Olive Ridley Project

Who we are

The Olive Ridley Project (ORP), Registered Charity No 1165905 in England & Wales, is on a mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education and outreach.

Sea turtles are considered to be a “keystone" species, meaning they play a vital role in ensuring the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, sea turtles face many threats to their survival – most of which are caused by human activities.

ORP was founded by Dr Martin Stelfox in 2013 in response to the countless number of olive ridley sea turtles entangled in abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets (ghost gear) he encountered whilst working as a biologist in the Maldives. ORP has since grown and expanded its mission beyond documenting olive ridley turtle entanglements in the Maldives to take a multifaceted and holistic approach to protecting sea turtles and their habitats all over the world. The charity is now at the forefront of sea turtle conservation, influencing local policy makers, fishing communities and collaborating with international research institutes and governments. 

We are headquartered in the UK with bases in Maldives, Oman, Kenya, Pakistan and Seychelles. In 2017, we opened the first veterinary-led rescue centre for sea turtles in the Maldives and now also operate a sea turtle rehabilitation facility with two more under construction.  At the core of our work is a passionate and dedicated team of scientists, veterinarians, conservationists, citizen scientists and volunteers. We pride ourselves in being able to collaborate with a wide range of diverse groups in order to reach our goal to protect sea turtles and their habitats.