Atlas Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat

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For more than 25 years the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), with Country Coordinators in more than 40 Caribbean nations and territories, has linked scien-tists, conservationists, natural resource users and managers, policy-makers, industry groups, educators, and other stakeholders together in a collective effort to develop a unified manage-ment framework, and to promote a region-wide capacity to design and implement scientifically sound sea turtle conservation programs.

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An Atlas of Sea Turtle Nesting
Habitat for the Wider
Caribbean Region
Wendy Dow, Karen Eckert,
Michael Palmer and Philip Kramer
WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
2007
For bibliographic purposes this document should be cited as:
Dow, Wendy, Karen Eckert, Michael Palmer and Philip Kramer. 2007. An Atlas of Sea
Turtle Nesting Habitat for the Wider Caribbean Region. The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle
Conservation Network and The Nature Conservancy. WIDECAST Technical Report No.
6. Beaufort, North Carolina. 267 pages, plus electronic Appendices.
ISSN: 1930-3025
Cover photo: Kim Maison (Levera National Park, Grenada)
Copies of this publication may be obtained from:
Dr. Karen L. Eckert
Executive Director
Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST)
Nicholas School Marine Lab – Duke University
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, North Carolina 28516
Tel: (252) 727-1600 / Fax: (252) 504-7648
[email protected] / www.widecast.org
An Atlas of Sea Turtle Nesting
Habitat for the Wider
Caribbean Region
Wendy Dow
Karen Eckert
Michael Palmer
Philip Kramer
2007
Generously supported by:
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
1
Preface and Intent
For more than 25 years the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST),
with Country Coordinators in more than 40 Caribbean nations and territories, has linked scien-
tists, conservationists, natural resource users and managers, policy-makers, industry groups,
educators, and other stakeholders together in a collective effort to develop a unified manage-
ment framework, and to promote a region-wide capacity to design and implement scientifically
sound sea turtle conservation programs.
As a Partner Organization of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme and its Regional
Programme for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW), WIDECAST is designed to ad-
dress research and management priorities at national and regional levels, both for sea turtles
and for the habitats upon which they depend. We focus on bringing the best available science
to bear on contemporary management and conservation issues, empowering stakeholders to
make effective use of that science in the policy-making process, and providing an operational
mechanism and a framework for cooperation at all levels, both within and among nations.
Network participants are committed to working collaboratively to develop their collective capaci-
ty to manage shared sea turtle populations. By bringing people together and encouraging inclu-
sive management planning, WIDECAST is helping to ensure that utilization practices, whether
consumptive or non-consumptive, do not undermine sea turtle survival over the long term.
This Technical Report asks a deceptively simple question: “Where do sea turtles nest in the
Wider Caribbean Region?” An accurate answer is critical to the recovery of depleted popula-
tions in that it relates directly to the setting of priorities for national and international conserva-
tion action, population monitoring and habitat protection, as well as larger issues of coastal zone
management and land use policy. Taking advantage of modern spatial analysis methods, as
well as the unique expertise (and patience) of more than 120 Caribbean Data Providers and
other experts, we have created the first regional maps of the distribution and abundance of the
annual reproductive effort for all six Caribbean-nesting sea turtles.
This landmark database – a collaborative effort between WIDECAST and The Nature Conser-
vancy – identifies all known sea turtle nesting sites in the Wider Caribbean Region (inclusive of
Bermuda and Brazil); 1,311 beaches in all. Because some sites host nesting by multiple spe-
cies, 2,535 species-specific sites are named. In no case were data simply absorbed from other
regional synthesis efforts. We traced each data point to its original source for verification and
rating, discarding many existing records that did not meet our criteria. As a result, data charac-
terized as “Low” quality comprise less than 11% of the database and improving information in
these areas is an ongoing priority.
The database significantly expands our understanding of habitat use, while at the same time
facilitates the creation of operational frameworks to census populations, monitor stock recovery,
and safeguard habitat in ways that have not been possible before. The entire database, avail-
able for interactive uses, is accessible through OBIS-SEAMAP at http://seamap.env.duke.edu/
and at www.widecast.org. Our sincere gratitude is extended to the hundreds of colleagues (Data
Providers and others) who made this project possible, and we hope it sets an example for other
geographic regions to follow.
Karen L. Eckert, Ph.D.
Executive Director
WIDECAST
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Acknowledgements
A regional assessment of this magnitude could not have been accomplished without the support
and active participation of the Wider Caribbean Region’s sea turtle researchers, conservation-
ists, and marine managers. In-depth, collaborative data exercises like this one are possible in
our region because of mutual trust and established partnerships among sea turtle workers, a
reality defined and nurtured by the WIDECAST network for more than 25 years. The concept of
a network is eloquently described by Meadows and colleagues in Beyond the Limits (1992), as
“a web of connections among equals” held together not by force, obligation, material incentive,
or social contract, “but rather shared values and the understanding that some tasks can be
accomplished together that could never be accomplished separately.” This database is a superb
example of such an accomplishment.
We are deeply grateful to the more than 120 Data Providers in 43 nations and territories who
participated in this project, generously offering both their time and their expertise, principal
among them being the following:
Anguilla (GB): James Gumbs (Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources); Antigua and
Barbuda: Cheryl Appleton and Tricia Lovell (Fisheries Division), James Richardson and Peri
Mason (Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project); Aruba (NL): Richard van der Wal and Edith van der Wal
(Turtugaruba Foundation); Bahamas: Eleanor Phillips (The Nature Conservancy), Alan Bolten
and Karen Bjorndal (Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida);
Barbados: Julia Horrocks (Barbados Sea Turtle Project, University of the West Indies), Jennifer
Beggs (Mote Marine Laboratory); Belize: Renison Enriquez (Glover Marine Research Reserve),
Isaias Majil (Fisheries Department), Janet Gibson (Wildlife Conservation Society); Bermuda
(GB): Jennifer Gray (Bermuda Turtle Project, Department of Conservation Services); Bonaire
(AN): Kalli De Meyer (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance), Imre Esser and Mabel Nava (Sea
Turtle Conservation Bonaire); Brazil: Maria Marcovaldi, Luciano Soares, Alexandro Santos,
Cláudio Belllini, Augusto Cesar Coelho Dias da Silva, Gustave Lopez, João Carlos Thomé, Eron
Paes e Lima, Antonio ‘Tonim’ de Papua Almeida (Fundaçao Pró-TAMAR); British Virgin
Islands (GB): Bertrand Lettsome, Mervin Hastings and Shannon Gore (Conservation and
Fisheries Department); Cayman Islands (GB): Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Janice Blumenthal and
Joni Solomon (Dept. Environment); Colombia: Elizabeth Taylor and Zunilda Baldonado
(CORALINA), Claudia Ceballos (Iowa State University) and Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas
y Costeras (INVEMAR); Costa Rica: Didiher Chacón C. (WIDECAST), Caribbean Conservation
Corporation, ASTOP, Estación Las Tortugas, Tortuga Feliz; Cuba: Félix Moncada G. (Pro-
grama de Tortugas Marinas, CIP), Julia Azanza Ricardo (Universidad de La Habana), Rubén
Blanco (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, Isla de la Juventud), Fernando
Hernandez (Empresa Nacional para la Conservación de la Flora y Fauna); Curaçao (AN): Brian
Leysner (Curaçao Underwater Park, CARMABI); Dominica: Seth Stapleton and Rowan Byrne
(Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative-RoSTI), Stephen Durand (Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division);
Dominican Republic: Yolanda León (Grupo Jaragua, Univ. Autónoma de Santo Domingo,
INTEC), Jesus Tomas (University of Valencia); French Guiana (FR): Benoit de Thoisy (Asso-
ciation Kwata), Laurent Kelle (Coordinateur Océans/Côtes, WWF Guianas), Amana Nature
Reserve, Association Kulalasi, Association Sépanguy; Grenada: Carl Lloyd and Rebecca King
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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(Ocean Spirits), Marina Fastigi (KIDO Foundation), Gregg Moore (Univ. New Hampshire);
Guadeloupe (FR): Eric Delcroix (Réseau Tortues Marines Guadeloupe), Office National de
Forêts, L'Association Titè, L'Association Kap'Natirel, L'Association Eco-Lambda, Conservatoire
du Littoral, La commune de Terre-de-Haut, Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune
Sauvage, L'Association Evasion Tropicale, Association Le Gaïac, Le Parc National; Guatema-
la: Colum Muccio (ARCAS), Anabella Barrios (RCA Guatemala), Ana Beatriz Rivas (Fundary
Manabique), Wilma Katz (Coastal Wildlife Club, Florida); Guyana: Annette Arjoon and Michelle
Kalamandeen (Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society), Peter C. H. Pritchard (Chelonian
Research Institute); Haiti: Jean Wiener (Foundation pour la Protection de la Biodiversitie
Marine); Honduras: Carlos Molinero (MOPAWI); Jamaica: Andrea Donaldson (National Envi-
ronment and Planning Agency), Rhema Kerr Bjorkland (Center for Marine Conservation, Duke
University); Martinique (FR): Sévérino Raigné and Jean-claude Nicolas (SEPANMAR), Claire
Cayol (VCAT ONCFS Réseau Tortues Marines), KAWAN Association, AMEPAS, ONF, Mairie
de SAINTE-ANNE, MAIRIE du DIAMANT; México: F. Alberto Abreu G. (Unidad Académica
Mazatlán, UNAM), Vicente Guzmán Hernández (Dirección del Área de Protección de Flora y
Fauna “Laguna de Términos” (CONANP), Ciudad del Carmen, Camp.), Eduardo Cuevas (Pro-
natura Península de Yucatán, A.C, Mérida, Yucatán), Laura Sarti and René Kantún (Comision
Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas), Patrick Burchfield and Luis Jamie Peña (Gladys
Porter Zoo), Augusto Segovia (Yucatán Environment Ministry), Alejandro Arenas, Iñaky Iturbe
and Roberto Herrera (Flora Fauna y Cultura de México, A.C., El Colegio de la Frontera Sur), US
Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), Instituto
Nacional de Pesca, Laguna de Términos Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna, Marea Azul,
Ecología, Grupo Ecologista Quelonios A.C., Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, PEP-UPMP,
La Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, Enlaces con tu Entorno, Ría Lagartos Reserva de la
Biosfera, Centro Ecológico Akumal; Montserrat (GB): John Jeffers (Min. Agriculture, Trade and
Environment); Nicaragua: Cynthia Lagueux and Cathi Campbell (Wildlife Conservation Soci-
ety); Panama: Argelis Ruiz (Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst.), Anne Meylan (Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission); Puerto Rico (US): Carlos Diez and Hector Horta
(Dept. Natural and Environmental Resources), Lesbia Montero (Univ. Puerto Rico Sea Grant
Program); Saba (AN): Jan den Dulk and Susan Hurrell (Saba Marine Park); Sint Maarten (AN):
Andy Caballero, Dominique Vissenberg and Beverly Nisbeth (Nature Foundation of Sint
Maarten); Sint Eustatius (AN): Nicole Esteban and Arturo Herrera (St. Eustatius National and
Marine Parks), Emma Harrison (Caribbean Conservation Corporation); St. Kitts and Nevis:
Emile Pemberton (Department of Fisheries), Kimberly Stewart (Ross University), Kate Orchard
(St. Christopher Heritage Society); St. Lucia: Dawn Pierre-Nathoniel (Department of Fisheries);
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Lucine Edwards (Fisheries Division); Suriname: Maartje
Hilterman (IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands), Edo Goverse (Universiteit van
Amsterdam), Marie-Louise Felix (WWF Marine Turtle Program Office - Guianas); Trinidad and
Tobago: Dennis Sammy (Nature Seekers), Tanya Clovis (SOS Tobago), Stephen Poon (Wild-
life Section-Forestry Div.), Scott Eckert (WIDECAST), Suzanne Livingstone (IUCN Global
Marine Species Assessment Programme); Turks and Caicos (GB): Judith Garland-Campbell
(Ministry of Natural Resources), Michelle Fulford-Gardiner (Dept. Environment and Coastal
Resources), Lorna Slade (Providenciales Marine Turtle Monitoring Project); USA: Barbara
Schroeder (NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service), Sandra MacPherson (US Fish and
Wildlife Service), Anne Meylan (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Donna
Shaver (NPS Padre Island National Seashore), Jerome Phillips (Bon Secour National Wildlife
Refuge); United States Virgin Islands (US): Rafe Boulon (NPS Virgin Islands National Park),
Steve Garner (WIMARCS), Raquel Seybert (The Nature Conservancy), Amy Mackay (St. Croix
Marine Turtle Conservation Project), Zandy Hillis (US National Park Service); Venezuela:
Hedelvy J. Guada (CICTMAR), Vicente Vera (Ministry of Environment).
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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These data and their assembled results and significance remain the property of the Data
Providers who, in collaboration with staff, volunteers and supporters, are the sole reason these
maps could be produced and shared for the benefit of us all. For further information, including
Data Use Agreements, please contact the Data Provider(s) directly. Contact information is pro-
vided in Appendix I of this Technical Report and is also available through the database host,
OBIS-SEAMAP, at http://seamap.env.duke.edu/.
Finally, no progress would have been made without generous and timely financial support from
The Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Marine Program, Pegasus Foundation, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, and the UNEP-CEP Regional Programme
for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW), enabled by a grant from the U.S. Depart-
ment of State (Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs). World
Wildlife Fund (Latin America and Caribbean Program) supported the development of electronic
appendices and online availability. We are also grateful for the expertise and partnership of
Duke University’s OBIS-SEAMAP (Ocean Biogeographic Information System – Spatial Eco-
logical Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations) program, which serves as the database host.
Monitoring leatherback sea turtle populations at Querepare
Beach, Venezuela (photo by Mariana Malaver) and Matura
Beach, Trinidad (photo by Scott A. Eckert); and Kemp’s
ridleys at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico (photo by Jaime Pena)
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Executive Summary
Six species of sea turtle nest in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR). In partnership with more
than 120 Data Providers, the spatial database of nesting habitat herein assembled is the most
comprehensive for any region of the world, with 1,311 nesting beaches identified in 43 WCR
nations and territories, inclusive of Bermuda to the north and Brazil to the south. Because some
sites host nesting by multiple species, 2,535 species-specific sites are named. Of these, 77%
are categorized in terms of abundance: <25, 25-100, 100-500, 500-1,000, or >1,000 nesting
crawls per year. Hawksbill and green turtles are the least known, with 33% and 24%, respect-
tively, of all known nesting sites associated with unknown crawl abundances.
Large nesting colonies are rare. Nesting grounds receiving more than 1,000 crawls per year
range from 0.4% (hawksbill) to 7.0% (Kemp’s ridley) of all known species-specific sites. For any
species, roughly half of all known nesting sites support fewer than 25 crawls (fewer than 10
reproductively active females) per year. While some nations are making exemplary progress in
identifying and monitoring nesting stocks, consistent sea turtle population monitoring effort is
still lacking in most areas and recent data are scarce in some jurisdictions; two archipelagic
States (Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti)
have never been completely assessed.
The regulatory landscape is fragmented. Thirty (69.8%) nations and territories prohibit sea tur-
tle exploitation year-around: 29 of 43 jurisdictions mandate indefinite protection (eight of these
allow exemptions for ‘traditional’ exploitation), while Anguilla has adopted a moratorium set to
expire in 2020. With the exception of the Cayman Islands, legal sea turtle fisheries are based
on minimum size limits (by weight or shell length), targeting large juveniles and adults in contra-
distinction to the best available science on management and recovery.
Threats matrices characterizing a range of risk factors, including those that result in the loss or
degradation of critical habitat, reveal that beach erosion, nest loss to predators or physical
factors, artificial beachfront lighting, direct exploitation of turtles and eggs, and pollution threaten
the survival of sea turtles at their nesting grounds in more than 75% of all WCR nations and
territories. With regard to factors potentially hindering population recovery at foraging grounds,
more than 75% of Caribbean nations and territories cite pollution, fisheries bycatch, entangle-
ment, coral reef and/or seagrass degradation, and losses to hunters, poachers and natural
predators as threatening the survival of sea turtles at sea.
The data collected and assembled will allow for further research and analysis of sea turtle abun-
dance (including population trends at index sites) and habitat use; for example, in conjunction
with other datasets to determine areas of high biodiversity or areas in need of urgent protection.
The database, archived and displayed online by OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/),
will be updated regularly and used to establish conservation and management priorities, and to
inform and improve policy at national and regional levels. Future goals of the project are to
research and incorporate seagrass and coral reef data to determine nationally and regionally
significant foraging areas, thus identifying marine areas in need of management attention and
contributing to the development of a network of population monitoring programs, including juv-
enile and adult age classes, at index sites.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Table of Contents
Preface and Intent 1
Acknowledgements 2
Executive Summary 5
Table of Contents 6
List of Figure and Tables 8
Introduction 10
Goals and Objectives 11
Methods 12
Results 16
Species Distribution: Summary of Findings 16
Active Threats and Protection Policies: Summary of Findings 26
Discussion and Recommendations 34
Literature Cited and Reviewed 38
Appendix I - Primary Data Providers and Contributors 52
Appendix II - Sea Turtle Threats Survey 61
Appendix III - Wider Caribbean Region Sea Turtle Habitat National Reports 65
Anguilla (GB) 66
Antigua & Barbuda 70
Aruba (NL) 75
Bahamas 79
Barbados 83
Belize 87
Bermuda (GB) 91
Bonaire (AN-NL) 95
Brazil 99
British Virgin Islands (GB) 111
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Cayman Islands (GB) 115
Colombia 119
Costa Rica 126
Cuba 130
Curaçao (AN-NL) 134
Dominica 138
Dominican Republic 142
French Guiana (FR) 146
Grenada 150
Guadeloupe (FR) 154
Guatemala 158
Guyana 162
Haiti 166
Honduras 170
Jamaica 174
Martinique (FR) 178
Mexico 182
Montserrat (GB) 195
Nicaragua 199
Panama 203
Puerto Rico (US) 207
Saba (AN-NL) 211
Saint Kitts & Nevis 213
Saint Lucia 217
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines 221
Sint Eustatius (AN-NL) 227
Sint Maarten (AN-NL) 231
Suriname 235
Trinidad & Tobago 239
Turks & Caicos Islands (GB) 245
United States Virgin Islands (US) 249
USA 254
Venezuela 263
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List of Figures and Tables
Figure 1. 14
Caribbean Marine Ecoregions (adapted from Spalding et al. 2007).
Figure 2. 16
Sea turtles nest seasonally at 1,311 sites in 43 countries and territories of the Wider
Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 3. 18
Frequency distribution of sea turtle species associated with the 2,535 species-specific
nesting sites in the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 4. 19
All known nesting sites (n=552) for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Wider
Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 5. 20
All known nesting sites (n=593) for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Wider
Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 6. 21
All known nesting sites (n=470) for leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the
Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 7. 22
All known nesting sites (n=817) for hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the
Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 8. 23
All known nesting sites (n=41) for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) in the
Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 9. 24
All known nesting sites (n=62) for olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the
Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Figure 10. 25
Frequency distribution of the number of crawls per year among the 2,535 identified spe-
cies-specific nesting sites for sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Figure 11. 25
Frequency distribution of the number of crawls per species per year for the 2,535 iden-
tified species-specific nesting sites for sea turtle in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Figure 12. 26
Summary of legal regimes protecting sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region, and in-
cluding Bermuda and Brazil.
Table 1. 17
Presence of sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Table 2. 18
Number of identified nesting sites in the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermu-
da and Brazil.
Table 3. 27
Threats to sea turtles (on the nesting beach, at sea) in the Wider Caribbean Region. The
proportion of Wider Caribbean nations and territories citing the factor as both present
and constituting a threat to sea turtles.
Table 4. 28
National policy for the protection of sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Table 5. 30
Threats to sea turtles on the beach (nesting/hatching) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Table 6. 32
Threats to sea turtles at sea (foraging/migration) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Introduction
Sea turtles are late-maturing and long-lived, and are among the most migratory of all Caribbean
fauna. Threats accumulate over long periods of time and can occur anywhere in a population’s
range; thus population declines have typically resulted from a combination of factors, both
domestic and foreign. In addition to centuries of largely unmanaged and unsustainable exploita-
tion, sea turtles are accidentally captured in active or abandoned fishing gear, resulting in death
to some tens (and perhaps hundreds) of thousands of turtles annually. Moreover, reef and
seagrass degradation, oil spills, chemical waste, persistent plastic and other marine debris, high
density coastal development, and an increase in ocean-based tourism have damaged or elim-
inated many Caribbean nesting beaches and feeding grounds.
Six sea turtle species are indigenous to the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR).
1
All are classified
by the World Conservation Union as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” (IUCN 2004). All
six species are listed on Annex II (full protection) of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected
Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) to the Convention for the Protection and Development of
the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention); Appendix I
(full protection) of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS); Appendix I of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and, most
recently, recognized as being in need of “protection, conservation and recovery” throughout the
hemisphere by the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea
Turtles (Hykle 1999, Wold 2002).
In general, and notwithstanding welcome signs of population increase at some protected nest-
ing grounds (Leatherback: Dutton et al. 2005, Green Turtle: Troëng and Rankin 2005; Hawks-
bill: Krueger et al. 2003, Richardson et al. 2004, Diez and van Dam, Chelonia Inc., unpubl. data;
Kemp’s Ridley: Márquez et al. 1999), sea turtle populations throughout the WCR are so
severely reduced from historical levels (Carr 1956, Parsons 1962, Rebel 1974, King 1982,
Groombridge and Luxmoore 1989, Ross et al. 1989, Reichart 1993, Jackson 1997, Meylan and
Donnelly 1999, Fleming 2001, Bjorndal and Bolten 2003, Godley et al. 2004, Bräutigam and
Eckert 2006) as to be considered by Bjorndal and Jackson (2003) “virtually extinct” from the
standpoint of their role in Caribbean marine ecosystems. Once considered inexhaustible, some
of the largest nesting colonies in the hemisphere, including those of green turtles in the Cayman
Islands (Lewis 1940, Aiken et al. 2001) and hawksbill turtles in Chiriquí, Panama (Carr 1956,
Meylan 1999), have all but vanished.
Intergovernmental meetings devoted to addressing shared management concerns have been
convening in the region for more than two decades (e.g. Bacon et al. 1984, Ogren 1989, Eckert
and Abreu Grobois 2001, IUCN 2002). In November 1999, resource managers and scientists
1
The Wider Caribbean Region (see Figure 1) is defined as comprising the States and territories of the insular Carib-
bean (including the Bahamas), the north-eastern sector of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas),
Central America, Mexico and the USA to 30ºN latitude, including the waters of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico,
and the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to these States and territories (UNEP 1983). Because of shared sea turtle stocks,
WIDECAST (and thus this report) also embraces Bermuda to the north and Brazil to the south (Frazer 1985).
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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from 29 WCR nations and territories met in the Dominican Republic and unanimously recom-
mended that “appropriate authorities, organizations, civic groups and other stakeholders pro-
mote scientific research, assessment and monitoring of marine turtles and their habitats, and
standardize methods of data collection and analysis.” To this end, delegates agreed inter alia
on the need to “identify (locate), characterize, and rank (as to intensity of use and importance
for management) marine turtle nesting and foraging sites”, and to “identify, evaluate and rank
threats to marine turtles and their habitats – both domestic and, to the extent practicable,
throughout their ranges” (Santo Domingo Declaration: Eckert and Abreu Grobois 2001: vi, viii).
The fundamental need to identify habitat necessary for the survival of the region’s sea turtles
has long been recognized, yet the coastal zone remains one of the least protected environ-
ments in the region and unchecked shoreline development is a serious obstacle to sea turtle
conservation in many areas. Emphasizing local partnerships and data-sharing opportunities
enabled by the WIDECAST network, and taking advantage of modern spatial analysis methods,
we have developed the region’s first digital landscape of sea turtle nesting beaches. The land-
scape and supporting databases identify, characterize and rank sites based on only the most
up-to-date information, including an exhaustive literature search and nearly two years of inten-
sive collaboration with more than 120 Data Providers in 43 nations and territories.
In addition to unobstructed sandy beaches for egg-laying, sea turtles need healthy coral reef,
seagrass and hard-bottom habitats for food and refuge, as well as safe passage through com-
plex migratory corridors. These habitats are also at risk, mainly due to intense pressures arising
from changes in water quality, patterns of coastal development and land use, and fisheries and
other extractive industries (e.g. UNEP 1989, 2005, Sullivan Sealey and Bustamante 1999,
Eckert and Abreu Grobois 2001, Fleming 2001, Godley et al. 2004, UNEP/GPA/CATHALAC
2004, Bräutigam and Eckert 2006, UNEP/GPA 2006). Notwithstanding, quantitative data on the
status and distribution of marine habitat types are scarce, presenting a significant gap in the
management framework of endangered species, such as sea turtles, that rely on them.
With an aim to definitively “identify, characterize, and rank” nesting habitat across this large
region, and to lay the groundwork for doing the same with foraging habitat, we have developed
National Reports, including maps and constituent data, for each of 43 countries and territories in
the WCR (see Appendix III). These National Reports are also inventoried and available for pub-
lic access at www.widecast.org, as well as in an interactive format at Duke University’s OBIS-
SEAMAP (Ocean Biogeographic Information System – Spatial Ecological Analysis of Mega-
vertebrate Populations, Halpin et al. 2006) website: http:// seamap.env.duke.edu/.
Goals and Objectives
Recognizing that depleted and/or declining sea turtle stocks are in need of management and
conservation attention is one thing; reversing population declines and monitoring sustained pop-
ulation recovery is another. Because sea turtles are highly migratory during all life history
stages, they rely on critical habitats in many nations and territories for dispersal, forage, refuge,
mating, migration, and nesting. Consequently, what appears as a decline or a recovery in a
local population may be a direct consequence of the activities of people living hundreds or
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
12
thousands of kilometers away – so that effective management must occur cooperatively and
collaboratively across range States.
Information gaps at local, national and regional levels can have significant consequences to
management policy and conservation success at all levels. Chief among these gaps has been
reliable and updated information concerning the location and status of critical habitat, as well as
the distribution and abundance of the annual breeding effort. In the absence of such informa-
tion, inter-jurisdictional collaboration in the conservation of shared sea turtle stocks – including
attempts to cooperatively monitor the success of conservation actions by evaluating, in an
integrated way, population trends at regionally important sites – is hindered.
Seeking to address key recommendations of the Santo Domingo Declaration (Eckert and Abreu
Grobois 2001) and to promote the survival of Caribbean sea turtles by increasing our under-
standing of population abundance and habitat use, the objectives of this study were to:
Generate the first standardized and geographically comprehensive spatial database of
active sea turtle nesting beaches in the central western Atlantic Ocean;
Inform policy-making regarding the protection of critical habitat, in particular nesting
habitat, by making population and spatial databases, including information on contem-
porary threats to sea turtle survival, publicly available in print and electronic formats;
Contribute essential species and habitat data to the ecoregional planning processes of
international organizations and intergovernmental entities; and
Promote implementation of regional agreements that protect sea turtles and their habitat:
Convention for the Protection and Development of the Wider Caribbean Region, and the
Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles.
Methods
We utilized data from several different sources to generate the database. The primary sources
of information were bilingual (English, Spanish) questionnaires completed by professional sea
turtle researchers, government officials, conservationists, and informed community leaders in 43
nations and territories.
2
The questionnaire was circulated to WIDECAST Country Coordinators and other potential Data
Providers by WIDECAST and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Caribbean Marine Programme
Office in 2002, and then re-circulated to capture updated information in May 2006. The ques-
2
Nesting sites were not documented north of 30°N latitude, the northern boundary of the Wider Caribbean Region
(UNEP 1983), meaning that, in the case of USA, nesting north of Florida was not included for any species. Logger-
head turtle, Caretta caretta, nests deposited north of Florida comprise less than 10% of the nation’s nesting each
year (NOAA and FWS 2007a); nesting by other species north of Florida ranges from extremely rare to occasional.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
13
tionnaire asked the Data Provider to identify (name) the nesting beaches for each species of
sea turtle known to nest in the country, the location and length of those nesting beaches, the
number of nesting crawls (binned to ‘X’ [unknown abundance], <25, 25-100, 100-500, 500-1000
and >1000) made by each species per nesting beach per year,
3
and the extent to which the
nesting beach is monitored for sea turtle egg-laying and/or hatching activity.
Nesting sites for the purposes of this analysis are defined as operational management units,
rather than strict geographic entities. The reason for this is that nesting sites are defined and
monitored differently in different locations. Sometimes small beaches, proximal but physically
separated, are viewed as a single “nesting beach” or management unit. Conversely, extensive
beach strands, extending hundreds of kilometers in some cases, are oftentimes segmented
(e.g. because of limited human resources or the logistics of beach access) for the purpose of
monitoring and management. In the former case multiple, typically small, habitats might be
coalesced; in the latter case, extensive shorelines might be divided. We worked closely with
Data Providers to be as consistent, as realistic, and as accurate as possible in every case.
To ensure a comparable landscape we focused on a binned average of nesting crawls per year
– namely, fewer than 25 crawls per year, on average; 25 to 100 crawls per year, on average;
and so on. Not all sea turtle population monitoring efforts differentiate between successful and
unsuccessful nesting, so standardizing on "crawls" (embracing both successful egg-laying and
failed attempts) ensured that all countries could participate in a region-wide assessment. More-
over, we did not want to impose on Data Providers for proprietary details on exactly how many
nests are laid each year, knowing that in many cases these carefully collected numbers are
more suitable for peer-reviewed publication.
Important note: Depending on location, the number of nesting crawls may be 2 to
10 times higher than the number of actual nests. The number of these nests
may, in turn, be 2 to 10 times higher than the number of individual females.
Therefore, the number of crawls is a baseline metric not to be confused with the
number of clutches laid, nor with the always much smaller number of reproduc-
tively active individuals.
We compiled a list of governmental and non-governmental Data Providers, including WIDE-
CAST Country Coordinators and other experts (see Appendix I), developed a relationship with
each Data Provider, and kept in close contact with Data Providers in order to assemble the best
available information during the project timeline. In addition to estimating annual crawl abun-
dance, we asked each Data Provider to provide new (or verify existing) information about sea
turtle status, protection policies, and nesting and foraging threats within the jurisdiction of their
nation or territory. We telephoned each Data Provider in early June 2006 to collect detailed in-
formation about sea turtle threats and to answer any remaining questions. Those who could not
be contacted by telephone received a standardized survey (see Appendix II) by mail or e-mail.
We encouraged Data Providers to supply geographic coordinates for nesting beaches. When
these data were not available, we located nesting beaches from national maps or other sources.
Data from all sources were compiled and annotated in a single Excel
TM
file with a separate
worksheet for each country or territory. Finally, a thorough literature review was conducted to
compile nesting site location information and analyze data from peer-reviewed literature, project
reports, national recovery plans, regional assessments, and unpublished manuscripts.
3
The project focused on nesting crawls, including both successful and unsuccessful nesting attempts, as the com-
mon metric to characterize habitat use and estimate population size.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
14
The spatial organization of the data follows the concept of “Ecoregions” as defined by The
Nature Conservancy (cf. Spalding et al. 2007) (Figure 1). For each country and territory the
dataset includes nesting site data (beach name, latitude and longitude, approximate length,
number of crawls for each species present, activity status [confirming that the nesting beach is
currently active; historical nesting beaches no longer in use were excluded], beach monitoring
status [confirming whether nesting activity is recorded daily, weekly, irregularly, etc.], and the
time period over which the data were collected), Data Provider information, detailed notes on
data points, and references for sources of data other than the primary Data Providers.
Figure 1. Caribbean Marine Ecoregions (adapted from Spalding et al. 2007).
Each data point was given a confidence rating of High, Moderate or Low. A High rating was
assigned to data received and verified directly from WIDECAST Country Coordinators, active
researchers, or other local experts, and to datasets derived from peer-reviewed published liter-
ature or published project reports less than 10 years old. A Moderate rating was assigned to
datasets for which we were not personally familiar with the data source or how the data were
collected, as well as to datasets 10 to 20 years old. A Low rating was given to datasets derived
from non-expert or opportunistic observations, and to datasets more than 20 years old. In this
way we were able to include the most recent nesting data available, while also identifying areas
characterized by outdated information that would benefit from population monitoring efforts.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
15
Data for individual countries and territories were combined to generate regional point and line
shapefiles for nesting habitat using ESRI ArcGIS™ version 9.1. Point shapefiles were generated
using latitude and longitude coordinates for each nesting beach. When locations were known,
such as from GPS-based studies, these latitudes and longitudes were used. When locations
were not known, they were estimated with the assistance of Data Providers and local maps.
Nesting site coordinates should be considered approximate, as beach boundaries may change
within and between years. Coordinates are located at the approximate midpoint of each beach.
Line shapefiles were created using nesting beach start and end coordinates, generating a box
around the beach, and clipping the beach from the GSHHS (Global, Self-consistent, Hier-
archical, High-Resolution Shoreline) (Wessel and Smith 1996) shoreline shapefile. The GSHHS
shoreline shapefile has varying resolution depending on geographic location, as it was genera-
ted by combining data in the World Data Bank (resolutions between 500-5000m) and the World
Vector Shoreline (resolutions between 50-500m) (Wessel and Smith 1996). All shapefiles are
projected using the World Geodetic System, Datum 1984 and are in units of decimal degrees.
Inevitably more information was available for some countries than for others. Supplemental data
were often collected through literature reviews, but in some cases (e.g. Haiti, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines) relevant data are extremely scarce from any source. Supplemental data were
also collected through literature reviews to complete the protection policies and threats matrices
when a full suite of information was not available from local Data Providers.
After assembling and organizing all available data, draft maps, reports and database tables
were closely reviewed by the Data Providers. Each National Report (see Appendix III) features
maps of all known sea turtle nesting sites, including species-specific landscapes (historical
nesting beaches are not included if nesting no longer occurs), and tables representing sea turtle
status, protection policies, and contemporary threats to nesting and foraging turtles and habitat.
National Reports (and summary tables) are organized by Ecoregion (TNC 2003, Spalding et al.
2007) and presented as follows: Bahamian, Greater Antilles, Eastern Caribbean, Guianan,
Southern Caribbean, Southwestern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, Southern Gulf of Mexico,
Northern Gulf of Mexico, and Floridian, followed by Bermuda and Brazil. Uniquely coded Beach
Identification Numbers correspond to the underlying database compiled for each country.
Monitoring green turtles on Mona Island, Puerto Rico (photo by Scott Eckert, WIDECAST), Kemp’s ridley turtles at Padre Island
National Seashore, USA (photo by Jaime Pena, GPZ), and hawksbill turtles at Carriacou, Grenada (photo by KIDO Foundation).
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
16
Results
Species Distribution: Summary of Findings
The assessment involved nearly two years of collaboration with more than 120 Data Providers
and local experts, resulting in a digital inventory of all known sea turtle nesting sites, including
geographic location, colony size, the degree of legal protection afforded nesting females and
their young, and contemporary threats to population survival. Six species nest seasonally on
the continental and island shorelines of the WCR (Table 1). Hawksbills and green turtles nest in
virtually every country, followed by leatherbacks, loggerheads, olive ridleys and Kemp’s ridleys,
the latter restricted to nesting sites in the USA and Mexico. In total, 1,311 discrete nesting sites
are identified in 43 countries and territories extending from Bermuda, a British Overseas Terri-
tory in the North Atlantic, south to Brazil (Figure 2). Because discrete sites are sometimes
associated with multiple species, Table 2 reflects a total of 2,535 species-specific nesting sites.
Figure 2. Sea turtles nest seasonally at 1,311 sites in 43 countries and territories of the Wider
Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Table 1. Presence of sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Marine Ecoregions
with Countries/Territories
Loggerhead
Turtle
Caretta
caretta
Green
Turtle
Chelonia
mydas
Leatherback
Turtle
Dermochelys
coriacea
Hawksbill
Turtle
Eretmochelys
imbricata
Kemp's Ridley
Turtle
Lepidochelys
kempii
Olive Ridley
Turtle
Lepidochelys
olivacea
Bahamian
Bahamas N, F N, F N N, F A I
Turks & Caicos Islands (GB) N, IF N, F I N, F A? A?
Greater Antilles
Cuba N, F N, F IN, IF N, F A I
Cayman Islands (GB) N, IF N, F A F A A
Jamaica N, IF N, F N N, F A? A
Haiti N, F N, F N, F? N, F A A
Dominican Republic N, I N, F N N, F A A
Puerto Rico (US) I N, F N, F N, F A I
Eastern Caribbean
British Virgin Islands (GB) IN, IF N, F N N, F A A
US Virgin Islands (US) I N, F N N, F A A
Anguilla (GB) F N, F N N, F A A
Sint Maarten (AN) I N, F N N, F A A
Saba (AN) I IN, F I IN, F A A
Sint Eustatius (AN) IN N, F N N, F A A
Saint Kitts & Nevis I N, F N N, F A A
Antigua & Barbuda I N, F N N, F A A
Montserrat (GB) IN, F? N, F IN, F? N, F A A
Guadeloupe (FR) F N, F N, IF N, F A I
Dominica I N, F N N, F A A
Martinique (FR) F IN, F N, F? N, F A I
Saint Lucia I N, F N N, F A A
Barbados I, F? N, F N N, F A A
Saint Vincent & Grenadines I N, F N N, F A A
Grenada F F N N, F A I
Guianan
French Guiana (FR) I N, F N IN A N
Suriname IF N N N A N, F
Guyana I N, F N N A I
Southern Caribbean
Trinidad & Tobago I N, F N, F N, F A IN, IF
Venezuela N, F N, F N, F N, F A A
Bonaire (AN) N N, F I N, F A A
Curacao (AN) N, F N, F N, IF N, F A I
Aruba (NL) N, IF N, F N N, F A I
Southwestern Caribbean
Colombia N, F N, F N, F? N, F A I
Panama IN, F IN, F N N, F A A
Costa Rica N, F N, F N N, F A A
Nicaragua F N, F N, IF N, F A A
Western Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida
Honduras N, F N, F N N, F A A
Guatemala N, F N, F N N, F A A
Belize N, F N, F I N, F A? A
Mexico N, F N, F N, F N, F N, F A
USA N, F N, F N, F IN, F N, F A
Bermuda
Bermuda (GB) IN, IF IN, F IF F I A
Brazilian
Brazil N, F N, F N, F? N, F A N, F
N = Nesting; F = Foraging; IN = Infrequent Nesting; IF = Infrequent Foraging; I = Infrequent (further detail unavailable); A = Absent
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
18
Large nesting colonies are rare. Sites receiving more than 500 crawls per year comprise be-
tween <1% and 8% of species-specific totals (Table 2). The largest majority of sites host ex-
tremely small colonies characterized by fewer than 25 crawls per year (perhaps 3-10 individual
turtles). A variable number (0% - 33%) of sites for each species are known to support nesting,
but reliable census data pertaining to colony size are not presently available (Table 2).
X <25 25-100 100-500 500-1000 >1000
Loggerhead Turtle
(Caretta caretta)
552 76 (.14) 228 (.41) 121 (.22) 87 (.16) 14 (.03) 26 (.05)
Green Turtle
(Chelonia mydas )
593 142 (.24) 308 (.52) 66 (.11) 45 (.08) 17 (.03) 15 (.03)
Leatherback Turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)
470 101 (.21) 271 (.58) 60 (.13) 24 (.05) 4 (.01) 10 (.02)
Hawksbill Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
817 268 (.33) 423 (.52) 90 (.11) 22 (.03) 11 (.01) 3 (.004)
Kemp's Ridley Turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii )
41 0 (.00) 25 (.61) 2 (.05) 11 (.27) 0 (.00) 3 (.07)
Olive Ridley Turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea)
62 5 (.08) 28 (.45) 13 (.21) 13 (.21) 2 (.03) 1 (.02)
X = Presence, but unknown crawl abundance
Table 2. Number of identified nesting sites in the Wider Caribbean Region, and
including Bermuda and Brazil.
Species Total
Number of crawls per year (proportion of total)
Collectively, one-third of the identified species-specific nesting sites support hawksbill sea tur-
tles, while approximately 20% support loggerhead, green, or leatherback sea turtles. In contrast,
comparatively few sites support nesting by Kemp’s ridley or olive ridley sea turtles (Figure 3).
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Loggerhead
Turtle
Green Turtle Leatherback
Turtle
Hawksbill
Turtle
Kemp's Ridley
Turtle
Olive Ridley
Turtle
Sea Turtle Species
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

I
d
e
n
t
i
f
i
e
d

S
p
e
c
i
e
s
-
S
p
e
c
i
f
i
c

N
e
s
t
i
n
g

S
i
t
e
s
Figure 3. Frequency distribution of sea turtle species associated with the 2,535 species-specific
nesting sites in the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) generally nest in more temperate latitudes than do
other Caribbean sea turtle species. The majority of nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region
occurs in the USA (Florida)
4
, where all but 1 of 40 beaches identified as having greater than 500
crawls per year are located (the other is located in Brazil) (Figure 4). Sites reporting between
100 and 500 crawls per year follow the same pattern, being clustered in the northern (Bahamas,
Cuba, Mexico, USA) and southern (Brazil) extremes of the region. Forty-one percent of all
known nesting beaches support fewer than 25 crawls per year; in 14% of sites, data are insuffi-
cient to estimate annual crawl abundance.
5
Refer to Table 1 and Table 2 for additional detail,
and the National Reports (see Appendix III) for the distribution and abundance of the annual
nesting effort in individual Caribbean nations and territories.
Figure 4. All known nesting sites (n=552) for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the
Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
4
In all cases (Figures 4-9), in keeping with the defined northern boundary (30°N latitude) of the Wider Caribbean
Region (UNEP 1983), only nesting beaches in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were mapped and
included in analyses. Nests deposited north of Florida comprise less than 10% of the nation’s loggerhead sea turtle
nesting each year (NOAA and FWS 2007a).
5
The general view of local experts is that beaches where nesting is known to occur but where data are insufficient to
estimate colony size (e.g. number of crawls per year), are low density sites most likely to fall in the “fewer than 25
crawls per year” category.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) nest throughout the Wider Caribbean Region (Figure 5).
Tortuguero Beach in Costa Rica recorded over 50,000 crawls during the 2005 nesting season
(de Haro and Troëng 2006a) and is by far the largest nesting colony of green turtles in the
region. The 32 beaches reporting more than 500 crawls per year are broadly distributed along
the continental margins of Brazil, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Mexico, Suriname, and the USA
(Florida)
6
; the only insular sites in this category are in Venezuela (Aves Island) and Cuba. More
than half (52%) of all known nesting beaches support fewer than 25 crawls per year; in 24% of
sites, data are insufficient to estimate annual crawl abundance.
7
Refer to Table 1 and Table 2
for additional detail, and the National Reports (see Appendix III) for the distribution and abun-
dance of the annual nesting effort in individual Caribbean nations and territories.
Figure 5. All known nesting sites (n=593) for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Wider
Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
6
In keeping with the defined northern boundary (30°N latitude) of the Wider Caribbean Region (UNEP 1983), only
nesting beaches in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were mapped and included in analyses.
Nesting is rarely reported north of Florida (Woodson and Webster 1999, Williams et al. 2006).
7
The general view of local experts is that beaches where nesting is known to occur but where data are insufficient to
estimate colony size (e.g. number of crawls per year), are low density sites most likely to fall in the “fewer than 25
crawls per year” category.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Many of the largest leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting colonies in the world
are found in the Wider Caribbean Region. Ten colonies with more than 1,000 crawls per year
are clustered in the southern (and mostly southeastern) sector of the region (Panama, Trinidad,
Suriname, French Guiana). Four additional sites report between 500 and 1,000 crawls per year
and are more broadly distributed, located in Costa Rica, Guyana, Suriname, and the US Virgin
Islands (Figure 6).
8
More than half (58%) of all known nesting beaches support very small
colonies, fewer than 25 crawls per year, and 21% have unknown crawl abundances.
9
Refer to
Table 1 and Table 2 for additional detail, and the National Reports (see Appendix III) for the
distribution and abundance of the annual nesting effort in individual Caribbean nations and
territories.
Figure 6. All known nesting sites (n=470) for leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in
the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
8
In keeping with the defined northern boundary (30°N latitude) of the Wider Caribbean Region (UNEP 1983), only
nesting beaches in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were mapped and included in analyses.
Occasional nesting is also reported in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and a single nesting is known from
Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland (Rabon et al. 2003).
9
The general view of local experts is that beaches where nesting is known to occur but where data are insufficient to
estimate colony size (e.g. number of crawls per year), are low density sites most likely to fall in the “fewer than 25
crawls per year” category.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
22
Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nest in typically low densities throughout the
Wider Caribbean Region and nesting does not occur north of Florida in the USA (Meylan and
Redlow 2006). Only three sites – Mona Island (Puerto Rico), the west coast of Barbados, and
Punta Xen (Mexico) – support more than 1,000 crawls per year (Figure 7). Five countries report
nesting beaches with between 500 and 1,000 crawls per year, half of these sites are situated
along the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and the others are located in Barbados, Panama, and
the US Virgin Islands. Thirty-six of 817 (4.4%) nesting beaches support more than 100 crawls
per year, in contrast, 52% receive fewer than 25 crawls per year and 33% have unknown crawl
abundances.
10
Refer to Table 1 and Table 2 for additional detail, and the National Reports (see
Appendix III) for the distribution and abundance of the annual nesting effort in individual Carib-
bean nations and territories.
Figure 7. All known nesting sites (n=817) for hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in
the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
10
The general view of local experts is that beaches where nesting is known to occur but where data are insufficient to
estimate colony size (e.g. number of crawls per year), are low density sites most likely to fall in the “fewer than 25
crawls per year” category.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
23
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) nest exclusively in the northern latitudes of the
Wider Caribbean Region (Figure 8), primarily in Mexico and secondarily in the USA (Texas and
Florida).
11
As is the case with the hawksbill turtle (Figure 7), there are only three sites known to
receive more than 1,000 crawls per year. These sites are all located in the state of Tamaulipas,
Mexico; the largest of these – Rancho Nuevo – received approximately 7,866 nests in 2006
(NOAA and FWS 2007b). Every known nesting site can be characterized in terms of an
estimated number of crawls per year; the majority (61%) receive fewer than 25 crawls per year,
but many small colonies are reported to be increasing. Refer to Table 1 and Table 2 for addi-
tional detail, and the National Reports (see Appendix III) for the distribution and abundance of
the annual nesting effort in individual Caribbean nations and territories.
Figure 8. All known nesting sites (n=41) for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) in
the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
11
In keeping with the defined northern boundary (30°N latitude) of the Wider Caribbean Region (UNEP 1983), only
nesting beaches in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were mapped and included in analyses. It is
worth noting, in the context of the restricted reproductive range of this species, that nesting, while extremely rare, also
occurs in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina (“eight total nests recorded between them”: Donna
Shaver, Chief, Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, US National Park
Service, in litt. 29 October 2007).
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) nest primarily in the Guianas, with the largest
nesting colonies located in Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname (Figure 9). Relatively minor
nesting occurs in Guyana and occasional nesting is reported in Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao,
and other southern Caribbean locations. Nearly half (45%) of all nesting sites support fewer
than 25 crawls per year; only 8% of sites are associated with unknown crawl abundances.
12
A
decline of more than 90% in the number of breeding-age adults in Suriname, until recently the
region’s largest olive ridley nesting colony, is attributed to fisheries interactions (summarized by
Reichart and Fretey 1993, Reichart et al. 2003). Refer to Table 1 and Table 2 for additional de-
tail, and the National Reports (see Appendix III) for the distribution and abundance of the annual
nesting effort in individual Caribbean nations and territories.
Figure 9. All known nesting sites (n=62) for olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in
the Wider Caribbean Region, and including Bermuda and Brazil.
12
The general view of local experts is that beaches where nesting is known to occur but where data are insufficient to
estimate colony size (e.g. number of crawls per year), are low density sites most likely to fall in the “fewer than 25
crawls per year” category.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
25
In summary, a large majority (50.6%) of nesting sites receive fewer than 25 crawls per year by
any particular species. In contrast, 13.9%, 8.0%, 1.9% and 2.3% receive an estimated 25 to
100, 100 to 500, 500 to 1,000 or more than 1,000 crawls per year, respectively (Figure 10). Ap-
proximately one in four (23.4%) sites cannot, with the information available, be characterized
and ranked by colony size. These are unlikely to be high density nesting grounds. The frequen-
cy distribution for individual species illustrates a similar pattern, although species specific differ-
ences are evident (Figure 11).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
X <25 25-100 100-500 500-1000 >1000
Crawls per year
P
e
r
c
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t

o
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p
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N
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s
t
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n
g

S
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t
e
s
Figure 10. Frequency distribution of the number of crawls per year among the 2,535 identified
species-specific nesting sites for sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
X <25 25-100 100-500 500-1000 >1000
Crawls per year
P
e
r
c
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o
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t
i
n
g

S
i
t
e
s
Loggerhead Turtle
Green Turtle
Leatherback Turtle
Hawksbill Turtle
Kemp's Ridley Turtle
Olive Ridley Turtle
Figure 11. Frequency distribution of the number of crawls per species per year for the 2,535
identified species-specific nesting sites for sea turtle in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
26
Active Threats and Protection Policies: Summary of Findings
Of the 43 nations and territories examined, 29 have legislated indefinite complete protection for
sea turtles; in addition to these, Anguilla has adopted a moratorium set to expire in 2020 (Figure
12, Table 4). Eight of the 30 nations and territories, including Anguilla, where sea turtles are
protected year-around, provide for exceptions relating to “traditional” or “subsistence” exploita-
tion. Of these 30 jurisdictions, 22 report the taking of turtles on the nesting beach, 21 report the
taking of turtles at sea, and 22 report the collection of eggs, all in contravention of existing law;
only five describe enforcement of sea turtle protection laws as “adequate”.
Thirteen nations and territories operate under regulatory regimes that leave one or more
species seasonally subject to exploitation; with the singular exception of the Cayman Islands
(which recently legislated maximum size limits for the sea turtle fishery), minimum size limits are
the norm.
Figure 12. Summary of legal regimes protecting sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region, and
including Bermuda and Brazil.
In addition to the legal and illegal exploitation of sea turtles and eggs, habitat loss (e.g. beach
erosion, coral reef degradation, artificial beachfront lighting, pollution) and fisheries interactions
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
27
top a long list of factors (see Table 3) that threaten the survival of Caribbean sea turtles at their
nesting (Table 5) and foraging (Table 6) grounds. From a region-wide perspective, mechanized
beach cleaning, beach rebuilding (nourishment), offshore lighting, and power plant entrapment
would appear to be least threatening to sea turtle populations.
Table 3. The proportion of Wider Caribbean nations and territories (n=41 in the case of nesting
beaches, nesting being insignificant in Bermuda and Saba; n=43 in the case of foraging
grounds) citing the factor as both present and constituting a threat to sea turtles. Data were as-
sembled from responses to a standardized survey (see Appendix II) completed by local experts
in each jurisdiction. The proportion of nations and territories characterizing the threat as “Fre-
quent” appears in parentheses; this proportion does not differentiate between “Frequent” (F) on
a national scale and “Frequent in Some Areas” (FA).
Beach Erosion/Accretion .95 (.21)
Nest Loss to Abiotic Factors .95 (.18)
Artificial Lighting .85 (.46)
Egg Collection by Humans .85 (.37)
Killing of Nesting Females by Humans .83 (.24)
Pollution .83 (.21)
Nest Loss to Predators .78 (.19)
Exotic (or Loss of Native) Vegetation .68 (.43)
Recreational Beach Equipment and/or Other Obstacles .68 (.39)
Beach Vehicular Use .68 (.39)
Sand Mining .68 (.36)
Harassment Due to Increased Human Presence .66 (.19)
Beach Armouring/Stabilization Structures .59 (.17)
Livestock Presence on the Beach .56 (.13)
Mechanized Beach Cleaning .39 (.31)
Beach Nourishment .34 (.07)
Killing of Nesting Females by Predators
.32 (.15)
Pollution .93 (.13)
Fisheries Bycatch .91 (.38)
Entanglement .91 (.26)
Coral Reef Degradation .88 (.13)
Hunting/Poaching .79 (.38)
Predators .77 (.03)
Seagrass Degradation .77 (.09)
Boat/Personal Water Craft Collisions .67 (.07)
Disease/Parasites .67 (.03)
Harassment Due to Increased Human Presence .65 (.14)
Marina and Dock Development .56 (.42)
Dredging .42 (.11)
Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, Transportation .40 (.00)
Offshore Artificial Lighting .21 (.00)
Power Plant Entrapment
.14 (.00)
Threats to sea turtles on the beach (nesting/hatching) in the
Wider Caribbean Region.
Threats to sea turtles in water (foraging/migration) in the Wider
Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
28
Marine Ecoregions
with Countries/Territories
Complete
(indefinite)
protection
Moratorium
(fixed period)
Prohibition(s)
on take
Closed
season
Minimum
size limits
Maximum
size limits
Annual
quota
Bahamian
Bahamas No No E, NF, HB Yes Yes No No
Turks & Caicos Islands (GB) No No E, N, NF No Yes No No
Greater Antilles
Cuba Yes* – E, N, NF Yes Yes No Yes
Cayman Islands (GB) No* No E, N, NF Yes No Yes Yes
Jamaica Yes – – – – – –
Haiti No No E, NF Yes No No No
Dominican Republic Yes – – – – – –
Puerto Rico (US) Yes – – – – – –
Eastern Caribbean
British Virgin Islands (GB) No Yes (LB & LG) E, LB, LG Yes Yes No No
US Virgin Islands (US) Yes – – – – – –
Anguilla (GB) No Yes (until 2020) – – – – –
Sint Maarten (AN) Yes – – – – – –
Saba (AN) Yes – – – – – –
Sint Eustatius (AN) Yes – – – – – –
Saint Kitts & Nevis No No E, N, NF Yes Yes No No
Antigua & Barbuda No No E, N Yes Yes No No
Montserrat (GB) No No No Yes Yes No No
Guadeloupe (FR) Yes – – – – – –
Dominica No No E, N, NF Yes Yes No No
Martinique (FR) Yes – – – – – –
Saint Lucia No No* E, N, NF Yes Yes No No
Barbados Yes – – – – – –
Saint Vincent & Grenadines No No E, N Yes Yes No No
Grenada No No E, N, NF, LB Yes Yes No No
Guianan
French Guiana (FR) Yes – – – – – –
Suriname Yes* – – – – – –
Guyana Yes – – – – – –
Southern Caribbean
Trinidad & Tobago No No E Yes No No No
Venezuela Yes – – – – – –
Bonaire (AN) Yes – – – – – –
Curacao (AN) Yes – – – – – –
Aruba (NL) Yes – – – – – –
Southwestern Caribbean
Colombia Yes* – HB No No No No
Panama Yes – – – – – –
Costa Rica Yes* – – – – – –
Nicaragua Yes* – No Yes No No No
Western Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida
Honduras Yes* – No No No No No
Guatemala Yes* – – No No No No
Belize Yes* – – No No No No
Mexico Yes – – – – – –
USA Yes – – – – – –
Bermuda
Bermuda (GB) Yes – – – – – –
Brazilian
Brazil Yes – – – – – –
E = Eggs; N = Nests; NF = Nesting Females; HB = Hawksbill; LB = Leatherback; LG = Loggerhead; I = Insufficient; * See Note(s) in Country Report
Table 4. National policy for the protection of sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
29
Permits/
licenses
required
Gear
restrictions
Area
closures
Reports of
exploitation/
sale
nationally
Reports of
illegal trade
inter-
nationally
General
public
awareness
of laws
Recent pro-
secutions or
penalties
Enforcement
considered
adequate
Penalties
are an
adequate
deterrent
No* Yes Yes Yes Yes* No (I) Yes No No
No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Unknown
Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
– No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No
Yes No No Yes No No No No No
– No Yes Yes Yes No No No No
Yes* Yes Yes Yes Yes* Yes Yes No No
Yes Yes* Yes Yes Yes* Yes Yes* No No
Yes* Yes Yes Yes Yes* Yes Yes No Yes*
– Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes
– No No* Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
– Yes Yes No No Yes No No Yes
– No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Unknown No Yes
Yes* Yes* Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes
No No No Yes Yes Yes Unknown No No
– Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes
No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
– No No Yes Unknown Yes Yes No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes* Yes Yes No No
– No Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Unknown No Yes
Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Unknown
– No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No (I) Yes
No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes* No No
Yes Yes Yes Unknown Unknown No (I) Unknown No Unknown
No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No (I) No
– Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
Yes No Yes Yes No No (I) No No (I) Yes
– No Yes Yes Unknown* Yes No No Yes
– No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Unknown No Unknown
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
– Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Unknown No Unknown
Yes* Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No (I) Yes* No (I) Yes
– Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Yes* Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes
– Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes
– No Yes Yes* No Yes No Yes No (I)
E = Eggs; N = Nests; NF = Nesting Females; HB = Hawksbill; LB = Leatherback; LG = Loggerhead; I = Insufficient; * See Note(s) in Country Report
Table 4. National policy for the protection of sea turtles in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
30
Marine Ecoregions
with Countries/Territories
Killing of
Nesting
Females by
Humans
Killing of
Nesting
Females by
Predators
Nest Loss
to
Predators
Nest
Loss to
Abiotic
Factors
Egg
Collection
by
Humans
Harassment
Due to
Humans
Artifical
Lighting
Bahamian
Bahamas Yes (R) No No Yes (U) Yes (FA) No Yes (R)
Turks & Caicos Islands (GB) Yes (R) No No Yes (U) Yes (R) No No
Greater Antilles
Cuba Yes (O) No Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O)
Cayman Islands (GB) Yes (R) No No Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O)
Jamaica Yes (F) No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) No Yes (FA)
Haiti Yes (U) No No Yes (R) Yes (F) No No
Dominican Republic Yes (O) Yes (R) Unknown Unknown Yes (U) No Unknown
Puerto Rico (US) Yes (O) No Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F)
Eastern Caribbean
British Virgin Islands (GB) Yes (R) No Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (FA) Yes (U)
US Virgin Islands (US) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F)
Anguilla (GB) No No Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (U) No Yes (F)
Sint Maarten (AN) Yes (R) No No Yes (U) No Yes (FA) Yes (F)
Saba (AN) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Sint Eustatius (AN) No No No Yes (U) No No Yes (R)
Saint Kitts & Nevis Yes (R) No Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (R/O) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Antigua & Barbuda No No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F)
Montserrat (GB) Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown Unknown
Guadeloupe (FR) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) No Yes (F)
Dominica Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (O)
Martinique (FR) Yes (O) No Yes (O) Yes (FA) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F)
Saint Lucia Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O)
Barbados Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F)
Saint Vincent & Grenadines Yes (O) Unknown Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (FA) Unknown Yes (O)
Grenada Yes (O/F) No Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (FA)
Guianan
French Guiana (FR) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (R/O) Yes (O) Yes (FA)
Suriname No Unknown Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (U)
Guyana Yes (F) No Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (R)
Southern Caribbean
Trinidad & Tobago Yes (F) No Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O)
Venezuela Yes (F) Yes (O/F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (U)
Bonaire (AN) Yes (R) No No Yes (U) No No Yes (R)
Curacao (AN) No No No No No No No
Aruba (NL) No No Yes (R) Yes (O) No Yes (R) Yes (F)
Southwestern Caribbean
Colombia Yes (R/O) Yes (R) Yes (R/O) Yes (U) Yes (F) No Yes (R/O)
Panama Yes (O) No Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (O)
Costa Rica Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) No No
Nicaragua Yes (O) No Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (FA)
Western Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida
Honduras Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (FA)
Guatemala Yes (R) No Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R)
Belize No Unknown Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (U) Yes (U)
Mexico Yes (O) No Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F)
USA Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O/F) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R/O) Yes (O)
Bermuda
Bermuda (GB) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Brazilian
Brazil Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (FA)
Table 5. Threats to sea turtles on the beach (nesting/hatching) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown; NA = Not Applicable
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
31
Pollution
Beach
Erosion/
Accretion
Beach
Armouring/
Stabilization
Structures
Beach
Nourish-
ment
Beach
Obstacles
Mechanized
Beach
Cleaning
Beach
Vehicular
Use
Sand
Mining
Exotic (or
Loss of
Native)
Vegetation
Live-
stock on
the
Beach
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (FA) No Yes (O) No No Yes (O) Yes (U) No
No No No No No No No No No No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown Yes (FA) Yes (FA) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O)
No Yes (R) No No Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) No Yes (R) No
No Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No Yes (U) No Yes (U)
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No No No No No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (FA) Yes (O) Yes (FA) Yes (F) Yes (R)
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) No Yes (FA) Yes (FA) No Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (O)
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No Yes (FA) No Yes (R) No Yes (R) Yes (R)
Yes (U) Yes (O) No No Yes (U) No Yes (O) No Yes (O) No
No Yes (O) No Yes (O) Yes (F) No Yes (F) Yes (FA) Yes (O) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No Yes (O) No Yes (F) No No No
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Yes (U) Yes (O) No No No No Yes (O) Yes (R/O) No Yes (O)
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (FA) Yes (F) Yes (F)
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Unknown Yes (U) Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R/O) No Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R)
Yes (O) Yes (FA) Yes (F) Unknown No Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (O) No Yes (O) Yes (O) No Yes (R)
Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (FA) Yes (R) Yes (FA) Yes (FA) Yes (FA) Yes (R) Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (R)
Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (O) No Yes (O) No Yes (O/F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F)
No Yes (U) Yes (O) No Yes (FA) Yes (R/O) Yes (R) No No No
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No No No No No
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No No Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U)
Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) No Yes (U) No Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (R) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O)
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No No Yes (FA) No No
No No No No No No No No No Yes (R)
Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) No Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R/O) No Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (R) No Yes (U)
Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (R) No Yes (R) No Yes (R) Yes (F) No Yes (R)
Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No Yes (O) No Yes (U) No
Yes (F) Yes (FA) Yes (O) No No No No Yes (FA) Yes (FA) Yes (FA)
Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (R)
Yes (F) Yes (R) No No Yes (R) No No No Unknown Yes (U)
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No No No No Yes (U) Yes (U) No
Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (FA) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (R)
Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) No Yes (FA) Yes (R)
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) No Yes (O) No Yes (FA) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (O)
Table 5. Threats to sea turtles on the beach (nesting/hatching) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown; NA = Not Applicable
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
32
Marine Ecoregions
with Countries/Territories
Seagrass
Degredation
Coral Reef
Degredation
Fisheries
Bycatch
Hunting/
Poaching
Pollution Predators
Disease/
Parasites
Bahamian
Bahamas Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Turks & Caicos Islands (GB) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Greater Antilles
Cuba No Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Cayman Islands (GB) Unknown Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R)
Jamaica No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown No
Haiti Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Unknown
Dominican Republic Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Puerto Rico (US) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Eastern Caribbean
British Virgin Islands (GB) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
US Virgin Islands (US) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Anguilla (GB) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Sint Maarten (AN) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (R)
Saba (AN) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (R) Yes (U) Unknown Unknown
Sint Eustatius (AN) Unknown Yes (U) No No Yes (U) Yes (U) No
Saint Kitts & Nevis Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Antigua & Barbuda Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Montserrat (GB) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) Unknown Yes (U) Unknown
Guadeloupe (FR) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Dominica Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Unknown Unknown
Martinique (FR) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Saint Lucia Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R)
Barbados Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (U) No Yes (R)
Saint Vincent & Grenadines Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown
Grenada Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (U)
Guianan
French Guiana (FR) No No Yes (F) No No Yes (U) No
Suriname No No Yes (O) No Yes (U) No No
Guyana No No Yes (F) No Unknown Yes (U) No
Southern Caribbean
Trinidad & Tobago Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (R) No
Venezuela Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Bonaire (AN) No Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Curacao (AN) No No Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) No Yes (U)
Aruba (NL) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) No Yes (O) Unknown Unknown
Southwestern Caribbean
Colombia Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) No
Panama Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (O)
Costa Rica Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (F)
Nicaragua Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (O)
Western Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida
Honduras Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Guatemala Yes (U) Yes (U) Unknown No Yes (F) Yes (U) Unknown
Belize Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Mexico Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R)
USA Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (U) Yes (O)
Bermuda
Bermuda (GB) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U)
Brazilian
Brazil Unknown Unknown Yes (F) Yes (O) Yes (U) Unknown Yes (U)
Table 6. Threats to sea turtles at sea (foraging and migration) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
33
Harassment
Due to
Humans
Dredging
Marina &
Dock
Development
Boat/Personal
Water Craft
Collisions
Power Plant
Entrapment
Oil & Gas
Development
Entanglement
Offshore
Artificial
Lighting
No Yes (O) Yes (F) Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (R) No
Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (F) Yes (O) No No Yes (R) No
Unknown Yes (U) Yes (U) No No Yes (U) Yes (U) No
Yes (U) No No Yes (R) No No Yes (R) No
No No No No No No Yes (U) No
No No No No No No Yes (U) No
Unknown Yes (R) Yes (FA) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O) No
Yes (F) Yes (R) Yes (F) Yes (R) No No Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (U) Yes (R) No No Yes (U) No
Yes (U) No No Yes (O) No No Yes (U) No
No Yes (R) Yes (U) No No No Yes (R) No
Yes (R) No Yes (F) Yes (U) No No Yes (U) No
Yes (O) No No No No No Yes (U) No
No No No Yes (R) No Yes (U) No Yes (U)
Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (R/O) No No Yes (O) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R)
Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown No Unknown Unknown No
No No Yes (F) No No Unknown Yes (O) No
Yes (U) Yes (R) No Yes (R) No No Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Unknown Yes (FA) Yes (O) No Yes (U) Yes (F) No
Yes (O) No Yes (U) Yes (R) No No Yes (R) No
Yes (FA) No Yes (R) Yes (R) No No Yes (U) No
Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) No No Yes (R) Yes (R)
Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (F) Yes (O) No No Yes (O) Yes (U)
No No No Yes (R) No Yes (R) Yes (O) No
Yes (O) No No No No No Yes (O) Yes (O)
Yes (R) No No No No No Yes (F) No
No No No Yes (R) No Yes (U) Yes (F) No
Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (U) Yes (O/F) Yes (U)
No No Yes (U) No No No Yes (R) No
No No No No No No No No
Yes (U) No Yes (R) Yes (O) No Yes (U) Yes (R) No
Yes (U) No No Yes (R) No Unknown Unknown No
Yes (O) No Yes (R) Yes (U) No Yes (O) Yes (U) No
Yes (U) No No No No Yes (U) Yes (R) No
Yes (F) No Yes (FA) No No Yes (U) Yes (F) No
Yes (O) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (O) Yes (U) No
Yes (R) Unknown No Yes (R) No No Yes (F) No
No Yes (U) No No No No Yes (U) No
No No Yes (U) Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (O) Yes (U)
Yes (R/O) Yes (O/F) Yes (O/F) Yes (O/F) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O) Yes (O)
Yes (U) Yes (U) No Yes (F) Yes (R) No Yes (F) Yes (R)
Yes (R) Yes (R) Unknown Yes (R) Yes (R) Yes (U) Yes (F) No
Table 6. Threats to sea turtles at sea (foraging and migration) in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
34
Discussion and Recommendations
This assessment asks a deceptively simple question: “Where do sea turtles nest in the Wider
Caribbean Region?” An accurate answer is critical to the recovery of depleted populations in
that it relates directly to the setting of priorities for national and international conservation action,
population monitoring and habitat protection, as well as to larger issues of coastal zone man-
agement and land use policy. Taking advantage of modern spatial analysis methods, and in
collaboration with more than 120 Data Providers (Appendix I) and other experts, we have creat-
ed the first regional maps of the distribution and abundance of the annual reproductive effort for
all six species of Caribbean-nesting sea turtles.
Digital templates for collecting, organizing and representing data fundamental to conservation
and management were developed to provide visual summaries of sea turtle presence (including
both distribution and abundance), national protection policies, and a regional landscape of
active threats. The process of developing these templates has stimulated considerable interest
among Caribbean stakeholders in continuing to collaborate both to maintain the resulting data-
bases and to use them to inform policy-making regarding the protection of critical habitat.
By collecting and collating information from field scientists, researchers, government officials,
conservationists and other Data Providers, and conducting a thorough literature review, we
identified areas and sources of high quality sea turtle habitat data, areas where existing infor-
mation is outdated and/or inaccessible, and areas where data do not currently exist. Among the
least accessible information are the geographic coordinates of coastal habitats, emphasizing the
urgent need to collect baseline geospatial data on the distribution and status of important forag-
ing habitat, including coral reef and seagrass environments.
In all, 1,311 discrete nesting sites (generally but not always coincident with natural beach boun-
daries, see Methods) were identified in the 43 nations and territories of the Wider Caribbean
Region (WCR), inclusive of Bermuda to the north and Brazil to the south. Because some sites
host nesting by multiple species, 2,535 species-specific sites were identified. In most countries
the maps (see Appendix III) are deemed comprehensive, but major gaps are presumed to
remain in nations (Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) where
a national sea turtle survey has never been documented.
Our research has demonstrated that large nesting colonies are rare. Nesting grounds receiving
more than 1,000 crawls per year range from 0.4% (hawksbill) to 7.0% (Kemp’s ridley) of all
known sites. For any species, the far majority (41%-61%, see Table 2) of nesting sites support
fewer than 25 crawls per year, the equivalent of fewer than 10 reproductively active females.
Organized and consistent sea turtle population monitoring effort is still lacking in most areas and
recent data (of any kind) are scarce in some jurisdictions. Two archipelagic States (Bahamas,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti) have never been
completely assessed and nesting habitat data provided by local experts in these jurisdictions (as
well as in Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia) are, for the most part, more than a decade old.
Known but unsurveyed (or inconsistently surveyed) nesting sites are marked by an “X” for “un-
known abundance” in the database, identifying gaps that should be filled before a complete
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
35
landscape of critical habitat can be achieved, and before we can be assured that all major sites
are included in integrated, inter-jurisdictional monitoring programs designed to characterize pop-
ulation trends over biologically relevant landscapes (remembering that sea turtles are migratory)
and evaluate the success or failure of management investment.
It is also clear that while some nations are making exemplary progress in identifying and moni-
toring nesting stocks, others have barely begun and would benefit significantly from the devel-
opment of standardized procedures manuals, peer-training, greater information exchange, and
more consistent financial support. Of the 2,535 species-specific nesting sites identified in the 43
WCR nations and territories surveyed, 23% of these could not be categorized in the simplest
terms of abundance (i.e. <25, 25-100, 100-500, 500-1,000, or >1,000 nesting crawls per year).
The most noteworthy in this regard are the hawksbill and green turtles, where 33% and 24%,
respectively, of known nesting sites are associated with unknown crawl abundances, providing
valuable insight into data gaps and how much we still have to learn about habitat use by these
species. International funding should seek to balance the undisputed value of continuing to sup-
port long-term population datasets, with the necessity of acquiring baseline data in countries
(and for species) for which the least is known.
The majority (30/43 = 69.8%) of nations and territories in the Wider Caribbean Region fully pro-
tect locally occurring sea turtles, but the ‘patchwork’ approach is less than ideal for species,
such as sea turtles, that are migratory at all life stages. To be effective, the legal framework
protecting sea turtles should be consistent among range States; similarly, habitat protection
policies should be geographically inclusive at the population level and embrace both nesting
and foraging grounds in order to achieve conservation goals. That this is not presently the case
carries consequences for individual turtles swimming between protected and unprotected juris-
dictions, and, presumably, serves to diminish the effectiveness of moratoria and other conser-
vation measures. Recent summaries of WCR sea turtle legislation are available in Fleming
(2001), Chacón (2002), Reichart et al. (2003), Godley et al. (2004), and Bräutigam and Eckert
(2006).
Legal fisheries typically mandate minimum size limits (by weight or shell length) – targeting
large juveniles and adults in contradistinction to the best available science on population recov-
ery. Frazer (1989) used the concept of reproductive value – a measure of the value to the pop-
ulation of an individual female turtle of a particular age – to emphasize the critical importance of
ensuring that large turtles be protected, and noted that the regulatory framework in the WCR
had been focusing sea turtle fisheries “incorrectly for over 350 years”. More contemporary
mathematical treatments (e.g. Crowder et al. 1994, Heppell et al. 1999, 2000, 2004) have only
reinforced the conclusion that protecting large juvenile and adult turtles from exploitation is an
essential component of any sustainable sea turtle management regime. While Caribbean fishery
managers recognize that “understanding these [life-history] aspects is fundamental to the
development of management programs” (Santo Domingo Declaration – Eckert and Abreu
Grobois, 2001), the regulatory framework has been slow to respond.
Protection of critical habitat – nesting beaches, foraging grounds, migratory corridors – is less
developed, although many of the beaches that support the region’s largest remaining colonies
are in managed or protected status (summarized by Eckert and Hemphill 2005). Protection at
the nesting ground alone is not enough to ensure population survival, as was recently demon-
strated when the world’s largest leatherback nesting colony (located on the Pacific coast of
Mexico, where nesting females have been protected since 1990) collapsed as a result of
incidental capture and drowning in the distant gillnet fisheries of Peru and Chile (Eckert and
Sarti 1997). Without first determining stock boundaries and establishing linkages between nest-
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
36
ing and foraging grounds, and then acting on this information in a policy context to create holis-
tic management regimes, identifying and protecting important nesting sites may not be sufficient
to ensure population survival.
The dataset can also be used to determine and analyze the range of threats potentially encoun-
tered by sea turtles while nesting, foraging and migrating throughout the region, and to generate
a suite of index
13
nesting beach sites sufficient to monitor sea turtle populations at biologically
relevant scales. Quantitative assessment and monitoring of threats at national and nesting
beach scales is needed in order to determine whether current sea turtle management efforts
and protection policies are measurably reducing threats to and protecting the habitat of sea tur-
tles throughout the region. Creating a standardized regional framework and protocols for moni-
toring threats using sea turtles as a flagship species could also be used as a model for other
managed species, including migratory species dependent on the success of inter-jurisdictional
collaboration and investment.
With an aim to characterize the full range of risk factors, including those that result in the loss or
degradation of critical habitat, we have constructed regionally inclusive threats matrices which,
while general in nature, represent a first attempt to identify and rank the most serious potential
obstacles to population recovery. The matrices broadly identify the presence or absence and
relative frequency (Rare, Occasional, Frequent, Frequent in a particular Area; see Appendix II)
of nesting threats in each jurisdiction.
With regard to nesting populations, more than 75% of Caribbean nations and territories ack-
nowledge that beach erosion/accretion (and/or nest loss to other physical factors), artificial
beachfront lighting, egg collection by humans, the killing of egg-bearing females, and pollution
threaten the survival of sea turtles at their nesting grounds. Artificial lighting and exotic (or loss
of native) vegetation would appear to be the most geographically pervasive threats, with nearly
half (46% and 43%, respectively) of all countries describing them as “Frequent”.
With regard to factors potentially hindering population recovery at foraging grounds, more than
75% of Caribbean nations and territories cite pollution, fisheries bycatch, entanglement, coral
reef and/or seagrass degradation, and losses to hunters, poachers and natural predators as
threatening the survival of sea turtles at their foraging grounds or along migratory corridors.
Marina and dock development and hunting/poaching would appear to be the most geographical-
ly pervasive threats, with 42% and 38% of all countries describing them as “Frequent”.
Conversely, mechanized beach cleaning, beach nourishment (beach rebuilding), offshore oil
and gas exploration and development, offshore lighting, and power plant entrapment are cited
as present (and posing a threat to sea turtles) in fewer than half of countries and territories and
could be construed to be less important from a conservation investment perspective, at least on
a regional scale. Fewer than 5% of countries describe at-sea predators, disease/parasites, oil
and gas exploration and development, artificial offshore lighting, or power plant entrapment as a
“Frequent” threat to sea turtles.
13
According to Bräutigam and Eckert (2006), “characterizing a site, whether foraging or nesting, as an 'Index' site im-
plies the consistent and long-term application of standardized population monitoring protocols to ensure the data are
suitable for trend analysis. Survey boundaries are specifically set and adhered to from year to year, and the survey
area is representative (i.e. it should attempt to represent a range of threat and protection levels, a variety of turtle life
stages, and a range of turtle population densities). The emphasis of this protocol is on establishing index methods for
measuring trends in relative abundance at fixed locations; therefore, the sampling strategies at each Index site should
ideally be structured in a manner that allows inference to a larger area of interest.”
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
37
In summary, we achieved our objectives in generating the first standardized and geographically
comprehensive spatial database of active sea turtle nesting beaches in the central western
Atlantic Ocean. The data collected and assembled will allow for further research and analysis of
sea turtle abundance (including population trends) and habitat use; for example, in conjunction
with other datasets to determine areas of high biodiversity (e.g. through processes such as The
Nature Conservancy’s Ecoregional Planning) or areas in need of urgent protection.
Our hope is that the information collected during the project, and archived and displayed in the
online database (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/), will be ever-improving, updated regularly by
Data Providers in each country or territory, and used to establish conservation and management
priorities, inform local and national land use decisions, and improve policy at national and
regional levels. Through this project, all nations in the WCR have been and will continue to be
encouraged to attain higher levels of data quality, completeness, and compatibility by increasing
their efforts to identify and monitor nesting and foraging sites. Improvement in these areas will
also strengthen implementation of regionally negotiated agreements aimed at sustainably
managing shared marine resources; specifically, the Convention for the Protection and Develop-
ment of the Wider Caribbean Region and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and
Conservation of Sea Turtles.
Future goals of the project are to research and incorporate seagrass and coral reef data to
determine nationally and regionally significant foraging areas, thus identifying marine areas in
need of management attention and contributing to the development of a network of population
monitoring programs, including juvenile and adult age classes, at index sites. Similarly, there is
a need to research and incorporate genetic data (cf. Bowen and Karl 1996, Encalada et al 1998,
Díaz et al. 1999, Bass 1999, Dutton et al 1999, Bowen et al. 1997, 2005, 2006) into the data-
base in order to: highlight and illustrate linkages between nesting and foraging grounds, create
a dialogue on the need to ensure the survival both of large colonies and a representative
landscape of genetic diversity present in widely distributed remnant stocks, and support efforts
to harmonize management policies among range States.
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
38
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Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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APPENDIX I
Primary Data Providers and Contributors
Monitoring hawksbill and green sea turtle
populations at Jumby Bay, Antigua
(photo by Martha Gilkes); Rosalie Bay,
Dominica (photo by Rowan Byrne); and
Mona Island, Puerto Rico
(photo by Chelonia, Inc.)
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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ANGUILLA:
James C. Gumbs
Director
Department of Fisheries
& Marine Resources
Crocus Hill
Anguilla, British West Indies
Tel: (264) 497 2871
Fax: (264) 497 8567
[email protected]
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA:
Cheryl Appleton
Chief Fisheries Officer
Fisheries Division
Ministry of Agriculture, Lands
Marine Resources, and
Aqua-Industries
Fisheries Complex, Pt Wharf
St. John’s, Antigua
Tel: (268) 462-1372
[email protected]
Tricia Lovell
Fisheries Biologist
Fisheries Division
Ministry of Agriculture, Lands
Marine Resources, and
Aqua-Industries
Fisheries Complex, Pt Wharf
St. John’s, Antigua
Tel: (268) 462-1372
[email protected]
Dr. James Richardson
Scientific Director
Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project
Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
Tel: (706) 542-6036
[email protected]
Peri Mason
Associate Scientific Director
Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project
c/o Biology Department
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459
[email protected]
ARUBA:
Dr. Richard van der Wal
Turtugaruba Foundation
C. Huygensstraat #8
Oranjestad, Aruba
Tel: (297) 582-0400
[email protected]
Edith van der Wal
Turtugaruba Foundation
C. Huygensstraat #8
Oranjestad, Aruba
Dutch Caribbean
Tel: (297) 582-0400
[email protected]
BAHAMAS:
Eleanor Phillips
Bahamas Program Director
The Nature Conservancy
PO Box CB 11398
Caves Village, Bldg 5 (Ste 2)
West Bay Street
Nassau, Bahamas
Tel: (242) 327-2414
Fax: (242) 327-2417
[email protected]
Dr. Alan Bolten
Archie Carr Center for Sea
Turtle Research
Department of Zoology
University of Florida
Box 118525
Gainesville, FL 32611
Tel: (352) 392-5194
Fax: (352) 392-9166
[email protected]
Dr. Karen Bjorndal
Director
Archie Carr Center
for Sea Turtle Research
Department of Zoology
University of Florida
Box 118525
Gainesville, FL 32611
Tel: (352) 392-5194
Fax: (352) 392-9166
[email protected]
BARBADOS:
Dr. Julia Horrocks
Professor
Dept. Biological and
Chemical Sciences
University of the West Indies
Cave Hill Campus
Bridgetown, Barbados
Tel: (246) 417-4320
Fax: (246) 417-4325
[email protected]
Jennifer Beggs
Staff Biologist
Volunteer/Intern Coordinator
Sea Turtle Conservation and
Research Program
Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy
Sarasota, FL 34236
Tel: (941) 388-4441 x 308
Fax: (941) 388-4317
[email protected]
BELIZE:
Janet Gibson
Wildlife Conservation Society
3 St. Edward Street
Belize City, Belize
Tel: (501) 223-3271
Cell: (501) 610-2090
[email protected]
Renison Enriquez
Biologist
Glover Reef Marine Reserve
1722 Cnr. Cleghorn and
Bakadeer Street
Belize City, Belize
[email protected]
Isaias Majil
MPA Coordinator
Belize Fisheries Department
Princess Margaret Drive
Belize City, Belize
Tel: (501) 224-4552
Fax: (501) 223-2983
[email protected]
BERMUDA:
Jennifer Gray
Coordinator
Biodiversity Strategy and
Action Plan, and
Bermuda Turtle Project
Dept Conservation Services
P.O. Box FL 145
Flatts, FLBX
Bermuda
Tel: (441) 293-4464 x122
Fax: (441) 293-6154
[email protected]
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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BRAZIL:
Maria (‘Neca’) Marcovaldi
Presidente
Fundaçao Pró-TAMAR
Caixa Postal 2219
Rio Vérmelho
CEP: 41950-970
Salvador-Bahia
Brazil
Tel: 55 +71 3676 1045/1113
Fax: 55 +71 3676 1067
[email protected]
Also from TAMAR:
Luciano Soares
Alexandro Santos
Cláudio Belllini
Augusto Cesar Coelho Dias
da Silva
Gustave Lopez
João Carlos Thomé
Eron Paes e Lima
Antonio de Papua Almeida
BRITISH VIRGIN
ISLANDS:
Bertrand Lettsome
Chief
Conserv. & Fisheries Dept.
Ministry of Natural Resources
P. O. Box 3323
Road Town, Tortola BVI
Tel: (284) 494-5681, -5682
Fax: (284) 494-2670
[email protected]
Mervin Hastings
Marine Biologist
Conserv. & Fisheries Dept.
Ministry of Natural Resources
P. O. Box 3323
Road Town, Tortola BVI
Tel: (284) 494-5681, -5682
Fax: (284) 494-2670
[email protected]
Shannon Gore
Marine Biologist
Conserv. & Fisheries Dept.
Ministry of Natural Resources
PO Box 3323
Road Town, Tortola BVI
Tel: (284) 494-5681, -5682
Fax: (284) 494-2670
[email protected]
CAYMAN ISLANDS:
Gina Ebanks-Petrie
Director
Protection & Conserv. Unit
Department of Environment
P. O. Box 486 GT
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
Tel: (345) 949-8469
Fax: (345) 949-4020
[email protected]
Janice Blumenthal
Research Officer
Department of Environment
P. O. Box 486GT
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
Tel: 345-949-8469
Fax: 345-949-4020
[email protected]
Joni Solomon
Research Officer II
Department of Environment
P. O. Box 486GT
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
Tel: 345-949-8469
Fax: 345-949-4020
[email protected]
COLOMBIA:
Elizabeth Taylor
Directora General
CORALINA
Carretera San Luis
Bigth Km 26
Isla San Andres
Colombia
Tel: (578) 512-8589
Fax (09851) 20081
[email protected]
Zunilda Baldonado
Marine Biologist
CORALINA
Carretera San Luis
Bigth Km 26
Isla San Andres
Colombia
Tel: (578) 512-8589
Fax (09851) 20081
[email protected]
Claudia Ceballos
Department of Ecology,
Evolution & Organismal
Biology, EEB Program
253 Bessey Way
Iowa State University
Arnes, IA 50011
Tel: (515) 294-6363
[email protected]
Instituto de Investigaciones
Marinas y Costeras
(INVEMAR)
www.invemar.org.co
COSTA RICA:
Didiher Chacón Chaverri
Coordinator para Latin
America, WIDECAST
Apdo. 170-2070
Sabanilla, San José
Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 224-3570
Fax: (506) 253-7524
[email protected]
Through Didiher Chacon C.,
data from the following
organizations were provided:
Caribbean Conservation
Corporation
www.cccturtle.org
ASTOP
www.parisminaturtles.org
EWT, Estación Las Tortugas
www.ecoteach.org/Foundatio
n/lasTortugas.asp
Tortuga Feliz
www.latortugafeliz.com
CUBA:
Félix Moncada G.
Biologo Pesquero
Jefe del Programa de
Tortugas Marinas
Centro de Investigaciones
Pesqueras (CIP)
5ta. y 248, Barlovento
Playa, La Habana, Cuba
Tel/Fax: (537) 24 5895
[email protected]
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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Julia Azanza Ricardo
Centro de Investig. Marinas
Universidad de La Habana
Calle 16 #114 e/ 1ra y 3ra
Playa, La Habana, Cuba
Tel: (537) 203-0617
[email protected]
Fernando Hernandez
Empresa Nacional para la
Conservación de la Flora y
Fauna
La Habana, Cuba
Rubén Blanco
Ministerio de Ciencia,
Tecnología y Medio
Ambiente
Isla de la Juventud
Cuba
DOMINICA:
Seth Stapleton
Project Manager
Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative
c/o WIDECAST
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Duke University Marine Lab
Beaufort, NC 28516
[email protected]
Stephen Durand
Assistant Forest Officer
Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Div
Botanic Gardens
Roseau, Dominica
Tel: (767) 448-2401 x 3417
Fax: (767) 448-7999
[email protected]
Rowan Byrne
University of Wales
Aberystwyth UK
[email protected]
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
Dr. Yolanda M. León
Depto. de Ciencias Básicas y
Ambientales,
Universidad INTEC
and, Grupo Jaragua
Santo Domingo
Republica Dominicana
Tel: (809) 567-9271 x426
[email protected]
Jesus Tomas
University of Valencia
Cavanilles Research Institute
Aptdo. 22085
Valencia E-46071
Spain
Tel: 34 96 3543685
[email protected]
FRENCH GUIANA:
Dr. Benoit de Thoisy
Scientific Coordinator
Association Kwata
BP 672
F-97335 Cayenne cedex
Guyane française
Tel/Fax: (594) 38 73 23
[email protected]
Laurent Kelle
WWF Guianas
Bureau Guyane
Coordinateur Océans/Côtes
5 lot Katoury Route de
Montabo
97 300 Cayenne
Guyane française
Tel/Fax: (594) 31 38 28
Int + 594 594 28 79 33
[email protected]
Through Benoit de Thoisy,
data from the following
organizations were provided:
Amana Nature Reserve
http://reserve.amana.free.fr
Association Sépanguy
www.sepanguy.com
Association Kulalasi
FRENCH WEST INDIES:
Martinique:
Séverine Raigné
Coordinator
Marine Turtle Programme
SEPANMAR
7 impasse Constantin
Sylvestre
97200 Fort de France
Martinique, F.W.I.
Tel: 06.96.43.20.90
[email protected]
Claire Cayol
Vétérinaire
VCAT ONCFS Réseau
Tortues Marines
4, Bvd de Verdun
97200 Fort-de-France
Martinique, F.W.I.
Tel: (596) 71 48 72
(696) 23 42 35
Claire.CAYOL@martinique.
ecologie.gouv.fr
Jean-claude Nicolas
SEPANMAR
7 impasse Constantin
Sylvestre
97200 Fort de France
Martinique, F.W.I.
Tel: 06.96.43.20.90
Through Claire Cayol, data
from the following organiza-
tions were provided:
KAWAN Association
[email protected]
AMEPAS
[email protected]
ONF
Mairie de SAINTE-ANNE
MAIRIE du DIAMANT
Guadeloupe:
Eric Delcroix
Animateur Réseau Tortues
Marines Guadeloupe
Association Kap'Natirel
C/ºDiaz Nicolas
Section BOYER
97129 Lamentin, Guadeloupe
Tel: 0690 81 1234
0590 92 7541
[email protected]
Through Eric Delcroix,
data from the following
organizations were provided:
Office National de Forêts
L'Association Titè
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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L'Association Kap'Natirel
L'Association Eco-Lambda
Conservatoire du Littoral
La commune de Terre-de-
Haut
Office National de la Chasse
et de la Faune Sauvage
L'Association Evasion
Tropicale
Association Le Gaïac
Le Parc National
GRENADA:
Carl Lloyd
Director, Ocean Spirits
P. O. Box 1373
Grand Anse
St. George’s, Grenada
Tel: (473) 442-2341
[email protected]
Becky King
Director, Ocean Spirits
P. O. Box 1373
Grand Anse
St. George’s, Grenada
Tel: (473) 442-2341
[email protected]
Marina Fastigi
Director
YWF-Kido Foundation
Kido Ecol. Research Station
Sanctuary, Carriacou
Grenadines of Grenada
[email protected]
Dr. Gregg E. Moore
Research Scientist
Jackson Estuarine Lab
85 Adams Point Road
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
Tel: (603) 862-5138
Fax: (603) 862-1101
[email protected]
GUATEMALA:
Colum Muccio
Director Administrativo y
Desarrollo, ARCAS
4 Ave. 2-47, Sector B5
Zona 8 Mixco
San Cristóbal, Guatemala
Tel/Fax: (502) 478-4096
(Cell): 5704-2563
[email protected]
[email protected]
Anabella Barrios
14 av A 15-10 zona 6
Ciudad Guatemala
Guatemala 01006
Tel: (502) 2 289 4219 /
2 254 7444 / 2 289 1164
Fax: (502) 2 289 4219
[email protected]
m [email protected]
Ana Beatriz Rivas Chacon
Biologa
Fundary Manabique
Ciudad Guatemala
Guatemala 01006
Tel: (502) 2 289 4219 /
2 254 7444 / 2 289 1164
Fax: (502) 2 289 4219
[email protected]
Wilma Katz
Coastal Wildlife Club
P. O. Box 22
Englewood, FL 34295
Tel: (941) 473-8618
[email protected]
GUYANA:
Annette Arjoon
Vice Chairman
Guyana Marine Turtle
Conservation Society
Le Meridien Pegasus
Kingston, Guyana
Tel: (592) 225-4483/4
Fax: (592) 225-0523
[email protected]
Michelle Kalamandeen
Project Coordinator
Guyana Marine Turtle
Conservation Society
Le Meridien Pegasus
Kingston, Guyana
Tel: (592) 225-4483/4
Fax: (592) 225-0523
[email protected]
Dr. Peter C.H. Pritchard
Director
Chelonian Research Institute
401 South Central Avenue
Oviedo, FL 32765
Tel: (407) 365-6347
Fax: (407) 977-5142
[email protected]
HAITI:
Jean W. Wiener
Director
Fondation pour la Protection
de la Biodiversite Marine
(FoProBiM)
B.P. 642
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tel: (509) 401-7829
[email protected]
HONDURAS:
Carlos Molinero
Coordinator
ZENAC/Tortugas Marinas
MOPAWI
Apdo. Postal 2175
Tegucigalpa
Honduras
Tel/Fax: (504) 235-8659
[email protected]
JAMAICA:
Andrea Donaldson
Director, Wildlife Unit
National Environment and
Planning Agency
53½ Molynes Road
Kingston 10
Jamaica
Tel: (876) 075740 (ext. 2227)
Fax: (876) 754-7595 (-6)
[email protected]
Rhema Kerr Bjorkland
Ctr Marine Conservation
Nicholas School Marine
Lab - Duke University
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
Fax: (252) 504-7648
[email protected]
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
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MEXICO:
National Data Coordinator
Dr. F. Alberto Abreu Grobois
Research Scientist
Inst. de Ciencias del Mar y
Limnologia
Unidad Académica Mazatlán
Apartado Postal 811
Mazatlán, Sinaloa
82000 México
Tel: 52 (669) 985-2848
[email protected]
State Data Providers
Campeche:
Vicente Guzmán Hernández
Jefe de Proyecto Tortugas
Marinas
Dir. Gral. de Vida Silvestre
Del. SEMARNAT Campeche
Oficina Regional Carmen
Av Lòpez Mateos x Av.
Hèroes del 21 de abril s/n
col. playa norte
Cd. del Carmen, Campeche
México. C.P. 24120
Tel: 52 (938) 382-6270
[email protected]
Through Vicente Guzmán
Hernández, data from the
following organizations were
provided:
Marea Azul
Ecologia
Grupo Ecologista Quelnios
A.C.
Universidad Autónoma de
Campeche
PEP-UPMP
La Universidad Autónoma
del Carmen
Enlaces con tu Entorno
Laguna de Términos Área de
Protección de Flora y Fauna
(APFFLT)
Secretaría de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos
Naturales (SEMARNAT)
Yucatán:
Eduardo Cuevas
ProNatura
Calle 32 No. 269
Col. Pinzón II
Mérida, Yucatán
México. C.P. 97207
Tel: 52 (999) 988-4436
[email protected]
Augusto Segovia
Yucatán Environment
Ministry
René Kantún
CONANP
Ría Lagartos Reserva de la
Biosfera
Veracruz:
Adriana Laura Sarti M.
Coordinadora de Proyecto
CONANP
Uxmal 313, Col. Narvarte
México D.F. 3020
México
Tel: (52 55) 56 87 27 31
Fax: (52 55) 56 87 27 31
[email protected]
Tamaulipas:
Patrick Burchfield
Gladys Porter Zoo
[email protected]
Luis Jaime Peña
Gladys Porter Zoo
[email protected]
Through Patrick Burchfield
and Luis Jaime Peña, data
from the following organiza-
tions were provided:
Instituto Nacional de la Pesca
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department
NOAA National Marine
Fisheries Service
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Comision Nacional de Areas
Naturales Protegidas
(CONANP)
Secretaría de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos
Naturales (SEMARNAT)
Quintana Roo:
Alejandro Arenas
Flora Fauna y Cultura de
México, A. C.
www.florafaunaycultura.org
Iñaky Iturbe
Flora Fauna y Cultura de
México, A. C.
www.florafaunaycultura.org
Roberto Herrera
Flora Fauna y Cultura de
México, A. C.
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
www.florafaunaycultura.org
Through F. Alberto Abreu
Grobois, data from the
following organizations were
provided:
Centro Ecológico Akumal
Secretaría de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos
Naturales (SEMARNAT)
MONTSERRAT:
John Jeffers
Chief Fisheries Officer
Ministry of Agriculture, Trade
& Environment
P. O. Box 272
Grove Botanic Station
Montserrat
Tel: (664) 491-2075
Fax: (664) 491-9275
NETHERLANDS
ANTILLES:
Curaçao:
Brian Leysner, Manager
Curaçao Underwater Park
CARMABI (POB 2090)
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
58
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599 9) 462-4242
[email protected]
Paul Hoetjes
Senior Policy Advisor
Department of Environment
and Nature (MINA)
Ministry of Public Health and
Social Development (VSO)
Schouwburgweg 26
APNA building, Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
Tel. (599-9) 466-9307
Fax: (599-9) 461-0254
[email protected]
Bonaire:
Mabel Nava
Project Director
Sea Turtle Conserv. Bonaire
Kaya Aquamarine 14
P. O. Box 492, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles
Tel/Fax: (599) 717-5074
[email protected]
Imre Esser
President
Sea Turtle Conserv. Bonaire
Kaya Aquamarine 14
P. O. Box 492, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles
Tel/Fax: (599) 717-5074
[email protected]
Kalli De Meyer
Executive Director
Dutch Caribbean Nature
Alliance (DCNA)
c/o Caribbean Club
Bara di Karta z/n
Hilltop, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 717-5010
Cell: (599) 786-0675
[email protected]
Saba:
Jan den Dulk
Manager
Saba Marine Park/Saba
Hyperbaric Facility
P. O. Box 18
The Bottom, Saba
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 416-3295
Fax: (599) 416-3435
[email protected]
Susan Hurrell
Saba Marine Park/Saba
Hyperbaric Facility
P. O. Box 18
The Bottom, Saba
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 416-3295
Fax: (599) 416-3435
[email protected]
Sint Maarten:
Beverly May Nisbeth
Manager
St. Maarten Marine Park
Nature Found. Sint Maarten
Wellsburg Street 1A
Fisherman's Wharf unit 25-26
Cole Bay, Sint Maarten
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 544-4267
Fax: (599) 544-4268
[email protected]
Dominique Vissenberg
Education Coordinator
Nation Found. St. Maarten
Wellsburg Street 1A
Fisherman's Wharf unit 25-26
Cole Bay, Sint Maarten
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 544-4267
Fax: (599) 544-4268
[email protected]
Andy Caballero
Vice Chairman
Nature Found. Sint Maarten
Wellsburg Street 1A
Fisherman's Wharf unit 25-26
Cole Bay, Sint Maarten
Netherlands Antilles
[email protected]
St. Eustatius:
Nicole Esteban, Manager
St. Eustatius National and
Marine Parks
Gallows Bay, St. Eustatius
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 3 182884
Fax: (599) 3 182913
[email protected]
Arturo Herrera
Sea Turtle Coordinator
St Eustatius National and
Marine Parks
Gallows Bay, St. Eustatius
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: (599) 3 182884
Fax: (599) 3 182913
[email protected]
Dr. Emma Harrison
Scientific Director
Caribbean Conservation
Corporation
Apartado Postal 246-2050
San Pedro, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 297-5510
[email protected]
NICARAGUA:
Dr. Cynthia Lagueux
Conservation Zoologist
Wildlife Conservation Society
Apartado Postal 59
Bluefields, RAAS, Nicaragua
Tel/Fax: (505) 822-1410,
822-2344
[email protected]
Dr. Cathi Campbell
Assoc Conservation Scientist
Wildlife Conservation Society
Apartado Postal 59
Bluefields, RAAS, Nicaragua
Tel/Fax: (505) 572-0506
[email protected]
PANAMA:
Argelis Ruiz, Manager
Ctr Tropical Paleoecology
& Archaeology (CTPA)
Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute (STRI)
P. O. Box 2072,
Balboa, Panamá
Tel: (507) 212-8242
Fax: (507) 212-8154
[email protected]
Dr. Anne Meylan
Florida Fish & Wildlife Comm.
Florida Marine Res. Institute
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
59
100 8
th
Avenue SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Tel: (727) 896-8626
Fax: (727) 893-9176
[email protected]
PUERTO RICO:
Carlos E. Diez
Endangered Species Progr.
Department of Natural and
Environmental Resources
A.P. 9066600, San Juan
Puerto Rico 00906-6600
Tel: (787) 724-8774 ext. 2237
Fax (787) 724-0365
[email protected]
Lesbia L. Montero
University of Puerto Rico –
CUH Station
Sea Grant College Program
100 Road 908, Humacao
Puerto Rico 00791-4300
Tel: (787) 850-9385
Fax: (787) 850-0710
[email protected]
Hector Horta
Oficial de Manejo
Department of Natural and
Environmental Resources
P. O. Box 1186, Fajardo
Puerto Rico 00738
Tel: (787) 860-5628
Fax: (787) 863-5253
[email protected]
ST. KITTS & NEVIS:
Emile Pemberton
Fisheries Develop. Officer
Department of Fisheries
Prospect Estate
St. Johns Parish, Nevis
Tel: (869) 469-5521 ext 2161
Fax: (869) 469-1698
[email protected]
Kimberly Stewart, DVM
St. Kitts Sea Turtle
Monitoring Network
Ross University School of
Veterinary Medicine
P. O. Box 334
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Tel: (869) 669-4268
[email protected]
Kate Orchard
Vice President
St. Christopher Heritage Soc.
Bay Road (POB 888)
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Tel/Fax 869 465 5584
[email protected]
ST. LUCIA:
Dawn Pierre-Nathoniel
Fisheries Biologist
Department of Fisheries
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries
Pointe Seraphine
Castries, St. Lucia
Tel: (758) 468-4141, -4135
Fax: (758) 452-3853
[email protected]
ST. VINCENT & THE
GRENADINES
Lucine Edwards
Fisheries Officer (Conserv.)
Fisheries Division
Ministry of Agricul. & Labour
Richmond Hill, Kingstown
St. Vincent
Tel: (784) 456 4136
[email protected]
SURINAME:
Maartje Hilterman
Project Officer Asia
Ecosystem Grants Program
IUCN National Committee of
the Netherlands (IUCN NL)
Plantage Middenlaan 2k
1018 DD Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: 31 (020) 626-1732
Fax: 31 (020) 627-9349
[email protected]
Edo Goverse
Reptielen, Amfibieën en
Vissen Onderzoek
Nederland (RAVON)
Universiteit van Amsterdam,
afd. Herpetologie
Postbus 94766
1090 GT Amsterdam
Tel: (020) 525-7332/6624
Fax: (020) 525-5402
[email protected]
Dr. Marie-Louise Felix
Marine Turtle Coordinator
WWF Guianas Programme
Paramaribo, Suriname
[email protected]
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:
Dennis Sammy
Manager, Nature Seekers
10 MM Toco Main Road
Matura, Trinidad
Tel/Fax: (868) 668-7337
[email protected]
Stephen Poon
Forester 1
Wildlife Section, Forestry Div.
Farm Road
St. Joseph, Trinidad
Fax: (868) 645-4288
[email protected]
Tanya Clovis
Vice President
SOS Tobago
P. O. Box 27
Scarborough, Tobago
Tel: (868) 639-0026
Fax: (868) 639-8441
[email protected]
Dr. Scott A. Eckert
Director of Science
WIDECAST
Nicholas School Marine
Lab - Duke University
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
Tel: (252) 727-1600
[email protected]
Dr. Suzanne Livingstone
IUCN GMSA Associate
Old Dominion University
Dept of Biological Sciences
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529
Tel: (757) 512-4488
Fax: (757) 638-5283
[email protected]
[email protected]
TURKS & CAICOS:
Judith Garland-Campbell
Permanent Secretary
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
60
Ministry of Natural Resources
Grand Turk
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tel: (649) 946-3306
Fax: (649) 946-3710
[email protected]
[email protected]
Michelle Fulford-Gardiner
Director
Department of Environment
and Coastal Resources
South Base, Grand Turk
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tel: (649) 946-2801
Fax: (649) 946-4793
[email protected]
Lorna Slade
Marine Biologist
Providenciales Marine Turtle
Monitoring Project
P. O. Box 872
Providenciales
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tel: (649) 941-4641
[email protected]
U. S. A.
Barbara Schroeder
Natl. Sea Turtle Coordinator
NOAA / National Marine
Fisheries Service
Protected Resources
1315 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: (301) 713-2322 ext 147
Fax: (301) 427-2522
[email protected]
Sandra MacPherson
Natl Sea Turtle Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
6620 Southpoint Drive South
Suite 310
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Tel: (904) 232-2580 ext. 110
Fax: (904) 232-2404
[email protected]
Dr. Anne Meylan
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission
Florida Marine Res. Institute
100 8
th
Avenue SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Tel: (727) 896-8626
Fax: (727) 893-9176
[email protected]
Dr. Donna Shaver
Chief
Division of Sea Turtle
Science and Recovery
Padre Island Natl Seashore
U. S. National Park Service
P. O. Box 181300
Corpus Christi, TX 78480
Tel: (361) 949-8173 ext. 226
Fax: (361) 949-1312
[email protected]
Jereme Phillips
Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bon Secour National Wildlife
Refuge
12295 State Highway 180
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Tel: (251) 540-7720
[email protected]
U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS:
Rafe Boulon, Chief
Resource Management
Virgin Islands National Park
1300 Cruz Bay Creek
St. John, USVI 00830
Tel: (340) 693-8950 ext 224
Fax: (340) 693-9500
[email protected]
Steve Garner
Executive Director
WIMARCS
202 Prosperity, Frederiksted
St. Croix, USVI 00840
Tel: (340) 772-1382
Fax: (340) 772-3234
[email protected]
Amy MacKay
Director
St. Croix Marine Turtle
Conservation Project
c/o 1034 Adobe Court
Lusby, Maryland 20657
Tel: (340) 690-5274
[email protected]
Raquel Seybert
Community Develop. Officer
The Nature Conservancy
Eastern Caribbean Program
3052 Estate Little Princess
St. Croix, USVI 00820
Tel: (340) 773-5575
Fax: (340) 773-1613
[email protected]
Zandy Hillis-Starr
Chief of Resource Mgmt
U. S. National Park Service
Buck Island Reef NM
2100 Church Street, # 100
Christiansted, St. Croix
USVI 00821
Tel: (340) 773-1460, ext 235
Fax: (340) 719-1791
[email protected]
VENEZUELA:
Hedelvy J. Guada
Directora
Centro de Investigación y
Conservación de Tortugas
Marinas-CICTMAR
Apdo. 50.789
Caracas 1050-A
Venezuela
Tel/Fax: (58) (212) 761-6355
Cel: 0414 249-6326
[email protected]
Vicente Vera
Geographer
Oficina Nacional de
Diversidad Biológica
Ministerio del Ambiente
Centro Simón Bolívar –
Torre Sur, Piso 6
Caracas, D.C. 1010
Venezuela
Tel: 58 (212) 408-2154
Fax: 58 (212) 753-7726
[email protected]
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
61
APPENDIX II
Sea Turtle Threats Survey
Hawksbill shell bracelets from Bocas del
Toro, Panama (photo by R. Merel)
Green turtles at market in Puerto Cabezas,
Nicaragua (photo by Cynthia Lagueux, Wildlife
Conservation Society)
Green turtle entangled in a fishing net off the coast
of Costa Rica (photo by Didiher Chacón, WIDECAST)
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
62
2006 Sea Turtle Threats Survey
Country/Territory: ___________________________________________________
Contact: ___________________________________________________________
Date/Time: _________________________________________________________
R = Rare, O = Occasional, F = Frequent, FA = Frequent in a certain Area, U = Unknown
Nesting Threats
Killing of nesting females by humans
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Killing of nesting females by predators
Which predator species? Invasive species?
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Nest loss to predators
Which predator species? Invasive species?
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Nest loss to abiotic factors
What factor? Ex. flood, erosion
Egg Collection (by humans)
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Harassment due to increased presence of humans
Ex. tourists discouraging nesting
Artificial lighting
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Pollution
What type of pollution – agriculture, petroleum/tar, sewage, industrial runoff, beach litter/debris?
Are these pollutants rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Beach erosion/accretion
Where? When? Caused by storm events? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional,
frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Beach armoring/stabilization structures
Where? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
63
Beach nourishment
Where? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Recreation beach equipment and/or other obstacles
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Mechanized beach cleaning
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Beach vehicular use
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Sand mining
Where? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Exotic (or loss of native) vegetation
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Livestock (presence on the beach)
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Foraging/Migration Threats
Seagrass degradation
By what? Ex. Anchor damage, pollution, sedimentation. How extensive is the problem? Rare,
occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Coral reef degradation
By what? Ex. Anchor damage, pollution, sedimentation. How extensive is the problem?
Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Fisheries
Which fisheries? Ex. Trawl, purse seine, hook and line, gill net, pound net, long line, pot/trap,
dynamite/blast, chemical, “nets” – undefined.
Are takes by fisheries: Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Hunting/Poaching
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Pollution
What type of pollution – agriculture, petroleum (oil), sewage, industrial runoff, pollution (cruise
liners/yachts), marine debris, “declining water quality” - undefined
Are these pollutants rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Predators
What species? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular
area?
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
64
Disease/Parasites
Which diseases or parasites? How many cases have been seen (e.g. How big of a problem is
this?) Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Harassment due to increased human presence
Ex. Snorkelers, divers, increased boat traffic. How often does this occur? Rare, occasional,
frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Dredging
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Marina and dock development
Where? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Boat/Personal Water Craft collisions
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Power Plant entrapment
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Oil and gas exploration, development, and transportation
Where? How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Entanglement (debris, abandoned gear etc.)
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in particular a particular
area? In what do turtles become entangled?
Offshore artificial lighting
How often does this occur? Rare, occasional, frequent, or frequent in a particular area?
Other Comments
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
65
APPENDIX III
Wider Caribbean Region Sea Turtle Habitat National Reports
For ease of reference, the National Reports are presented in alphabetic order and
then color-coded according to their Ecoregion (cf. Spalding et al. 2007). Brazil
(not featured in Spalding et al. 2007), is color-coded in this volume as gray.
Guadeloupe Sea Turtle Habitat
¯
Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat
GSHHS Caribbean Shoreline
GP1
0 10 20 30 40 5
Kilometers
GP2
GP3
GP4
GP7
GP6
GP5
GP8
GP9
GP10
GP11
GP12
GP13
GP14
GP15
GP16
Sea Turtle Presence
Loggerhead Turtle
(Caretta caretta )
F
Green Turtle
(Chelonia mydas )
N, F
Leatherback Turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea )
N, IF
Hawksbill Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata )
N, F
Kemp's Ridley Turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii )
A
Olive Ridley Turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea )
I
N = Nesting; F = Foraging; IN = Infrequent Nesting; IF = Infrequent
Foraging; I = Infrequent (further detail unavailable); A = Absent
GP17
Complete (indefinite) protection Yes
Moratorium (fixed period) –
Prohibition(s) on take –
Closed season –
Minimum size limits –
Maximum size limits –
Annual quota –
Permits/licenses required –
Gear restrictions Yes
Area closures (MPA, park, reserve) Yes
Reports of exploitation/sale nationally Yes
Reports of illegal trade internationally No
General public awareness of laws Yes
Recent prosecutions or penalties Yes
Enforcement considered adequate No
Penalties are an adequate deterrent
Yes
National Policy for the Protection of Sea Turtles
E = Eggs; N = Nests; NF = Nesting Females; – = Not Applicable
© WIDECAST 2007
Data Providers
Eric Delcroix
Réseau Tortues
Marine de
Guadeloupe
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
154
Guadeloupe Sea Turtle Habitat
¯
Green
Nesting Habitat
Leatherback
Nesting Habitat
Hawksbill
Nesting Habitat
GP1
0 10 20 30 40 5
Kilometers
GP1
GP2
GP2
GP4
GP3
GP5
GP6
GP7
GP5
GP6
GP7
GP6
GP8
GP8
GP12
GP9
GP10
GP11
GP13
GP14
GP15
GP16
GP17
Green Nesting Habitat
<25 Crawls per year
25-100 Crawls per year
GSHHS Caribbean Shoreline
Leatherback Nesting Habitat
<25 Crawls per year
Hawksbill Nesting Habitat
<25 Crawls per year
25-100 Crawls per year
100-500 Crawls per year
© WIDECAST 2007
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
155
Guadeloupe Sea Turtle Habitat
Threats to Sea Turtles - Nesting
Killing of Nesting Females by
Humans Yes (R)
Killing of Nesting Females by
Predators Yes (R) Dogs
Nest Loss to Predators Yes (R) Mongoose and dogs
Nest Loss to Abiotic Factors Yes (R)
Egg Collection by Humans Yes (R)
Harassment Due to Increased
Human Presence No
Artificial Lighting Yes (F) Increasing
Pollution Yes (U) Beach litter/debris
Beach Erosion/Accretion Yes (U)
Beach Armouring/Stabilization
Structures No
Beach Nourishment No
Recreational Beach Equipment
and/or Other Obstacles Yes (R) Frequent on a few beaches that are not nesting beaches
Mechanized Beach Cleaning Yes (O) Frequent on tourist beaches
Beach Vehicular Use Yes (F)
Sand Mining Yes (F) Decreasing
Exotic (or Loss of Native)
Vegetation Yes (F) Loss of natural vegetation
Livestock Presence on the
Beach
No
Threats to Sea Turtles - Foraging/Migration
Seagrass Degradation Yes (U) Anchor damage, others unknown
Coral Reef Degradation Yes (U) Anchor damage, others unknown
Fisheries Bycatch Yes (F)
Purse seine, hook and line, gillnet, pot/trap and trammel
net
Hunting/Poaching Yes (R)
Pollution Yes (U) Agriculture, cruise ships/yachts and marine debris
Predators Yes (U)
Disease/Parasites Yes (U)
Harassment Due to Increased
Human Presence No
Dredging No
Marina and Dock Development Yes (F)
Boat/Personal Water Craft
Collisions No
Power Plant Entrapment No
Oil and Gas Exploration,
Development, Transportation Unknown
Entanglement Yes (O) Discarded gear and line
Offshore Artificial Lighting
No
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown
Occurrence Frequency: R = Rare; O = Occasional; F = Frequent; FA = Frequent in one area; U = Unknown
© WIDECAST 2007
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
156
Guadeloupe Sea Turtle Habitat
© WIDECAST 2007
GP1 Beaches of Petite Terre - Island 1 GP10 Galets Rouges
GP2 Beaches of Petite Terre - Island 2 GP11 Anse à Sable
GP3 Les Galets de Marie-Galante GP12 Malendure
GP4
Trois-Ilets & Folle Anse de Marie-
Galante
GP13 Grande Anse
GP5 Pompierre GP14 Anse de la Perle
GP6
Grande Anse Terre-de-Haut des
Saintes
GP15 Plage de Cluny
GP7 Anse Figuier GP16 Anse Nogent
GP8 Grande Anse Trois-Rivières GP17 Plage du Four à Chaud
GP9 Machette
Beach Identification Codes with Beach Names
Dow et al. (2007) ~ Sea Turtle Nesting in the Wider Caribbean Region ~ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
157

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