 years in prison for aggravated robbery, rape and kidnapping; Héctor Cash: 23 years for aggravated robbery, kidnapping and sexual abuse; José Bryan Delgado: 17 years for aggravated robbery and kidnapping; Ernesto Centeno: 17 years for aggravated robbery and kidnapping.) Subsequently, the not guilty verdict was overturned on appeal and the four men were convicted of Mora's murder.

At the start of the 2013 leatherback turtle nesting season in April, police decreased their involvement with conservation efforts. Guards were on duty four days a week, but no longer personally escorted volunteers. On April 23, 2013, Mora asked supporters on Facebook to petition the police for more help. "Send messages to the police so they come to Moín Beach", he wrote. "Tell them not to be afraid but to come armed  ... we need help and fast." On April 28, Mora told La Nación that environmentalists were being threatened "by a mafia that was looting the nests for eggs". According to friends, Mora received frequent death threats, including an incident just weeks before his death where he was threatened at gunpoint.

On the evening of May 30, 2013, Mora and four female volunteers – three from the United States and one from Spain – were patrolling Moín Beach in Limón province, Costa Rica. At approximately 11:30 pm Mora stepped out of his jeep to move a tree trunk and was ambushed by at least five masked men carrying guns. The men drove the car with the four women to a nearby abandoned house and took their phones, money, and other belongings. Three of the men drove off with Mora. The women were tied up and left in an abandoned house; they eventually freed themselves and went to the police.

At the June 26–28 Inter-American Convention on the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC), Mora's death was a popular subject. A declaration from the Mexican delegation read, "As sea turtles are a shared resource, criminal activity that prevents [on-site] protection efforts from taking place in one country presents an urgent concern to all range states." A convention floor speech and a second written declaration also discussed Mora's death.

Tourism to Costa Rica was down sharply during the first half of June 2013. Jorge Molina, president of The Southern Caribbean Tourism Chamber, said Mora's death was affecting reservations and would likely continue to do so for several months. Aurora Gámez, who owns a Manzanillo Beach hotel, said her occupancy rate normally runs at 50% in June, but was at just 10% in the weeks after Mora's death. She said she had received cancellations that specifically cited Mora's death as a factor. Cahuita hotel owner Eddie Ryan echoed Gámez, saying he had two patrons cite Mora's death when cancelling. Restaurants, bars, tour guides, and transportation companies were also affected. Some entrepreneurs blamed WIDECAST for the lost business saying the organization was aware of the risks but continued to patrol anyway.

Although poaching is not new, conservationists report that it is on the rise in Costa Rica. In the period leading up to Mora's death, poaching became an attractive side income for drug traffickers. In 2012, a group of six men used assault rifles and hand guns to break into a protected nursery run by the nonprofit environmentalist group Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST). The men tied up and gagged the volunteers, then smashed or stole a total 1520 sea turtle eggs. After the incident, police began accompanying environmentalists on their nightly beach walks. It was later revealed that the incident was intended as a warning for environmentalists to stay off the beaches, according to WIDECAST's Latin American director Didiher Chacón. According to Limón police chief Erick Calderón, 21 people were arrested in 2012 on charges related to turtle poaching.

According to Lizano, her organization often receives threats from poachers because of its conservation efforts. In 2012, Mora was personally threatened at gunpoint "to back off and stop the walks". He and Lizano were also subject to intimidation efforts throughout the 2012 nesting season. "Both Jairo and I were being followed by motorbikes with guys carrying AK-47s," Lizano recalled. After a threat against her family, Lizano relocated from Limón to San José.

Mora regularly volunteered with WIDECAST, which coordinates efforts to protect turtle eggs across Central America. Mora and other WIDECAST volunteers walked Costa Rican beaches nightly to ward off egg thieves. In 2011, the group protected about 3% of all turtle nests in Costa Rica; in 2012, it increased to 30%. Conservation efforts on Moín Beach, which Mora headed, collected 1,500 leatherback turtle nests, the most from any beach in Costa Rica.

The Marine Turtle Population Law of 2002 assigns a three-year prison sentence to anyone who "kills, hunts, captures, decapitates, or disturbs marine turtles". Even so, it is common for locals to harvest eggs for personal use or for sale in local bars due to supposed aphrodisiac qualities. A poacher can make up to $300 in one night, selling eggs for about $1 each on the black market. Eggs obtained from poaching are often sold to drug dealers or traded for drugs. Poachers are often armed, usually with knives, but sometimes with assault rifles. In the impoverished Limón area, locals claim that police are either colluding with, or afraid of, drug traffickers and poachers. Poaching has been cited as a major reason for declining sea turtle populations around the world.

Watson, who is wanted by Costa Rica for skipping bail on charges related to a 2002 incident, said Mora's death proves that his own life would be in "great danger" if he ever returned to Costa Rica. "The authorities were very quick to respond to Japan and issued an arrest warrant for the protection of sharks ... however, when it comes to a horrible murder of a compassionate conservationist, the government does nothing." Later in June, Watson announced that his organization's next boat would be named the S.S. Jairo Mora Sandoval. "We do not want the name of this courageous and passionate young man to be forgotten", he said on Facebook.

Jairo Mora Sandoval (March 22, 1987 – May 31, 2013) was a Costa Rican environmentalist who was murdered while attempting to protect leatherback turtle nests. Just before midnight on May 30, 2013, Mora and four female volunteers were abducted by a group of masked men. The women eventually escaped and informed the police. Mora's bound and beaten body was found on the beach the next morning. An autopsy determined he died by asphyxiation after suffering a blow to the head.

Jairo Mora was a research assistant who worked for Paradero Eco-Tour, a state-sponsored animal rescue group run by Vanessa Lizano. He was born in Limón on March 22, 1987, to a Nicaraguan father and a Costa Rican mother. From an early age, he was involved in volunteer work.

Costa Rica has a good reputation for wildlife conservation in general, and sea turtles have been protected by national legislation in Costa Rica since 1966. The country prides itself on its natural beauty and the nation's economy depends heavily on ecotourism. Tens of thousands of people visit the country every year to observe its sea turtles. The turtles of Costa Rica include the leatherback turtle, a critically endangered species.