Junquillal beach was recently discovered to be one of the most important nesting sites of leatherbacks in the country. However, Junquillal Beach is not part of the protected areas system of Costa Rica. Consequently, the lack of patrols by government authorities has led to rampant levels of illegal egg harvesting, which comprised up to 75% of all leatherback nests on that beach before the start of the project in 2005.