Jairo Mora Sandoval

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.

Sea turtles are protected by law in Costa Rica, but poaching remains common. Locals take eggs, which are believed to be an aphrodisiac, and sell them on the black market. The egg trade has been linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. Environmentalists working in Limón say they are often threatened for trying to protect turtle eggs. Jairo Mora was one such environmentalist working in the area.

In the wake of Mora's death, the organization he worked with cancelled beach patrol efforts in Costa Rica. His death attracted international attention, including a statement from the United Nations and multiple rewards for information on the case. In Costa Rica, his death led to calls for reform of environmental policy. On June 4, the government met with environmentalists to discuss potential changes to policy. A plan submitted by environmentalists and endorsed by Environment Minister René Castro would set up a new protected area and grant park rangers more authority to stop poachers, among other changes. On June 5, vigils were held across Costa Rica in honor of Mora. On June 18, the government announced the allocation of ₡20 million (US$40,000), which was later upped to ₡30 million (US$60,000), to memorialize Mora.

Background 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. A poacher can make up to $300 in one night, selling eggs for about $1 each on the black market. 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. 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.

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 laid at Moín Beach in Costa Rica; in 2012, it increased to 30%. On April 28, Mora told La Nación that environmentalists were being threatened "by a mafia that was looting the nests for eggs".

On May 5, La Nación accompanied Mora and Lizano on a typical night's work. Mora spoke about feeling alone and unprotected in his struggle to save the turtles. Denying reports that police had stepped up their efforts he said: "If a guard or policeman says he supports us, he is lying."

Five police officers were on duty the night of Mora's murder, and they had been in radio contact with him about an hour before his death. However, according to Calderón, the police were present to increase "the number of eyes and ears on the beach", not to protect the conservationists. He also noted that the beach is too large to constantly monitor all of it in the dark. His body was found beaten and with his hands tied behind his back. Mora was 26 at the time of his death.

Reaction Mora in the beach hatchery at Ostional beach on the Pacific coast with fellow volunteers. 2011 Judicial Investigation Police were unable to immediately determine a motive for Mora's death. Lizano suspects poachers were involved, saying Mora was targeted for protecting the turtle nests. "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."

Mora death raised fears that the country's economy would be hurt by reduced tourism, leading Univision to describe the situation as "an internal crisis". Mora's death, suggested the author, shows that "the drug traffickers are winning", that crime is out of control in Limón, and that "the bad guys operate with near impunity."

On June 3, Vice President Alfio Piva described Mora's death as an "accident" due to Limón's high crime rate on live TV. Led by José María Villalta and Juan Carlos Mendoza, opposition party members called for Piva's resignation. "We are really full of anger and annoyance. We are embarrassed as a nation", said Mendoza. 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. Watson's pledge, together with additional funds raised by Steiner, brought the total reward to $56,000. A separate memorial fund to assist Mora's family and continue conservation efforts in his name raised $7,000. In early July, Costa Rican businessman Roy Rivera said he was working to raise funds to increase the information reward. "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."

On June 12, the Ocean Futures Society joined the chorus of international voices calling for swift justice. "This crime, in the Limón province, has shaken the consciousnesses of many internationally," wrote Ruben Arvizú, the society's Latin American director.

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. 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. The next day police arrested two armed men who were allegedly trying to steal turtle eggs from the same beach where Mora was killed. Also on June 4, a group of three men and a minor was arrested on similar charges.

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. 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.

On June 6, the Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a motion to form a special committee investigating Mora's death. "It is important to acknowledge that the death of Jairo is not only the fault of these bands of criminals, but also the fault of the state," remarked the motion's sponsor José María Villalta

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.

On June 25, a nationwide protest was held to draw attention to a wide variety of issues. Environmental groups joined the protests, again calling for justice to be served to Mora's murderers.

On July 2, MINAE again met with more than 30 environmental groups to discuss the situation. Castro said that plans to make Moín Beach a protected area were moving forward. However, he said, making the area a national park was not feasible because of the number of people living on the beach. "A national park is too closed off for this particular beach", he explained.

On July 31, Costa Rican police raided several locations near Moín and the city of Limón, and arrested several suspects believed to be involved in Mora's murder, as well as other crimes, including robbery and turtle egg poaching. Police said that more arrests are expected.

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.

Legacy On August 17, 2016, the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB Marine) announced the "Jairo Mora Sandoval Bravery Award." The award is for bravery in activism, scientific education, or public engagement. The award is given biennially and includes a $1,000 financial component. The inaugural award was given posthumously to Mora, with his mother receiving the funds.

Environmentalists requested that the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, adjacent to Mora's hometown Gandoca, be renamed in honor of him. The plan was endorsed by his family. The refuge was renamed after him on 2 September 2013 and is now known as Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge.