The Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) was formed in 1986 in response to the need for a local conservation organization. Little information existed about sea turtle populations in Sierra Leone as all efforts to establish a sea turtle conservation program were unsuccessful. In 2000, Mr. Edward Aruna, a student working towards a Bachelor of Science degree, agreed to take on the challenge of being the first Sierra Leonean to establish baseline data for sea turtle populations in Sierra Leone.
