Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Barbados - WIDECAST

Barbados Sea Turtles …
poaching, nest site erosion, hatch success, hatchling disorientation, etc. (see
STRAP sections 4.112, 4.291). Responsible agency/group: Bellairs Research Institute
and Barbados Environmental Association.
4. Initiate a systematic survey of nearshore marine habitats used or potentially used
by sea turtles and increase the number of non-nesting turtles tagged annually in
order to define important feeding and refuge areas, quantify species diversity,
monitor population trends, and increase our knowledge of the threats to important
foraging and refugia habitats (see STRAP sections 4.111, 4.293). Responsible
agency/group: Bellairs Research Institute and SCUBA dive operators/shops.
5. Initiate a project to track juvenile green and hawksbill turtles using ultra-sonic telemetry
in order to investigate the offshore behaviour, movements, residency, and
habitat utilisation of juvenile sea turtles (see STRAP sections 4.11, 4.293).
Responsible agency/group: Bellairs Research Institute.
6. Support/initiate tagging programmes on neighbouring islands to investigate
whether Barbados shares sea turtle stocks in common with other countries (see
STRAP sections 4.32, 4.34). Responsible agency/group: Bellairs Research Institute
and the Fisheries Division.
RESULTS AND OUTPUTS
1. Increased knowledge of the most important sea turtle foraging and nesting habitats.
This knowledge will enable the development of area-specific management
plans, the designation of protected areas, and the identification of zones where
beachfront lighting and other restrictions may be necessary for the conservation of
endangered sea turtles.
2. Increased awareness of the status of sea turtles among the citizenry and tourists in
Barbados. An increase in public awareness and knowledge will augment ongoing
and planned monitoring programmes, foster support for conservation initiatives,
and will assist relevant agencies in enforcing protective legislation.
3. Increased understanding of the population size and reproductive dynamics of
hawksbills nesting in Barbados. The data collected will enable us to estimate the
number of individual hawksbills nesting per annum, as well as their re-nesting
(intra-annual) and re-migration (inter-annual) intervals.
4. Increased understanding of the local and international movements of sea turtles.
This information will provide a basis from which to determine the extent to which
Barbados shares its sea turtles with neighbouring nations, and thus the extent to
which cooperative measures will be needed to ensure the success of local efforts
to enhance the survival of sea turtles in Barbados.
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