0000000000194633
AUTHOR
Yolanda M. León
Protected areas host important remnants of marine turtle nesting stocks in the Dominican Republic
AbstractNesting by marine turtles in the Caribbean has declined considerably, mainly because of human exploitation, but there has previously been no monitoring in the Dominican Republic. We present the first detailed assessment of the status of marine turtle nesting in the country, based on surveys during 2006–2010. Nesting populations of hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea are of regional importance and the green turtle Chelonia mydas is still present, although nesting in low numbers. The two main nesting sites are within protected areas: the Jaragua National Park in the south-west, important for leatherback turtles (mean of 126 nests per season), a…
Contextualising the Last Survivors: Population Structure of Marine Turtles in the Dominican Republic.
Nesting by three species of marine turtles persists in the Dominican Republic, despite historic threats and long-term population decline. We conducted a genetic survey of marine turtles in the Dominican Republic in order to link them with other rookeries around the Caribbean. We sequenced a 740bp fragment of the control region of the mitochondrial DNA of 92 samples from three marine turtle species [hawksbill (n = 48), green (n = 2) and leatherback (n = 42)], and incorporated published data from other nesting populations and foraging grounds. The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Dominican Republic appeared to be isolated from Awala-Yalimapo, Cayenne, Trinidad and St. Croix bu…
Evaluating the importance of Marine Protected Areas for the conservation of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in the Dominican Republic
Understanding spatial and temporal habitat-use patterns to protect both foraging and breeding grounds of species of concern is crucial for successful conservation. Saona Island in Del Este National Park (DENP), south-eastern Dominican Republic (DR), hosts the only major hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting area in the DR (100 nests yr �1 , SD = 8.4, range = 93�111), with the population having been critically reduced through hunting. We satellite tracked 9 female hawksbill turtles, and present analyses of their core-use areas with respect to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in both their internesting and foraging areas. Kernel utilization distribu- tions indicated that during the internes…
Running against time: conservation of the remaining hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting population in the Dominican Republic
Saona Island hosts the last hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting population in the Dominican Republic, which has experienced a severe decline in the last decades, mostly due to illegal egg take. Here we present the results of an artificial incubation programme started in 2007 to protect the clutches from human predation. A preliminary survey in 2006 showed that about 60% of clutches laid were taken by humans. Over the study period (2007–2010) we recorded 400 clutches, of which 38.2% were predated by humans, 40.7% were artificially incubated and 21% were incubated in situ. Overall, the artificial incubation programme allowed the release of 12,340 hatchlings. No differences were …
Assessing the efficacy of direct conservation interventions: clutch protection of the leatherback marine turtle in the Dominican Republic
AbstractThe beaches of Jaragua National Park in the Dominican Republic are the country's last known major nesting site for the leatherback marine turtle Dermochelys coriacea. This nesting aggregation is threatened by widespread illegal egg take, and clutch relocation and artificial incubation have been carried out as protection measures since 1974. We assess the efficacy of such efforts and investigate how artificial incubation may be influencing the success and sex ratios of clutches. We compare hatching success, incubation duration and embryo mortality in in-situ clutches (n = 43) with those incubated artificially at sites in the east and west of the Park (n = 35 and n = 31, respectively)…