Description: A comprehensive project was executed to advance the scientific understanding of sea turtles, aiming to enhance their conservation and management. Activities included assessing foraging and breeding areas, identifying population status and threats, and formulating effective mitigation plans. This initiative aimed to strengthen conservation actions by designing recovery plans and instituting an eco-tour guide certification program while educating local staff and the public on sea turtle biology, tracking, and marine spatial planning. In Anguilla, the Hawksbill, Green, Loggerhead, and Leatherback sea turtles utilise coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, and coastal regions for nesting and foraging, playing crucial roles as ecological indicators. Accomplishments encompassed habitat identification, threat analysis, and the development of mitigation strategies, alongside deploying 22 satellite tags, tagging 97 turtles, excavating 97 nests, and conducting extensive interviews. These efforts informed policy briefs, recovery plans, and a collaborative regional initiative with WIDECAST and partner agencies, fostering knowledge exchange among neighbouring Caribbean islands while reinforcing support for sea turtle and coastal conservation.
Duration: 36 months
