Sea turtles

In the last two or so decades, tourism development and the associated infrastructure development has developed into a serious new threat ? in addition to overexploitation and fishing by catch - to the reproduction and survival of turtles. Six out of seven species of sea turtle are in danger of extinction. Often, sensitive ecosystems adjacent to important nesting beaches have already been destroyed in order to build hotels, airports, golf courses, etc. The impact of uncontrolled tourism and coastal development has been responsible for the total destruction of nesting beaches in several Mediterranean countries ? mainly Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

The impacts of the increasing number of beachfront developments on nesting beaches are widespread and include:

1. The physical removal of sand for building purposes may destroy nesting grounds.
2. Ill located and/or built breakwaters (piers, jetties etc?) lead to changes in water flow and sediment transport which in turn cause coastal erosion, potentially threatening entire nesting beaches from disappearing.
3. Trampling by people and vehicles compacts sand, leaving females incapable of digging their nests and preventing hatchlings from digging their way to the sand surface.
4. Lights from hotels and streets can attract hatchlings, which have evolved to respond to moonlight reflecting off the ocean surf. The disoriented hatchlings may move inland where they can stray onto roads, be caught by predators, or dry out in the heat of the sun. Sodium lights are an easy and cheap alternative to this problem, by providing required lighting for tourists but affecting nesting females nor hatchlings to a lesser extent than regular lights.
5. Hatchlings may come across deep car grooves, and, not being able to cross them follow them, often leading them away from the sea.
6. The shading effect of beach umbrellas and sun loungers can also affect the ratio of male to female hatchlings - a nest temperature below 30oC will produce nothing but males!
7. Boats at sea, near nesting beaches in the reproduction season might scare prospecting females away from the beach and may also cause injury and death.
8. Umbrellas dug into sand can impale nests.

Picture courtesy of NOAA.

Public awareness and education are possibly the most powerful tool in the conservation of sea turtles. Barbados is a small, densely populated developing country, heavily reliant on tourism for its economic security. The beaches for which Barbados is famous represent important recreational areas for Barbadians and tourists alike. There are no protected turtle nesting beaches in Barbados. During all activities of the Barbados Sea Turtle Conservation Project, the team will be interacting with other beach-users such as fisher folk and hotel staff, as well as tourists. Witnessing a sea turtle nesting or hatching and learning about the animal whilst it is in front of them on the beach is a learning experience more meaningful than any gained through the classroom or the media. In cases where wildlife resources are declining due to habitat destruction, poaching and other human threats, as is the case for sea turtles, this type of tourism if well managed, can result in long-term conservation.