Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Barbados - WIDECAST

Recommendations
Barbados Sea Turtles …
- Architects and landscape architects are encouraged to seek advice from Bellairs
Research Institute on ways to develop an area in such a way as to minimize disturbance to sea
turtles. These professionals should familiarize themselves with environmentally sensitive
development practices on land that is adjacent to beaches.
- If development is taking place on a known nesting beach, this should be discussed with
clients. Hotels may want to make sea turtle nesting a feature for their visitors. "Turtle watching"
programmes should be implemented with care, however, in order not to discourage egg-bearing
turtles from coming ashore.
- Vegetation boundaries delineating property should be advocated to clients, rather than
the construction of solid structures. The construction of beach walls within 30 feet (9 m) of the
mean high water mark is illegal. Hedges or other vegetation are also recommended as attractive,
natural shields to minimize the amount of light shining on a nesting beach.
- Shielded, low intensity, low elevation lights that minimize hatchling disorientation
should be advocated to clients, and/or the installation of timers that switch beach lights off
during peak hatching periods (July-October, 1900-2400 hrs). Full-spectrum lights, especially
high intensity lights (e.g., mercury vapor lamps), should be consistently discouraged. No lights
should be placed between potential nesting sites and the sea. In the absence of legislation,
architects can strongly influence the choice of beach lighting made by their clients.
4.622 Bellairs Research Institute (BRI)
Bellairs Research Institute (BRI) conducts multi-disciplinary research and teaching
programmes on tropical issues. Ongoing research includes pure science programmes in marine
and behavioural ecology, applied projects on fisheries biology and pollution effects on coral
reefs, and environmental assessment and monitoring. BRI is the Lead Organization for
WIDECAST in Barbados.
Recommendations
- BRI should continue to act as a clearing house for information provided by the general
public on sea turtle nesting activity in Barbados.
- BRI should continue to tag turtles and to provide facilities for holding limited numbers
of turtles for conservation and education purposes.
- BRI should take a more active role as an advisory body to the various organizations
referred to in section 4.6.
- BRI should continue to collaborate with the Barbados Environmental Association on
activities designed to promote awareness about the need for sea turtle conservation.
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