HATCH (Hlami Association for Turtle Conservation and Hope) is a non-profit organization formed in 2006 (registered in 2008) as a collaborative effort between Dr. Phil Allman, Florida Gulf Coast University, and AK Armah, University of Ghana.  Our goal is to establish the first long-term sea turtle research and conservation program in Ghana.  Through this program, we will learn more about the biology of sea turtle populations in West Africa and will use this information to improve conservation programs in Ghana. 

HATCH focuses on three components that, when combined, work to enhance sea turtle conservation efforts in West Africa while also improving the economic conditions in Ghana:

1.) Research: We have developed the first tagging program in Ghana and have established a protocol for data collection that will allow us to compare nesting activity from year to year.  Graduate students conducting research on sea turtle biology through this program will provide valuable information regarding sea turtle nesting ecology, current threats to the populations, and population trends and sizes.  This information is currently missing from the region and are important for securing the future of sea turtles in Ghana.

2.) Education: Students and volunteers that are working on the project give presentations in the schools and communities around Ada Foah and Accra, Ghana.  The presentations include the use of projecting photographs, playing games, showing videos, and ample time for questions and discussions.  These programs are given in English and the local language (Dangbe, Twi, Ga).

3.) Ecotourism: Sea turtles are provided with traditional protection in Ada Foah; however, some poaching and incidental drowning in fishing nets still occur.  We are working closely with the Ghana Wildlife Division to promote ecotourism as a way of illustrating the economic value of living sea turtles. 

Phil Allman has been working on sea turtle biology and conservation since 1995 and has worked on projects throughout the United States and in Central America.  He received his b/s degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and then finished his m/s degree at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County in 2000.   After working on sea turtle conservation in Southwest Florida for two years, he started his dissertation work at Ohio University where he conducted research on the variation in life history traits among populations of the diamondback terrapin, a brackish water turtle found in the southeastern United States.  As he was finishing his work at Ohio University, he received a Fulbright Scholarship that allowed him to spend 10 months in Ghana.  His time in Ghana was spent to establish the sea turtle conservation project, now known as HATCH, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.  He is now an assistant professor at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida.

AK Armah is a senior lecturer and previous department chair of the department of oceanography and fisheries at the University of Ghana at Legon.  He has been working on sea turtle biology and conservation in Ghana for over a decade and has advised several m/s student projects involving sea turtle conservation.  He is an expert on coastal habitats and is widely published in work relating to beach dynamics, fisheries biology, and the influence of traditional beliefs on wildlife conservation.  He has been working with nesting sea turtles in Old Ningo/Prampram area of Ghana and helped document that the beach between Old Ningo and Ada Foah has the highest concentration of nesting sea turtles in Ghana.