Title: Can local conservation efforts help prevent further decline of sea turtles in Jamaica?
By: Sierra Gillies
Transcript:
Green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead these were four species of sea turtles that regularly nested on Jamaica’s beaches now there is only one the hawksbill. This is your Sierra Gillies from the university of Waterloo providing a podcast on the current threats to sea turtles in Jamaica and the corresponding local conservation efforts to combat these threats of the six species of sea turtles that live in the Caribbean Sea all around the International Union for conservation of nature red list of a threatened species classified as either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. In two thousand and eleven the United Nations environment program and the Caribbean environment program developed a sea turtle recovery action plan for Jamaica. They identified the main threats to sea turtles at the local level to be destruction or modification of forging a nesting habitats over utilization and exploitation of turtles and their eggs by humans pollution from oil spills chemical waste plastic and other marine debris increase coastal development and accidental capture by active in abandoned fishing gear. Currently sea turtles are protected under the wildlife protection act in Jamaica and it is illegal to hunt have in your possession or take or try to take sea turtles any of their parts or their eggs communities such as Bluefield’s bay are participating in saving sea turtles by putting up signs that clearly indicate this information along with the penalty. Although laws are in place enforcement is lacking. Many of the threats to sea turtles may seem almost too big to overcome but there are many things that are within individual control that can be changed. Local conservation efforts are currently being done around the island in Oracabessa there's a man known across the island as Mel the turtle man Mel Tennant is a retired teacher who came to Jamaica in two thousand and three with no knowledge of sea turtles his interest piqued in two thousand and five with a strong effort to protect nesting sea turtles and hatchlings by monitoring the beach he started the Oracabessa bay turtle project and now along with the support of staff in a variety of organizations monitors and collect study year round the information collected is and shared with the local government agency responsible for biodiversity and the university of the West Indies marine laboratory. The turtle man is one person who has made an incredible difference for sea turtle conservation in Jamaica in two thousand twelve the project help release over sixteen thousand hatchlings this gives great hope for others to follow in his steps to protect sea turtles in Jamaica for the future. Thank you for listening this is been a podcast for coastal marine change in governance in Jamaica and environment resource studies field course with the university of Waterloo.