Three nestings were recently monitored by members of turtle conservation and advocacy group, Save Our Sea Turtles (SOS) Tobago, as part of SOS’s annual turtle census initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly Department of Natural Resources and Environment. SOS Tobago’s turtle census is part of the annual National Sea Turtle Tagging and Monitoring Programme, which is managed by the Turtle Village Trust and sponsored by LNG production company Atlantic.
Tanya Clovis-Howie, president of SOS Tobago, reported that the first nesting took place on February 28, and the second on March 6. Both turtles were new to Tobago shores. The third nesting occurred on March 11, by a turtle named Palance. Palance was first tagged by SOS Tobago in 2008, and she returned to nest on Turtle Beach in 2010.
“SOS is happy to have our old friend Palance come back again safely in 2012 to Turtle Beach,” Clovis Howie said. “We are also happy for the new turtle arrivals. While it is good that we continue to record new turtle arrivals, this must be weighed against the continued decline in the global population of the critically endangered leatherback turtles.” Citing data from the annual turtle census conducted on Turtle Beach, Mt Irvine Back Bay Beach and Grafton Beach, Clovis-Howie said that in 2010, SOS Tobago tagged 80 new turtles (75 leatherbacks and five hawkbills) and recorded return visits by 69 leatherback turtles. However, in 2011 the group only tagged only 53 new turtles (45 leatherbacks and eight hawkbills) and recorded return visits by only 51 turtles (50 leatherbacks and one hawkbill.)
“It is clear that sea turtle reproduction continues to be affected by increased beach-front development and irresponsible recreational activities, such as driving on the beach during nesting season,” Clovis-Howie disclosed. “This is causing sustained destruction of the turtles’ nesting habitat and having a negative impact on the turtles’ hatching process.” Toni Sirju-Ramnarine, Atlantic’s head of Sustainability and Corporate Communications, explained that Atlantic’s sponsorship of the National Sea Turtle Tagging and Monitoring Programme helped to identify the factors that contribute to the trends in the turtle population. “When turtle conservation groups like SOS Tobago send out regular beach patrols, they monitor the turtles, discourage poachers and guide eco-tourists on the correct way to observe turtles,” Sirju-Ramnarine said. “This helps us to increase the turtles’ survival rate and also helps to create opportunities for beach communities to become sustainable through turtle-related ecotourism ventures.”
SOS Tobago’s annual turtle census, along with those conducted by other local turtle conservation organisations through the Turtle Village Trust runs from March 1 to September 30. Nestings in Trinidad have already been monitored by other advocacy groups associated with the trust. The National Sea Turtle Tagging and Monitoring Programme gathers information about the population of nesting leatherbacks, hawksbill and green turtles in T&T, and about the resident population of hawksbill and green turtles foraging on the reefs and sea grass beds around Tobago. The data gathered contributes to the overall management of sea turtles locally, regionally and globally. Atlantic’s annual sponsorship of the programme is one of the LNG company’s several initiatives focused on building sustainability in T&T. Atlantic’s partnerships with NGOs facilitate energy skills training and certification, values-based vocational training, agri-entrepreneurship, community and youth development through sports and education and youth leadership development.
