Turtle Conservancy is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the survival of turtles and tortoises worldwide. Founded in 2005 by herpetologist Eric Goode and headquartered in Ojai, California, the organization uses a holistic 360° model that combines captive breeding, land conservation, field research, education, and community outreach.
Turtle Conservancy’s flagship facility is its 90-acre Conservation Center in Ojai, which is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and houses more than 600 individual turtles and tortoises representing 40 species — including assurance colonies of several species that are extinct in the wild. Globally, the Conservancy has protected more than 70,000 acres of critical turtle and tortoise habitat in more than 17 countries, and its work spans more than 65 species. In 2021, the organization acquired the world’s third-largest collection of turtle and tortoise specimens — more than 14,000 items — previously owned by the late Dr. Peter Pritchard, a foundational figure in chelonian conservation.
Turtle Conservancy engages with IUCN through its support of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and through its direct land acquisition work in support of species including the Critically Endangered Geometric Tortoise of South Africa. The organization’s combination of ex situ assurance colonies, in situ habitat protection, and applied research makes it a distinctive contributor to global turtle and tortoise conservation.
