Biology and conservation of marine turtle nesting in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

The loss of biodiversity has become one of the most pressing issues, which has lead to a growing global concern about the status of the biological resources on which human life depends. In recent decades there has been a decrease in individual populations of many species. In the Caribbean, marine turtle’s nesting rookeries have been reduced considerably, mainly due to human exploitation. A number of rookeries in this region have been studied for several decades and their status is well documented; however, many other Caribbean rookeries remain poorly described. The Dominican Republic (DR) is an area where information on marine turtle nesting activity is scarce and outdated. Surveys in the 1970s and 1980s constituted the main reference on the status of marine turtles in the DR; although more recent reports indicate that these species are under continuous threats. The lack of comprehensive studies and recent information, coupled with the evident threatened status of marine turtles in the country demanded an updated assessment to help target effective conservation actions. The present PhD study aims to identify the main marine turtles nesting rookeries in DR, describing the current spatio-temporal patterns of nesting, and assessing the likely impact of the current threats to these nesting stocks, based on a period of 5 years (2006 - 2010) of systematic survey within a conservation project.