Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Ahungalla Sea Turtle Conservation Project is a local marine conservation initiative based in Ahungalla, Sri Lanka. Our work focuses mainly on sea turtle conservation, with supporting shark conservation volunteering, responsible marine awareness, visitor education, beach cleaning, donations, and ethical conservation support.

Contact Details

Ahungalla Sea Turtle Conservation Project
Location: Ahungalla, Sri Lanka
Phone / WhatsApp: 077 226 6888
Email: info@ahungallaseaturtles.com

2. Information We May Collect

We may collect personal information when you contact us, complete a form, apply for volunteering, make a donation, request a birthday certificate, book a visit, or communicate with us.

Information You May Provide

We may collect:

Name
Country
Email address
Phone or WhatsApp number
Preferred visit or volunteer dates
Number of visitors or volunteers
Age or age group where relevant
Travel details where required for volunteer support
Accommodation or transfer requirements
Donation details
Birthday certificate name
Birthday date if shared for certificate purpose
Gift message for birthday donation
School, university, group, or organisation name
Health, dietary, or safety notes shared by volunteers
Messages, questions, or enquiry details
Photos, videos, or testimonials if you choose to share them

We only ask for information that is relevant to your enquiry, booking, donation, volunteer application, or project support request.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information through:

Website contact forms
Volunteer application forms
Birthday Turtle Protection Gift forms
Donation enquiry forms
Project visit booking forms
WhatsApp messages
Phone calls
Email communication
Social media messages
In person visits
Student or group visit enquiries
Photos, videos, or testimonials shared with permission

We may also collect basic website usage information through cookies, analytics tools, or similar technologies if they are used on the website.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to communicate with you and provide the services or information you request.

We May Use Your Information To

Reply to your enquiries
Process volunteer applications
Arrange project visits
Manage student or group visit requests
Prepare Birthday Turtle Protection Gift certificates
Confirm donation enquiries
Send thank you messages or project updates
Provide information about volunteer programs
Arrange accommodation or transport support where requested
Improve our website and communication
Share project updates if you have agreed to receive them
Maintain basic records for project management
Respond to safety or emergency needs related to volunteers
Comply with legal, accounting, or administrative requirements

We do not sell your personal information.

5. Volunteer Application Information

If you apply to volunteer with Ahungalla Sea Turtle Conservation Project, we may request additional details to help us prepare for your visit and support your safety.

This may include:

Age
Travel dates
Volunteer duration
Emergency contact details where required
Health or dietary notes you choose to share
Accommodation needs
Airport transfer support requests
Previous volunteer experience
Group or school details if applicable

We use this information only to manage your volunteer enquiry, prepare your program, communicate with you, and support your safety during your time with us.

If a volunteer is under 18 years old, we may require consent from a parent, guardian, school, or authorised group leader.

6. Birthday Turtle Protection Gift Information

If you request a Birthday Turtle Protection Gift, we may collect:

Donor name
Country
Email address
WhatsApp number
Name to appear on the certificate
Birthday person’s name
Birthday date if shared
Gift message
Donation package
Certificate delivery preference
Supporter wall preference

We use this information to prepare your digital certificate, confirm your donation enquiry, send thank you messages, and manage donation related communication.

We do not treat sea turtles as owned animals. Any name on a certificate is symbolic and is used only to thank the donor or birthday person for supporting conservation.

7. Donation Information

If you make a donation or ask about donating, we may collect basic information needed to confirm and manage your donation.

This may include:

Name
Country
Email address
Phone or WhatsApp number
Donation amount or package
Donation purpose
Certificate details if applicable
Payment confirmation details where required

We do not store full payment card details on our website unless a secure third party payment provider is used. If online payments are introduced in the future, payment processing may be handled by a trusted third party payment service.

8. Photos, Videos, Testimonials, and Media

We may take or receive photos, videos, reviews, or testimonials from volunteers, visitors, donors, or project supporters.

We will only use identifiable photos, videos, or testimonials for website, social media, marketing, awareness, or project updates when permission has been given or when the content has been clearly shared for that purpose.

You Can Request

Removal of your photo from our website where practical
Removal of your testimonial where practical
Correction of your name or details
Non publication of your photo, video, or personal story

We do not encourage media content that shows careless handling of turtles, staged turtle releases, flash photography, or unethical wildlife interaction.

9. Children and Young Visitors

Our project may receive enquiries from families, schools, student groups, and young volunteers.

If a child or person under 18 is involved in volunteering, group visits, certificates, photos, or donations, we may require consent from a parent, guardian, teacher, or authorised group leader.

We do not knowingly collect unnecessary personal information from children. If a parent or guardian believes a child has shared personal information without permission, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to remove or correct it.

10. WhatsApp, Email, and Social Media Communication

When you contact us by WhatsApp, email, phone, or social media, we may use the details you provide to reply to you and manage your enquiry.

Please remember that WhatsApp, email platforms, and social media platforms are operated by third party companies. Their own privacy policies may also apply when you use their services.

We recommend not sending highly sensitive personal information through social media messages unless necessary.

11. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to improve website performance, understand visitor behaviour, and support basic analytics.

Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website.

Cookies May Help Us Understand

Which pages are visited
How visitors use the website
How to improve website content
General traffic and performance
Enquiry or conversion activity

You can usually control or disable cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of the website may not work as expected.

If the website uses tools such as Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Google Tag Manager, or similar services in the future, those tools may collect usage information according to their own privacy policies.

12. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share limited information only when needed to provide requested services or manage the project.

We May Share Information With

Project team members
Volunteer coordinators
Accommodation providers if requested
Transport providers if requested
Payment service providers if online payment is used
Website hosting or IT service providers
Email or communication service providers
Legal, accounting, or regulatory advisers where required
Schools, universities, or group leaders where relevant

We only share information that is necessary for the purpose.

13. International Visitors and Data Transfers

Many of our visitors, volunteers, and donors may contact us from outside Sri Lanka, including Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and other countries.

When you contact us from another country, your personal information may be processed in Sri Lanka or through third party communication and hosting services that operate internationally.

We take reasonable steps to handle your information carefully and only for the purpose for which it was provided.

14. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose it was collected.

We May Keep Information For

Responding to enquiries
Managing volunteer applications
Arranging project visits
Processing donations or birthday certificates
Maintaining basic project records
Legal, accounting, or administrative purposes
Resolving disputes or questions
Sending updates where consent has been given

If you would like us to delete your information, you can contact us. We will take reasonable steps to remove it unless we need to keep it for legal, accounting, safety, or legitimate project reasons.

15. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Our Protection Measures May Include

Limiting access to personal information
Using secure communication where practical
Keeping records only as needed
Avoiding unnecessary collection of data
Reviewing project communication practices
Using trusted service providers where required

No method of internet communication or electronic storage is completely secure. However, we take reasonable care to protect the information you share with us.

16. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable privacy laws, you may have rights regarding your personal information.

These may include the right to:

Ask what personal information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your personal information
Withdraw consent for marketing or updates
Object to certain uses of your information
Request that we stop using your photo, video, or testimonial where practical
Ask questions about how your information is used

If you are in the European Economic Area or another region with specific privacy rights, you may have additional rights under applicable data protection laws.

To make a privacy request, please contact us using the details below.

17. Marketing and Project Updates

We may send you project updates, volunteer information, donation updates, or conservation news if you have contacted us, supported the project, or agreed to receive updates.

You can ask us to stop sending updates at any time by contacting us through email or WhatsApp.

We do not send unnecessary marketing messages, and we do not sell your contact details to other organisations.

18. Third Party Links

Our website may include links to third party websites, social media pages, payment platforms, travel partners, or other resources.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of third party websites. Please review their privacy policies before sharing personal information with them.

19. Data Accuracy

We try to keep personal information accurate and up to date. If your contact details, certificate details, booking information, or volunteer details change, please contact us so we can update our records.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our project, website, services, donation methods, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

The latest version will be published on this page with the updated date.

21. Contact Us About Privacy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us.

Ahungalla Sea Turtle Conservation Project
Phone / WhatsApp: 077 226 6888
Email: info@ahungallaseaturtles.com
Location: Ahungalla, Sri Lanka