Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Barbados - WIDECAST

CEP Technical Report No. 12
emerging to lay eggs and cause hatchling disorientation and mortality. In 1990, hatchlings from
83% of monitored nests were disoriented by lighting. Heavy pedestrian use of beaches leads to
compaction of the sand over nests, increasing mortality among eggs and hatchlings. The patchy
spatial distribution of hawksbill nesting makes it difficult to identify and protect specific nesting
areas. However, an estimated 15 different hawksbills nested on 1.5 km of the southwestern coast
between 1989 and 1991, suggesting that this is an area within which any future development
should be carefully managed. On other beaches, measures can be taken to reduce the impacts of
development on turtle nesting; e.g., lighting problems can be minimized by keeping lights low to
the ground, shielding them from shining directly onto the beach, and using low sodium vapor
lamps in preference to full-spectrum white lights. Fortunately, the few leatherback nests
recorded each year are made on the largely undeveloped high energy east and southeast coasts.
Nesting habitat for leatherbacks appears unstressed at the present time.
In addition to the deterioration of nesting habitat, feeding grounds have also been
affected. Hawksbills, ranging in size from small juveniles to adults, are known to forage on
reef-associated sponges on the fringing and bank coral reefs around Barbados. Juvenile green
turtles forage within sea grass and algal beds. Coral reefs and sea grass meadows are important
to the survival of sea turtles in Barbados, yet coral cover and diversity on west and south coast
fringing reefs has deteriorated over the past 30 years. Likewise, sea grass beds have diminished
in size. Both types of habitats are impacted by land-based sources of pollution; e.g., sewage,
household chemicals, agrochemicals, and sediment. Careless fishing practices, indiscriminate
anchoring, and illegal fishing practices such as dynamiting, further contribute to the degradation
of these habitats. One area of the west coast has been designated as a marine reserve, where
fishing and boat use are restricted and where turtle harvest is illegal. Efforts to identify sources
of pollution and implement measures to protect nearshore habitats along the entire west and
south coasts are ongoing as part of a national coastal conservation project. Important sea turtle
foraging habitats will benefit from these measures.
A project for improving the institutional effectiveness of coastal zone management in
Barbados has recently been conducted. Enforcement of legislation pertaining to the coastal zone
is one of the areas under review, and all aspects of coastal zone law enforcement may ultimately
become the responsibility of one agency specifically trained in environmental legislation and its
enforcement. Increasing environmental awareness among the public through educational materials
and activities will assist enforcement agencies. The WIDECAST Sea Turtle Recovery Action
Plan for Barbados strongly supports ongoing efforts at improving sea turtle conservation
legislation, enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement and coastal zone management, and
allocating financial and personnel resources more efficiently by consolidating coastal zone
responsibilities. The Plan also supports ongoing field research and public awareness campaigns
and proposes several activities to enhance and expand sea turtle conservation in Barbados. In
concert with national efforts, and recognizing that sea turtles are highly migratory (meaning that
Barbados may share its sea turtles, particularly its hawksbills, with neighbouring islands), a
tagging programme that includes at least St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and
Barbados is suggested. The full recovery of shared populations will require regional cooperation.
The Government of Barbados is encouraged to support multinational efforts aimed at the conservation
and recovery of depleted marine species, such as sea turtles, by ratifying the Cartagena
Convention Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol).
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