Page 1 of 49. Project Summary (from Proposal)

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1 Easygrants ID: 2611 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF/Legacy Grant Project ID: International Sea Turtle Conservation Fund Submit Final Programmatic Report (Activities and Outcomes) Grantee Organization: The Ocean Foundation Project Title: Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative - II Project Period 10/01/ /30/2010 Award Amount $59, Matching Contributions $64, Project Location Description (from Proposal) This is a region-wide initiative that will involve activities in countries (as listed above) throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean. Project Summary (from Proposal) Cultivate new hawksbill turtle projects and provide a framework for hawksbill recovery in the Eastern Pacific. Project will utilize an international network of fishers and conservation organizations. Summary of Accomplishments During the most recent NFWF funded project cycle (October 2009 September 2010), ICAPO conducted a month long field survey along Pacific Panama to identify potential hawksbill hotspots and invigorate national hawksbill research and conservation. By providing leadership on grant writing activities, methodological/logistical planning and capacity training in the field, we helped seed a new hawksbill project in northwest Nicaragua, while also playing an important role in ongoing hawksbill projects in Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. In July 2010 we held the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific, bringing together sea turtle experts from across the eastern Pacific to share updated conservation successes, establish national and regional hawksbill research/conservation priorities, and strategize on the role of ICAPO in the future. We shared our research efforts and findings via media outlets, peer reviewed publications, Internet, a Lessons Learned Interviews with local fishers and community members are fundamental to identifying highly elusive or endangered species such as hawksbills. We recommend fisher and community interviews surveys be carried out as the first step along the entire eastern Pacific coastline where such efforts have yet to take place. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the effectiveness of interviews is limited when dealing with areas that are isolated and/or where human populations are scant. For instance, in Panama we identified numerous islands and/or isolated beaches where locals simply did not know what species of turtles were nesting, nor in what quantity. In such cases the most feasible method to understand hawksbill abundance would be to design a beach census during the height of the nesting season (although this may also be unknown). However, considering the low density nesting often exhibited by hawksbills and the abundant stretches of isolated coastline still remaining along Pacific Centr Conservation Activities Undertake hawksbill assessments and provide capacity training to local organizations in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Progress Measures Other (# of hawksbill specific (or at least primary component) projects established) Value at Grant Completion 5 Conservation Activities Establish hawksbill sighting campaign with public to identify hawksbill aggregation areas. Progress Measures Other (# of hawksbill congregation areas identified) Value at Grant Completion 15+ Conservation Activities Influence fishermen and coastal community members perspectives and actions towards hawksbills. Page 1 of 49

2 Progress Measures Other (# of coastal community members engaged and provided awareness opportunities regarding hawksbills) Value at Grant Completion 800+ Conservation Activities Call attention to the conservation of EP hawksbills using media and other communication outlets. Progress Measures Other (# of awareness opportunities (meetings, newspapers, television, etc.) featuring EP hawksbills) Value at Grant Completion 20+ Conservation Activities Call attention to the conservation of EP hawksbills using media and other communication outlets. Progress Measures Other (# of hits on ICAPO website) Value at Grant Completion 4023 Conservation Outcome(s) Increase hawksbill numbers in the eastern Pacific Ocean by Conservation Indicator Metric(s) Other (# of EP hawksbill conservations projects established) Baseline Metric Value 2 Metric Value at Grant Completion 5 Long-term Goal Metric Value 5-10 Year in which Long Term Metric 2015 Value is Anticipated Conservation Outcome(s) Increase hawksbill numbers in the eastern Pacific Ocean by Conservation Indicator Metric(s) Other ((# of active members in the ICAPO conservation network) Baseline Metric Value 21 Metric Value at Grant Completion 35 Long-term Goal Metric Value 60+ Year in which Long Term Metric 2013 Value is Anticipated Conservation Outcome(s) Increase hawksbill numbers in the eastern Pacific Ocean by Conservation Indicator Metric(s) Other ((% of EP coastline investigated specifically for hawksbill presence) Baseline Metric Value 20 Metric Value at Grant Completion 30 Long-term Goal Metric Value 65 Year in which Long Term Metric 2015 Value is Anticipated Conservation Outcome(s) Increase hawksbill numbers in the eastern Pacific Ocean by Conservation Indicator Metric(s) Other (# of hawksbills events (nesting, marine sightings, strandings) reported to ICAPO) Baseline Metric Value 400 Metric Value at Grant Completion 800+ Long-term Goal Metric Value 1200 Year in which Long Term Metric 2012 Value is Anticipated Conservation Outcome(s) Increase hawksbill numbers in the eastern Pacific Ocean by Conservation Indicator Metric(s) Other ((# of documents outlining (standardizing) data collection methods) Baseline Metric Value 0 Metric Value at Grant Completion 0 Long-term Goal Metric Value 1 Year in which Long Term Metric 2011 Value is Anticipated Page 2 of 49

3 Final Programmatic Report Narrative Instructions: Save this document on your computer and complete the narrative in the format provided. The final narrative should not exceed ten (10) pages; do not delete the text provided below. Once complete, upload this document into the on-line final programmatic report task as instructed. 1. Summary of Accomplishments In four to five sentences, provide a brief summary of the project s key accomplishments and outcomes that were observed or measured. During the most recent NFWF funded project cycle (October 2009 September 2010), ICAPO conducted a month long field survey along Pacific Panama to identify potential hawksbill hotspots and invigorate national hawksbill research and conservation. By providing leadership on grant writing activities, methodological/logistical planning and capacity training in the field, we helped seed a new hawksbill project in northwest Nicaragua, while also playing an important role in ongoing hawksbill projects in Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. In July 2010 we held the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific, bringing together sea turtle experts from across the eastern Pacific to share updated conservation successes, establish national and regional hawksbill research/conservation priorities, and strategize on the role of ICAPO in the future. We shared our research efforts and findings via media outlets, peer reviewed publications, Internet, and at multiple symposia, as well as during extensive field activities. We have also initiated efforts to provide top-down conservation support through collaborations with multi-national initiatives. 2. Project Activities & Outcomes Describe and quantify (using the approved metrics referenced in your grant agreement) the primary activities conducted during this grant. Briefly explain discrepancies between the activities conducted during the grant and the activities agreed upon in your grant agreement. Activities 1.1 Hawksbill assessment along Pacific Panama. In July and August 2010 ICAPO staff conducted a hawksbill assessment survey along Panama s Pacific Coast (Fig. 1). By engaging and interviewing approximately 250 fishermen and coastal community members we were able to identify several areas with confirmed foraging and/or nesting by the species. Hawksbill foraging appears relatively common along much of the Pacific Coast of Panama. We were able to confirm the in-water presence of the species at several sites (Fig. 2), while identifying several areas with particularly high potential (see Appendix 1). Anecdotal reports also indicate that sporadic hawksbill nesting (1-2 nests per year) occurs at several sites along Pacific Panama and we identified several areas of primary importance (Appendix 2). We were able to actually confirm nesting at two beaches, Malena and Figure 1. Route taken during hawksbill assessment along Pacific Panama. Morrillos, where we estimate 10 to 25 hawksbill nests are deposited each season. Efforts to increase monitoring at these sites are currently being promoted by ICAPO in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute, the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP) and the Maritime International Universtiy of Panama (UMIP). The identification of the Page 3 of 49

4 aforementioned hawksbill foraging and nesting sites, as well as another in Mexico (Punta Mita) and Nicaragua (Volcan Conseguina), surpassed our proposed project metric of identifying three additional hawksbill congregation areas. We also identified numerous areas along Pacific Panama that are in need of further investigation (Appendix 3) and in this respect Panama proved particularly challenging. Distinct from other countries previously surveyed for hawksbill presence, large stretches of the Pacific coast of Panama remain totally isolated and finding locals with knowledge of sea turtle presence in these areas was extremely difficult. Additionally, sea turtle conservation remains essentially nonexistent along the country s Pacific Coast -we only encountered five conservation projects during the surveythus quantifiable nesting information is severely lacking. Needless to say, efforts to increase hawksbill research is needed along most of the Pacific Coast of Panama and our efforts represent the first step in narrowing down potential areas of importance for the hawksbill turtles where such efforts should be undertaken. Figure 2. ICAPO researchers teaming up with local fishers in Panama to document foraging hawksbill along the country s Pacific Coast. By carrying out assessment activities we fulfilled an important approved metric (% of EP coastline investigated specifically for hawksbill presence), bringing the percent of eastern Pacific coastline surveyed for hawksbill presence up from approximately 20% to 30%. This value is just below the projected 35% because we were forced to abandon initial efforts to survey the southernmost stretch of Pacific Panama (Darien) due to rampant drug running and guerilla warfare in the region, which posed serious safety risks. 1.2 Hawksbill project cultivation and oversight In Nicaragua, ICAPO continued its leadership in spearheading hawksbill conservation initiatives by partnering with member organization Flora and Fauna International (FFI) and a local fishing cooperative (COJIZOPA) to establish a hawksbill project at the Estero Padre Ramos Natural Reserve. ICAPO staff visited the project site on multiple occasions, meeting with local organizations and community members to provide capacity training and oversee logistical aspects of the work (Fig. 3). ICAPO s fundamental oversight, which also included assisting to secure project funding and ensuring the implementation of regionally standardized methodologies, were monumental to the project s success. Our efforts in catalyzing the project fulfilled an important approved metric (# of eastern Pacific hawksbill conservations projects established), bringing the total number of hawksbill (nesting beach) projects in the eastern Pacific up from two to three. Seeding the project in Nicaragua is particularly important to ICAPO s long-term goals as the results of the project were unprecedented, with an astounding 280 hawksbill nesting events recorded. This figure represents approximately 40-50% of the known hawksbill nesting population in the eastern Pacific, thus providing significant momentum in our efforts to recover the species on a regional level. Building upon our successful role with the project in Nicaragua, as well as similar previous experiences in El Salvador and Ecuador, ICAPO is currently working to catalyze new conservation projects at several additional Figure 3. Meeting with local stakeholders to discuss hawksbill conservation strategies and provide capacity training. Page 4 of 49

5 sites in Mexico (with partner organization Grupo Ecologistas de Guayabitos), Costa Rica (with patner organization WIDECAST), Nicaragua (with partner organization Paso Pacifico), Panama (with partners previously mentioned) and the Gulf of Fonseca (with partner organizations CODEPA, ProTECTOR and FFI). 1.3 Drawing international attention to the importance of hawksbill conservation in the eastern Pacific The strategic use of media and other communication outlets has played a central role in ICAPO s ability to bring eastern Pacific hawksbills to the forefront of global sea turtle research and conservation movement. We surpassed the approved metrics of number of awareness opportunities (meetings, newspapers, television, etc.) featuring eastern Pacific hawksbills, examples of which are highlighted in the following paragraphs. Media We successfully had our efforts and the plight of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific featured in Conservation Magazine and Conservation News (see Appendix 4 and 5). These sources were duplicated extensively, reaching thousands of readers and effectively continuing to focus attention to hawksbill conservation efforts in the eastern Pacific. Our website has also been an efficient medium for sharing the hawksbill conservation message and garnering support for our work. One of our metrics of success was the number of individual visitors to the ICAPO website, which totaled 4,023 during the project period. This is slightly lower than the projected value at grant completion of 5000, but significant nonetheless and as the website continues to gain recognition we expect increased traffic. Peer reviewed literature A peer reviewed scientific article was published in the prestigious journal Oryx featuring the most comprehensive information on hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific to date (see Appendix 6). In addition to providing a current assessment of the state of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific, the document also provides recommendations for conservation and research, as well as a historical narrative of documentation of the species in the region. Two additional manuscripts on the movement behavior of hawksbills in the eastern Pacific are currently under review. These documents represent a crucial body of literature that provides novel and invaluable ecological information vital to effective conservation and management of the species. Presentations ICAPO staff gave oral presentations on project activities, results and future endeavors at the International Sea Turtle Symposium, held in Goa, India, as well as at the III Regional Symposium on Marine Turtles in the Southeastern Pacific in Santa Elena, Ecuador. These two events were attended by several hundred participants -many young scientists seeking new research avenues- and thus our message on eastern Pacific hawksbills had a particularly large impact. 1.4 Influence fishermen and coastal community members perspectives and actions towards hawksbills. Engaging fishers and coastal community members Fishermen and coastal community members were instrumental to the success of our endeavors. Via extensive interaction with fishermen and coastal community members during interviews and other project activities (training, festival, satellite tagging, etc.), we have promoted a fundamental shift in the perceptions and actions of these stakeholders, including the reduction of destructive practices such as egg collection, direct take and the use of unsustainable fishing gear. In many cases we partnered with ICAPO member organizations to increase accessibility to the public. Events such as our satellite tagging activities involved the participation of hundreds of local community members and provided unique opportunities to raise awareness of the importance of protecting hawksbills. Extensive social interaction was also undertaken during the establishment of the hawksbill sighting network with local community members and conservation organizations. By engaging local stakeholders and involving them in the process of conservation we empowered them to take on greater responsibility regarding the future of hawksbills. Via our activities in both Panama and Nicaragua we far surpassed another approved metric (# of fishermen engaged and provided awareness opportunities) by engaging more than 400 fishers and coastal community members. Hawksbill turtle festival Page 5 of 49

6 ICAPO co-hosted the First Annual Festival of the Hawksbill Turtle in Estero Padre Ramos in Nicaragua in July The principal aims of the festival were to raise awareness about the plight of eastern Pacific hawksbills and the importance of Estero Padre Ramos (Nicaragua) for their survival, while encouraging reduction in illegal egg collection and the trafficking of hawksbill-derived products. We invited community members from the seven surrounding communities, as well as from organizations and institutions from Nicaragua s capital of Managua. Activities included local and national musical performances, project awards for top local hawksbill conservation contributors, food and games and other outreach activities. Production of marketing material Marketing material such as stickers and t-shirts were produced for the project and disseminated to local community members and at meetings. The items have been effective in generating recognition of the current effort to save hawksbills and have sparked local participation in conservation of the species. 1.5 Regional planning and strengthening the ICAPO network On July 13-14, 2010, we held the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific in Estero Padre Ramos, Nicaragua. The workshop was attended by 56 participants hailing from every country in the eastern Pacific where hawksbills occur, including the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (Fig. 4). The objectives of the workshop were to: Share updated information on hawksbills and research/conservation projects, thus improving our knowledge on the actual status of the species in the region. Prioritize research needs and develop strategies for the regional recovery of the species. Figure 4. Participants of the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific. Strengthen the eastern Pacific hawksbill conservation movement and define objectives and actions of the ICAPO network into the future. To reach these objectives participants discussed: advances in research and conservation of the species; strategies for cultivating projects and raising awareness in the region; prioritizing efforts both regionally and nationally; vision and direction of ICAPO; and efforts to initiate of legal framework to support conservation of the population. We are currently compiling the discussions and findings from the meeting, including national and regional hawksbill research/conservation priorities, in a workshops proceedings document, which once produced will fulfill another of our approved metrics (to create a document outlining eastern Pacific hawksbill conservation strategies). ICAPO will also be hosting a research/conservation methodologies workshop during the 31 st International Sea Turtle Symposium to be held in San Diego, California (United States), during which we will discuss the standardization of methodologies and facilitate multinational collaborations on hawksbill work throughout the region. 1.6 Building top-down support for hawksbill conservation in the eastern Pacific ICAPO has advanced efforts to provide legally binding and/or multi-national support for hawksbill conservation in the eastern Pacific. ICAPO recently provided eastern Pacific hawksbill conservation guidelines (Appendix 7) to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for incorporation into the Work Plan for a portion of their program, Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic Alternatives (MAREA). This is a comprehensive five-year management initiative that will soon be launched along the coast of several countries in Central America and that could have huge implications for hawksbill conservation in the region. Our guidelines are essential to ensuring that hawksbill turtles are considered a focal point within the Work Plan of this multinational effort. ICAPO has also been collaborating with the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Page 6 of 49

7 Turtles (IAC) and the ICAPO workshop was featured in IAC newsletter (Appendix 8). One of the main strengths of the IAC its multi-national, legally binding nature. We are currently promoting the signing of the IAC by (non-member) government bodies of countries where hawksbills occur, namely Nicaragua and Panama. Furthermore, we are evaluating the possibilities of creating an IAC resolution that specifically highlights hawksbill conservation needs in the eastern Pacific. Outcomes Describe and quantify progress towards achieving the project outcomes described in your grant agreement. (Quantify using the approved metrics referenced in your grant agreement or by using more relevant metrics not included in the application.) Briefly explain discrepancies between what actually happened compared to what was anticipated to happen. Provide any further information (such as unexpected outcomes) important for understanding project activities and outcome results. The ultimate goal of ICAPO is to substantially increase hawksbill numbers at coastal regions of the eastern Pacific by During the most recent project cycle we made great strides towards fulfilling that goal. We undertook the assessment along Pacific Panama, thus beginning to fill an important hawksbill information gap and meeting both our percent of eastern Pacific coastline and identification of hawksbill aggregation areas metrics (discussed in section 1.1). ICAPO played a central role in catalyzing the project in Estero Padre Ramos, Nicaragua, thus meeting our project cultivation metric (discussed in section 1.2), and we continue spearheading new projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, as well as a tri-national effort in the Gulf of Fonseca. We also are producing a document that discussed both regional and national conservation priorities for hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific (discussed in section 1.5). Our original metric was to create a document outlining (standardizing) data collection methods and while this isn t the exact document that is in production due to changes in subject covered during the workshop. Notwithstanding this perspective, we will also be creating a standardized methodology document after hosting the research/conservation methodologies workshop at the 31 st International Sea Turtle Symposium to be held in San Diego (discussed in section 1.6). Another of our outcome metrics was the number of hawksbills events (nesting, marine sightings, strandings) reported to network (per year), which we had optimistically set at 300 new reports. In actually we more than doubled this number, with more than 400 new hawksbill nesting, foraging and stranding reports coming in during the course of the project time period. We met the approved metric of incorporating (nine) new active members in the ICAPO conservation network by expanding the ICAPO network by 14 members, bringing the total member size to 35. New members included individuals/organizations from Honduras, Panama and Peru, countries where ICAPO was previously lacking representation. The incorporation of these new members and the expansion of the ICAPO network are key to building the ties necessary for increased hawksbill conservation in the region. In combination, the aforementioned research, conservation and management activities have resulted in the protection of adult hawksbills and increased hatchling production, thus moving ICAPO towards its ultimate goal of increased hawksbill populations in the region. 3. Lessons Learned Describe the key lessons learned from this project, such as the least and most effective conservation practices or notable aspects of the project s methods, monitoring, or results. How could other conservation organizations adapt their projects to build upon some of these key lessons about what worked best and what did not? Interviews with local fishers and community members are fundamental to identifying highly elusive or endangered species such as hawksbills. We recommend fisher and community interviews surveys be carried out as the first step along the entire eastern Pacific coastline where such efforts have yet to take place. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the effectiveness of interviews is limited when dealing with areas that are isolated and/or where human populations are scant. For instance, in Panama we identified numerous islands and/or isolated beaches where locals simply did not Page 7 of 49

8 know what species of turtles were nesting, nor in what quantity. In such cases the most feasible method to understand hawksbill abundance would be to design a beach census during the height of the nesting season (although this may also be unknown). However, considering the low density nesting often exhibited by hawksbills and the abundant stretches of isolated coastline still remaining along Pacific Central America, carrying out such surveys will be both temporally and financially challenging. Notwithstanding this perspective, until such efforts are carried out, the actual status of hawksbill populations in the eastern Pacific will remain incomplete. 4. Dissemination Briefly identify any dissemination of lessons learned or other project results to external audiences, such as the public or other conservation organizations. As described in sections 1.3 and 1.6, our project activities, achievements and findings have been shared via an amalgam of outlets. We have provided data and guidelines to local governmental organizations, reached multiple audiences through media outlets (including print/internet, peer-reviewed scientific literature and presentations at local and international symposia) and directly shared results with community members at several sites throughout the eastern Pacific. 5. Project Documents Include in your final programmatic report, via the Uploads section of this task, the following: 2-10 representative photos from the project. Photos need to have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi; report publications, GIS data, brochures, videos, outreach tools, press releases, media coverage; any project deliverables per the terms of your grant agreement. POSTING OF FINAL REPORT: This report and attached project documents may be shared by the Foundation and any Funding Source for the Project via their respective websites. In the event that the Recipient intends to claim that its final report or project documents contains material that does not have to be posted on such websites because it is protected from disclosure by statutory or regulatory provisions, the Recipient shall clearly mark all such potentially protected materials as PROTECTED and provide an explanation and complete citation to the statutory or regulatory source for such protection. List of annexed documents Appendix 1 Map depicting confirmed and anecdotal foraging sites for hawksbill turtles within our study area along Pacific Panama. Appendix 2 Map depicting confirmed and anecdotal nesting sites for hawksbill turtles within our study area along Pacific Panama. Appendix 3 Map depicting priority research and conservation areas for hawksbill turtles along Pacific Panama. Appendix 4 Article featured in Conservation Magazine discussing findings by the ICAPO network. Appendix 5 Conservation News article featured in the journal Oryx on the hawksbill project and the regional workshop held in Nicaragua by ICAPO and FFI. Appendix 6 Scientific article published in the journal Oryx discussing hawksbill turtle status in the eastern Pacific. Appendix 7 Hawksbill research and conservation guidelines provided by the ICAPO network to US AID s Project MAREA. Appendix 8 IAC newsletter featuring the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific Appendix 9 Project photos Page 8 of 49

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12 Conservation Magazine» Hawksbill Hope» Print 9/9/10 11:45 AM - Conservation Magazine Hawksbill Hope Posted By dmalakoff On September 9, 8:15 am In Journal Watch No Comments [1] Things may not be as bleak as they once seemed for one endangered sea turtle. A new survey finds that hawksbill turtles are more widespread in the eastern Pacific than earlier studies had suggested. Still, the comparatively optimistic findings still show that the turtle continues to be highly endangered and will need help to survive. The hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) is found around the world in tropical seas, but is deemed critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In part, that s because the turtle has been heavily hunted for its elaborately colored shell, which is prized by jewelry and crafts makers. Whole turtles are also killed, stuffed, and sold as curios. By the 1980s, biologists feared the species was essentially extinct in the eastern Pacific, where it was once common from Mexico to Ecuador. It is now considered the rarest marine turtle in the region. To get a better picture of how the hawksbill was faring, in June 2008 sea turtle experts gathered in El Salvador to share data and identify possible conservation strategies. Now, in the journal Oryx, the multinational team presents some encouraging news: Surveys conducted between January 2007 and May 2009 found hawksbills nesting on beaches in 6 nations in the eastern Pacific, and swimming in coastal waters off 7 nations. Overall, researchers spotted 540 nests, with nearly 80% in El Salvador. Mexico ranked first in swimming turtles, with about 60% of the 73 animals recorded, according to the study, which was published online on August 27. The numbers are preliminary, in part because the surveys were limited and the animals tend to use remote beaches for nesting. Still, they suggest that El Salvador hosts the largest known remaining hawksbill turtle rookeries in the eastern Pacific, highlighting the urgent need to consolidate protection, conservation and research for the species there. One continuing threat is bomb fishing, or the use of explosives to kill or stun fish and force them to the surface. The number of turtles found off Mexico, meanwhile, underscores the importance of the country s waters as a foraging and nursery area. But it also poses a puzzle, since the turtles don t seem to be nesting in Mexico. One possibility is that Mexican waters serve as an important migratory pathway or developmental area. Overall, the findings suggest just a few hundred turtles reproduce annually along more than 15,000 kilometers of coastline. Still, the pervasiveness of the species in the region suggests potential for conservation and recovery, the authors conclude. So far, they add, the hawksbill has gotten relatively little attention from conservationists in the region, so even a modest increase in effort might bring significant gains. David Malakoff Source: Gaos, A., Abreu-Grobois, F., Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Amorocho, D., Arauz, R., Baquero, A., Briseño, R., Chacón, D., Dueñas, C., Hasbún, C., Liles, M., Mariona, G., Muccio, C., Muñoz, J., Nichols, W., Peña, M., Seminoff, J., Vásquez, M., Urteaga, J., Wallace, B., Yañez, I., & Zárate, P. Page 1 of 2 Page 12 of 49

13 Conservation Magazine» Hawksbill Hope» Print 9/9/10 11:45 AM (2010). Signs of hope in the eastern Pacific: international collaboration reveals encouraging status for the severely depleted population of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata. Oryx, 1-7 DOI: /S [2] Image Rainer von Brandis Article printed from Conservation Magazine: URL to article: URLs in this post: [1] Image: [2] /S : Copyright 2010 Conservation Magazine. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 2 Page 13 of 49

14 Conservation news New conservation project for hawksbill turtles in Estero Padre Ramos Natural Reserve, Nicaragua Although categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, new discoveries continue to raise hopes for the recovery of hawksbill marine turtles Eretmochelys imbricata in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In 2008 a regionwide workshop on the species led to the formation of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO, from its Spanish acronym), an organization that aims to understand, protect and conserve hawksbill turtles in the region. ICAPO s strength comes from collaborative partnerships between local conservation organizations throughout the eastern Pacific. Following leads generated at the workshop ICAPO staff visited the Estero Padre Ramos Natural Reserve in July 2009, on Nicaragua s north-west coast, which was rumoured to host nesting hawksbill turtles. The team met with local community leaders and representatives of Nicaragua s Ministry of the Environment (MARENA), and found a total of 11 hawksbill nests, all of which had been poached. Using information on the condition of the nests and anecdotal reports by local community leaders about annual hawksbill nesting density, the research team made a conservative estimate of hawksbill nests per season in Estero Padre Ramos. Considering that only hawksbills are thought to nest annually across the entire eastern Pacific (from Mexico to Peru), which consists of c. 15,000 km of coastline, these estimates would make Estero Padre Ramos one of the most important nesting sites for the species in the region. A few months after the visit ICAPO joined forces with Flora & Fauna International (FFI) and secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), The William H. Donner Foundation and the National Geographic Society to initiate a conservation programme at Estero Padre Ramos. Through the leadership of members of a local fishing cooperative (Cooperativa Multi-Sectorial de Jiquilillo, los Zorros y Padre Ramos, COJIZOPA), the project officially began on 9 May On only the second day of monitoring the team encountered its first nest and several more have since been protected. As the season progresses and the peak of the nesting season nears, data on nesting levels at Estero Padre Ramos will continue to accumulate and allow the assessment of the regional importance of the site. Inspired largely by the recent discoveries at Estero Padre Ramos the site has been chosen as the venue for the Second Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific, in July This gathering will provide an important opportunity for stakeholders to discuss and design options for conservation and recovery of the population, while highlighting the recent discoveries in Estero Padre Ramos. The meeting will conclude with the first-ever Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Festival, which will include local and national bands, educational games and conservation awards. Hawksbill conservation efforts in Estero Padre Ramos hinge largely on local community member stewardship and the primary involvement of these stakeholders is a central focus of the project. ICAPO, FFI, COJIZOPA, NFWF and MARENA are working cohesively to assure the continued success of the project, whilst eagerly awaiting information on the number of nesting females from the first season of monitoring. ALEXANDER GAOS Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative, San Diego, USA. info@hawksbill.org JOSE URTEAGA Fauna & Flora International, Managua, Nicaragua Massive die-off of fish at Lake Naivasha, Kenya Following heavy storms along the southern shore of Lake Naivasha on February 2010 many thousands of fish were found the following morning floating on the surface of the water adjacent to several horticultural farms. The event triggered intensive media speculation about the cause, together with an outcry from local fishermen and residents. Laboratory tests have shown that the fish died of oxygen starvation but the true cause of the problem is as yet unclear. Lake Naivasha, long regarded as the jewel in the crown of Rift Valley lakes, was formerly known for its crystal clear waters and rich biodiversity. It was arguably one of Kenya s most valuable ecosystems and freshwater resources but over the past 30 years has been subjected to sustained abuse as a result of uncontrolled and unplanned human activities, which have resulted in the degradation of the entire lake basin to such an extent that it may already be irreparably damaged. A burgeoning horticulture industry centred around the lake has attracted migrant workers from all parts of the country, and as a result numerous unplanned townships have emerged to service the ever expanding farms that produce flowers and vegetables for export to the supermarkets of Europe. A 10-fold population increase and poor land-use practices have led to massive surface run-off, bringing thousands of tons of silt, nutrients and solid waste into the lake. Pollution of the lake is caused by nutrients leaking from some commercial horticultural farms together with all of Naivasha town s raw sewage, which enters the lake daily. Meanwhile, the papyrus belt that for decades ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, 44(3), doi: /s x Downloaded: 30 Jul 2010Page Username: 14 of 49oryx IP address:

15 Oryx The International Journal of Conservation Signs of hope in the eastern Pacific: international collaboration reveals encouraging status for the severely depleted population of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata A lexander R. Gaos,F.A.Abreu-Grobois,J.Alfaro-Shigueto,D.Amorocho R. Arauz,A.Baquero,R.BriseÑ O,D.ChacÓ N,C.DueÑ AS,C.HasbÚ n,m.liles G. Mariona,C.Muccio,J.P.Mu Ñ OZ,W.J.Nichols,M.PEÑA,J.A.SEMINOFF M. VÁ SQUEZ,J.URTEAGA,B.WALLACE,I.L.YAÑEZ and P. ZÁ rate ALEXANDER R. GAOS (Corresponding author) The Ocean Foundation, Washington, USA, and San Diego State University, Department of Biology, 3193 B Street, San Diego, California 92102, USA. info@hawksbill F.A. ABREU-GROBOIS and R. BRISEÑO Laboratorio de Genética y Banco de Información sobre Tortugas Marinas, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM, Mazatlán, México J. ALFARO-SHIGUETO ProDelphinus, Lima, Peru, and University of Exeter, Exeter, UK D. AMOROCHO Centro de Investigación para el Manejo Ambiental y el Desarrollo, Cali, Colombia R. ARAUZ Programa de Restauración de Tortugas Marinas, Tibás, San José, Costa Rica A. BAQUERO*, J.P. MUÑOZ and M. PEÑA Fundación Equilibrio Azul, Quito, Ecuador D. CHACÓN WIDECAST-Latin America, Tibás, San José, Costa Rica C. DUEÑAS Ministerio del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, San Salvador, El Salvador C. HASBÚN USAID, Santa Elena, La Libertad, El Salvador M. LILES and G. MARIONA, Fundación Zoológica de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador C. MUCCIO Asociación de Rescate y Conservación de Vida Silvestre, San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala W.J. NICHOLS California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA J.A. SEMINOFF National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, San Diego, USA M. VÁSQUEZ Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología de la Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador J. URTEAGA Flora & Fauna International, Managua, Nicaragua B. WALLACE Conservation International, Global Marine Division, Arlington, USA I.L. YAÑEZ Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias, A.C., La Paz, Mexico, and The Ocean Foundation, Washington, DC, USA P. ZÁRATE Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, and Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador *Also at: Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador Received 11 September Revision requested 30 November Accepted 22 January Abstract While little is known about hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata in the eastern Pacific Ocean, available information suggests that the population has declined substantially in recent decades and could be near extirpation in the region. To evaluate the current status of the population more effectively and to determine the feasibility of recovery efforts, a workshop of regional marine turtle specialists was held in June 2008 in Los Cóbanos, El Salvador. An international working group, Iniciativa Carey del Pacífico Oriental (ICAPO; Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative in English), was established to consolidate information, promote conservation projects and raise awareness about the species. We present information derived from the workshop and compiled by the ICAPO working group since that time. Considering only records from 1 January 2007 to 31 May 2009 it appears that El Salvador hosts the majority of known hawksbill turtle nesting activity in the eastern Pacific, with 79.6% (n 5 430) of all nesting observation records, and Mexico hosts the majority of records of hawksbill turtles at sea, with 60.3% (n 5 44) of all in-water observation records. Although current abundance is very low, the pervasiveness of the species in the region suggests potential for conservation and recovery. Despite a historical paucity of research focusing on this population, the relatively large and steadily increasing number of records as a result of concerted efforts demonstrates the viability of the ICAPO network as an instrument to promote conservation of this species in the eastern Pacific. Keywords Conservation network, Critically Endangered, eastern Pacific Ocean, Eretmochelys imbricata, hawksbill turtle, recovery, status, tortoiseshell Introduction The hawksbill marine turtle Eretmochelys imbricata is distributed circum-tropically and categorized on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered (Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008) as a result of the decline of populations throughout its range (Meylan, 1999; Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008). Unique to this species of marine turtle, and one of the principal reasons for its decline, is the collection of its elaborately coloured keratinous shell (tortoiseshell, or bekko as it is referred to in Japan) for fabrication of items ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Page 1 of 7 doi: /s Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 15 of 49e.allen IP address:

16 2 A. R. Gaos et al. such as rings and pendants (Carr, 1952; Parsons, 1972; King, 1982; Chacón & Arauz, 2002; Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008). Entire individuals are also commonly collected and sold as stuffed curios (King, 1982). Hawksbill turtles are particularly threatened in the Pacific Ocean where they are approaching regional extirpation (NMFS & USFWS, 1998; Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008). This is especially the case in the eastern Pacific, where the species was once considered common from Mexico to Ecuador (Cliffton et al., 1982) but is now the rarest marine turtle in the region (Cornelius, 1982). As in other parts of the world, the historical reduction in numbers in the eastern Pacific is closely tied to the tortoiseshell trade, as well as to egg harvest and fisheries bycatch (Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008). The earliest accounts of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific come from the diaries of 18th century pirates and missionaries, who wrote about commercial tortoiseshell industries and important breeding cites for the species in north-west Mexico (see references in Sáenz-Arroyo et al., 2006). Hawksbill turtles were abundant and heavily exploited in the region up to the mid 20th century (Caldwell, 1962; Townsend, 1916, cited in Cliffton et al., 1982; Felger & Moser, 1985; Nichols, 2003), with fishermen recalling how the crew of a single fishing canoe could capture 5 7 hawksbill turtles in one night (Cliffton et al., 1982). Major and sporadic nesting was known to occur along the coasts of El Salvador, Ecuador and Colombia (Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008) but no major nesting sites were thought to persist into contemporary times (Cliffton et al., 1982). After commercial extinction even hawksbill turtles encountered opportunistically were killed for their shell, which became increasingly valuable (Nichols, 2003). Despite an apparently large reduction in numbers the hawksbill turtles of the eastern Pacific have received little attention; published quantitative data on nesting and foraging are almost non-existent (but see Seminoff et al., 2003; Gaos et al., 2006). Long-term marine turtle conservation strategies, status assessments and recovery plans require reliable quantitative and qualitative information (Taylor, 1995; Brook et al., 1997). Scarcity of data for hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific was recognized by the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group as one of the principal barriers to effective conservation of the species (Mast et al., 2004). Individuals and organizations working throughout the eastern Pacific therefore convened a datagathering meeting (First Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific) on July 2008 in Los Cóbanos, El Salvador (ICAPO, 2008). The objectives of the workshop were to compile current scientific knowledge on the species, identify priority research sites and issues, and identify the main threats. At the workshop participants collaboratively established an international working group, Iniciativa Carey del Pacífico Oriental (ICAPO; Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative in English), to consolidate information, promote projects and raise awareness about the species. Following the workshop ICAPO has continued to compile information on confirmed observations of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific. Based on this information, we present here the most complete set of nesting and in-water sightings, strandings and bycatch observations for hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific available to date and use it to make recommendations for future research and management. Methods Workshop At least one participant was invited from each country in the eastern Pacific, from the USA to Peru (Fig. 1), believed to be the northernmost and southernmost limits of the population, respectively (Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008). Participants were asked to serve as representatives for their regions/countries and/or field of expertise and to gather and present information pertaining to hawksbill turtles, including local conservation legislation, principal threats, past, existing and future conservation programmes, and a summary of available biological and ecological data. The latter were summarized in five observation categories: (1) Nesting: any turtles emerging ashore in an attempt to nest, whether successful or not. (2) In-water: any recorded at sea, including fisheries bycatch, in-water monitoring and visual confirmations (e.g. while scuba diving). (3) Stranding: any encountered dead along the shoreline or inland (e.g. on garbage dumps). (4) Curios: any shells or entire (stuffed) individuals on display in homes, restaurants, shops or elsewhere. (5) Captivity: any being held in captivity (e.g. in an aquarium). The data were attained via numerous methods (e.g. directed studies, opportunistic monitoring, random sightings), detailed accounts of which are not presented here. A threat assessment, following guidelines outlined by the Inter-American Convention for the Conservation and Protection of Marine Turtles (IAC Secretariat, 2004), was conducted. It included: creation of a list of threats, examination of techniques to reduce the effects associated with each threat, and prioritization of the three greatest threats or impacts according to contribution, breadth (having broad, multi-scale impacts), irreversibility and severity. Ongoing data gathering Following the workshop members of the ICAPO working group made concerted efforts to increase data collection on hawksbill turtles and to promote and undertake efforts that would lead to increased information on the species. These data were compiled into the ICAPO database. Data ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 16 of 49e.allen IP address:

17 Hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific 3 FIG. 1 The study area of the eastern Pacific, with total nesting observations reported, by country, from 1 January 2007 to 31 May 2009, of the hawksbill marine turtle Eretmochelys imbricata along the coast from Mexico to Peru. collection included: (1) Informing local individuals, organizations and networks of the need to collect information on the species and soliciting the delivery of such information to ICAPO members. (2) Conducting in-water monitoring, conservation projects at nesting beaches, bycatch observations, interviews of fishermen, beach carcass surveys, and following up anecdotal information on the presence of the species. (3) Contacting potential members for the working group, particularly in countries not represented or underrepresented at the workshop. (4) Facilitating communications among members of the working group via creation of a listserv. (5) Utilizing the media and presentations at national and international meetings to raise awareness of the situation facing hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific and the need for conservation and data collection. Results Observations of hawksbill turtles collected by the ICAPO working group up to 31 May 2009 are summarized in Table 1. Based on the knowledge shared at the workshop El Salvador, Ecuador, Mexico and Nicaragua were identified as priority countries in which to begin or expand investigation and conservation of hawksbill turtles. El Salvador was identified as the top priority country because of the relatively large number of observations of hawksbill turtles there and the severe demographic pressures and other threats. Conducting exploratory activities to identify potentially critical habitat for the species throughout the eastern Pacific was considered a high priority issue. It was also noted that as no representatives from Honduras, Panama or Peru were present at the workshop, the consequent lack of information for these countries might be why they have been excluded as priority areas for investigation and/or research. The following issues were identified as important action points for conservation and recovery of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific: d d d d d d Establish a database on the biology, status and conservation actions pertaining to the species and standardize future data collection. Protect hawksbill turtles at known nesting and in-water aggregation sites and promote efforts to identify and protect any additional sites. Guarantee the protection of hawksbill turtles in El Salvador and in other countries with critical habitat for the species. Quantify and reduce mortality from incidental bycatch and implement fisheries mitigation methods when appropriate and feasible. Identify the genetic structure of the species in the eastern Pacific. Identify migration routes and behaviour in nesting and foraging habitats using techniques such as satellite telemetry and flipper-tagging programmes. ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 17 of 49e.allen IP address:

18 4 A. R. Gaos et al. TABLE 1 Observations of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting, at sea, stranded, as curios and in captivity reported from 1 January 1982 to 31 May 2009, and separately for the 25-year period and for 1 January 2007 to 31 May 2009 (NI, no informant, ND, no data). Country Nesting Marine Stranded Curios Captivity Total 1 January 1982 to 31 May 2009 Mexico Guatemala 2 3 ND ND 1 6 El Salvador ND 574 Honduras NI NI NI NI NI NI Nicaragua ND ND 42 Costa Rica ND ND 61 Panama NI NI NI NI NI NI Colombia ND ND 25 Ecuador Peru ND 19 2 ND ND 21 Total ,092 1 January 1982 to 31 December 2006 Mexico ND Guatemala 1 ND ND ND ND 5 EI Salvador 108 ND 8 ND ND 116 Honduras NI NI NI NI NI NI Nicaragua 7 ND ND ND ND 7 Costa Rica ND ND 16 Panama NI NI NI NI NI NI Colombia ND 3 ND ND ND 3 Ecuador ND 11 ND ND ND 25 Peru ND ND ND ND ND 16 Total ND January 2007 to 31 May 2009 Mexico Guatemala 1 ND ND ND ND 1 EI Salvador ND 458 Honduras NI NI NI NI NI NI Nicaragua ND ND 35 Costa Rica ND ND 45 Panama NI NI NI NI NI NI Colombia ND ND 22 Ecuador 31 3 ND Peru ND 3 2 ND ND 5 Total d d d d Strengthen the participation of key people and bodies, such as fishers, ecotourism operators, local communities and decision makers at various levels of government, and recognize (via distinctions such as awards and prizes) those that contribute to the protection of the species. Establish alliances and multinational projects for conservation of the species. Develop an education and outreach campaign to raise awareness of the conservation status of the species. Generate funding to comply with these recommendations. It was determined that fisheries bycatch, egg harvest and habitat alteration were the most pressing threats to hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific (Table 2). Additional country-specific (north to south) threats identified were: Mexico (ghost nets), Guatemala (lack of information), El Salvador (dynamite fishing), Nicaragua (dynamite fishing and lack of information), Costa Rica (trawl fisheries), Colombia (ghost nets) and Ecuador (gill-net fisheries and boat collisions). Discussion Cliffton et al. (1982) concluded that hawksbill turtles had become rare to non-existent in most localities in the eastern Pacific and reported that no nesting had been seen there for some years. In contrast, the data compiled by the ICAPO network present a comparatively optimistic summary of the status of the species in this region. Comparing the number of observations of hawksbill turtles reported for the eastern Pacific prior to 1 January 2007 (n 5 328; 1 January 1982 to 31 December 2006; 9,131 days; Table 1) with those compiled since that time (n 5 764; 1 January 2007 to 31 May 2009; 882 days; Table 1) it is clear that a substantially larger percentage of reports (70%) come from the latter period. This does not, however, necessarily indicate recovery of the species, but rather the effectiveness of efforts by ICAPO members to increase data collection and hence provide a more accurate evaluation of the species status. Six countries reported verified hawksbill nesting between 1 January 2007 and 31 May 2009, totalling 540 nests, 430 (79.6%) of which occurred in El Salvador. El Salvador thus hosts the largest known remaining hawksbill turtle rookeries in the eastern Pacific, highlighting the urgent need to consolidate protection, conservation and research for the species there. A major conservation issue that needs to be addressed is the use of explosives for fishing (also known as bomb fishing), which killed several adult-sized hawksbill turtles in El Salvador 2008 and 2009 (M. Liles & M. Vasquez, unpubl. data). Despite pleas to the Salvadoran government actions to stop fishing with explosives remain inadequate. However, given the recent change in the country s political leadership and new laws prohibiting the collection and sale of marine turtle products (Executive Orders 343 and 74, 4 February 2009) the situation may improve. Nesting in other regions of the eastern Pacific seems to be considerably lower. The 31 nesting observations reported for Ecuador originated predominantly from one beach, La Playita ( S, S), 800 m in length, within Machalilla National Park, along the country s central Pacific coast. Significant hawksbill turtle nesting is reported for Nicaragua (n 5 29) and anecdotal reports are emanating from the Padre Ramos Estuary ( S, W) and much of the country s Pacific coast, which remains largely under-investigated. The majority of nesting observations (n 5 36) reported for Costa Rica during ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 18 of 49e.allen IP address:

19 Hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific 5 TABLE 2 Prioritization of threats to hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific based on a 1 5 scale following the guidelines outlined by the Inter-American Convention for the Conservation of Marine Turtles (IAC Secretariat, 2004). Threats 1 Contribution Breadth Irreversibility Severity Total Bycatch (D) Egg extraction (D) Habitat alteration (I) Lack of basic information (I) Lack of or insufficient policy & regulation (I) Direct capture & take (D) Commercialization of products (I) D, direct threat; I, indirect threat 2 Dynamite fishing 3 Coastal development and solid and liquid wastes were recorded over 3 weeks in late November 2008 during a pilot monitoring project in Corcovado National Park ( N, W). These findings are particularly surprising considering that Costa Rica probably hosts the most marine turtle monitoring projects of any country in Central America, and much of its Pacific coastline has been well surveyed for marine turtle activity, but reports of hawksbill turtle nesting in the country have previously been scant (Gaos et al., 2006). Seven countries in the eastern Pacific reported verified in-water observations of hawksbill turtles between 1 January 2007 and 31 May 2009, totalling 73 records, 44 (60.3%) of which were from Mexico, underscoring the importance of the country s waters as a foraging and nursery area for the species (Nichols, 2003; Seminoff et al., 2003). Although hawksbill turtles are known to use distinct nesting and foraging habitats (Tröeng et al., 2005), considering the percentage of reported in-water records that come from Mexico and the fact that other marine turtle species nest abundantly along the country s Pacific coast, the low number of hawksbill turtles reported nesting is puzzling. Whether this is a result of a lack of nesting in the region, that nesting sites remain undocumented, or that Pacific Mexico is an important migratory pathway or developmental area for hawksbill turtles originating from the relatively few nesting colonies, is unknown. It is important to note that the relatively high number of nesting observations in El Salvador and Ecuador and of inwater observations in Mexico are largely the result of efforts focused on hawksbill turtles and that these are the only countries where such efforts have taken place. Therefore, the potential importance of other countries should not be overlooked and, in addition, little information is available for Panama and Honduras, which do not yet have representatives in the ICAPO working group. To estimate the abundance of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific an increase in monitoring is required, and this needs to recognize that in this region the species appears to utilize nesting and foraging habitats that are different from those used by the species in other regions. Adult hawksbill turtles are primarily utilizing mangrove and estuarine habitats for foraging, a behaviour that has been documented via satellite telemetry throughout the region (Gaos et al., unpubl. data), in contrast with the coral reef habitats utilized by adults in other regions (Carr et al., 1966; Meylan, 1988; van Dam & Diez, 1996). In El Salvador adult hawksbill turtles are not only foraging within the mangrove estuary of Bahia Jiquilisco ( S, W) but also using its shorelines as their principal nesting sites (M. Liles, pers. comm.), and similar foraging/nesting is believed to occur in the Padre Ramos Estuary, Nicaragua (L. Manzanares, pers. comm.). The only other instance of marine turtle nesting in such habitat was recently reported for hawksbill turtles in the Términos Lagoon Protected Area ( S, W) on the Caribbean coast of Mexico (Guzmán etal.,inpress)butbothnestingandadultforaging in such habitat appears to be a rare behaviour, possibly exclusive to hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific. Along central Pacific Mexico ( S, W) and south-west Nicaragua ( S, W) hawksbill turtles have also been documented nesting in low numbers along very short stretches of beach (e.g., 100 m in length), often hidden within small coves and inlets. This cryptic, low-density nesting probably explains why the species has gone unnoticed in this region and it is possible that remote beaches hosting important numbers of nesting hawksbill turtles remain undocumented. The use of such remote and atypical nesting habitat could also be, in part, a result of the species having been extirpated from more accessible habitats in the region. The small number of hawksbill turtles and their obscure nesting locations in the eastern Pacific makes the implementation of projects and the documentation of nesting activity logistically challenging and underscores the importance of strong, integrated multi-sector conservation programmes in the region. Sharing and expanding existing research and conservation efforts to include hawksbill turtles in government conservation plans and strategies, and university and NGO programmes, will be key to generating information on the species. Anecdotal reports ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 19 of 49e.allen IP address:

20 6 A. R. Gaos et al. of hawksbill turtles nesting and foraging can provide an important guide for more rigorous assessments. Although information currently available on hawksbill turtles in all subregions of the eastern Pacific remains incomplete, the information collated here is, as far as we are aware, the best available data. Our findings indicate that only a few hundred hawksbill nests are deposited annually along the. 15,000 km of eastern Pacific coastline. Considering the vast area, these numbers are very low and, even if further nesting sites are discovered in remote locations, suggest that hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific are highly threatened. However, the conservation effort devoted to the hawksbill turtle in the region is much less than that for other marine turtle species (e.g. olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea; Abreu-Grobois and Plotkin, 2008). Notwithstanding the relatively low overall numbers, our findings demonstrate the continued presence and geographical pervasiveness of hawksbill turtles throughout the eastern Pacific. Through ICAPO s concerted efforts we have established baseline data and demonstrated that both nesting and foraging areas for the species exist. Researchers have only recently begun to make specific efforts to document hawksbill turtles in the region and are generating valuable data. By raising awareness of the importance of collecting baseline information, promoting research and conservation projects, and assembling data, ICAPO will be able to play a pivotal role in the conservation of hawksbill turtles along the eastern Pacific coast. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Washington, DC, and La Jolla, California, USA) and the US Agency for International Development and Ocean Conservancy for their sponsorship of the workshop. We thank the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for providing key support for hawksbill research and conservation in the eastern Pacific, which led to much of the data provided here. We also thank data contributors, particularly Agnese Mancini, Alan Zavala (Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional Instituto Politécnico Nacional), Alejandro Peña de Niz, Amilcar Levi Cupul Magaña, Daniel Ríos Olmeda, Estela Carretero Montes, Feliciano Mendía, Gabriel Hoeffer, Graciela Tiburcio, Hoyt Peckham, Jorge Castrejón Pineda, José de Jesús Romero, José Luis Morales, Juan Antonio Trejo, Juan Salvador Aceves, Julio Solis, Luís García, Mario Salazar Ramos, Martha Harfush, Miguel Ángel Flores Peregrina, Jose Gerardo Ayala Tapia, Romelia Barnett, Ruben Espinoza, Volker Koch and Gustavo Hinojosa Arango (School for Field Studies) of Mexico; Ministry of the Environment (MARN) of El Salvador; Fabian Sanchez, Marc Ward, Erick Lopez and Jorge Ballesteros of Costa Rica; Sarah Otterstrom, Lisa Gonzalez (Paso Pacifico), Luis Manzanares and Eddy Maradiaga of Nicaragua; William Diaz and Duván Quiroga of Colombia; and Conservation International and Machalilla National Park of Ecuador. 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(in press) Hawksbill turtles on the Pacific coast of Costa Anidaciones de Tortuga Carey (E. imbricata) Dentro de una Laguna Costera en el Sureste de México. Marine Turtle Newsletter. IAC SECRETARIAT (2004) Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles An Introduction, September Protempore, San José, Costa Rica. ICAPO (INICIATIVA CAREY DEL PACÍFICO ORIENTAL) (2008) Proceedings from the First Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific. ICAPO, Los Cobanos, El Salvador. KING, F.W. (1982) Historical review of the decline of the green turtle and the hawksbill. In Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (ed. K.A. Bjorndal), pp Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA. M AST, R.B., H UTCHNSON, B.J. & P ILCHER, N.J. (2004) IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group news first quarter Marine Turtle Newsletter, 104, ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 20 of 49e.allen IP address:

21 Hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific 7 MEYLAN, A.B. (1988) Spongivory in hawksbill turtles: a diet of glass. Science, 239, MEYLAN, A.B. (1999) Status of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Caribbean Region. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 3, M EYLAN, A.B. & D ONNELLY,M.(1999) Status justification for listing the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) as Critically Endangered on the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 3, M ORTIMER, J.A. & D ONNELLY, M.(2008) Eretmochelys imbricata. In IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v iucnredlist.org [accessed 22 March 2010]. N ICHOLS, W.J. (2003) Biology and conservation of the sea turtles of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. PhD thesis, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. NMFS & USFWS (NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE &USFISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE) (1998) Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, USA. PARSONS, J.J. (1972) The hawksbill turtle and the tortoise shell trade. In Études de géographie tropicale offertes á Pierre Gourou, pp Mouton, Paris, France. S Á ENZ-ARROYO, A., R OBERTS, C.M., T ORRE, J., C ARIŇO-OLVERA, M. & H AWKINS, J.P. (2006) The value of evidence about past abundance: marine fauna of the Gulf of California through the eyes of 16th to 19th century travelers. Fish and Fisheries, 7, S EMINOFF, J.A., N ICHOLS, W.J., R ESENDIZ,A.&BROOKS,L.(2003) Occurrence of hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, near Baja California. Pacific Science, 57, TAYLOR, B.L. (1995) The reliability of using population viability analysis for risk classification of species. Conservation Biology, 9, T RÖENG, S., D UTTON, P.H. & E VANS,D.(2005) Migration of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata from Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Ecography, 28, VAN D AM, R.P. & D IEZ, C.E. (1996) Diving behavior of immature hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata) in a Caribbean cliff wall habitat. Marine Biology, 127, Biographical sketches The authors work with marine turtles in countries along the eastern Pacific Rim. Sharing a concern regarding the paucity of information and lack of investigation and conservation for the hawksbill turtle in the region, the members of ICAPO collaborate to improve this situation and raise general awareness of the plight of this species. This is achieved through close collaborations with local and international stakeholders, including fishers, coastal community members, government representatives, wildlife managers, scientists and conservationists. There is a shared belief that the hawksbill turtle plays an important, albeit still unclear, role in eastern Pacific marine ecosystems, and existing investigation and conservation efforts are still inadequate to ensure survival of the population. ª 2010 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Downloaded: 06 Sep 2010 Page Username: 21 of 49e.allen IP address:

22 SUGGESTED GUIDELINES BY THE EASTERN PACIFIC HAWKSBILL INITIATIVE (ICAPO) FOR THE INVESTIGATION, PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF HAWKSBILL TURTLES IN THE GULF OF FONSECA AND ITS AREAS OF INFLUENCE IN RELATION TO THE MAREA PROJECT (USAID) CONSIDERING that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has categorized the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) as a globally Critically Endangered species. CONSIDERING that the hawksbill turtle is a migratory species, which in its distribution in the Eastern Pacific is shared by all countries in the region, from Mexico to Peru. RECOGNIZING the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence (which include the Pacific coast of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua) host the most important nesting sites for the hawksbill turtle in the entire Eastern Pacific identified to date, consisting of more than 75% of their reproductive activity in the region. RECOGNIZING that the waters of the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence are critical feeding habitats for hawksbill turtles, particularly the Bay of Jiquilisco and Los Cobanos Reef Marine Protected Area (MPA) in El Salvador, the mangrove areas of Honduras, and the Padre Ramos Estuary Natural Reserve (RN) and rocky coasts of southern Nicaragua. RECOGNIZING that the coastline and waters of the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence host habitats (mangroves, reefs and beaches) that ensure the survival of all life-stages of hawksbills. RECOGNIZING that a great amount of research is still needed in the area of the Gulf of Fonseca to understand the importance of this area for the diverse populations of hawksbill turtles in the region. RECOGNIZING the commitment demonstrated by the governments of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to protect their natural resources, as indicated by their adhesion to important international conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity, among others. RECOGNIZING that El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua form part of the regional effort of the Central American Integration System. CONCERNED by the multiple threats facing hawksbills and their habitats in the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence, including the collection of eggs, fisheries bycatch, the sale of hawksbill subproducts and habitat destruction. 1 Page 22 of 49

23 ADMITING that, according the IUCN s Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG), the conservation need of hawksbill turtles is the most critical of all sea turtle species in the Eastern Pacific and one of the most pressing in the world. RECOGNIZING that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided invaluable support for conservation of sea turtles in El Salvador, identifying this country and the Gulf of Fonseca as important regions for the conservation of hawksbill turtles. NOTING that the processes of hawksbill conservation initiated by USAID should be strengthened in order to obtain continuity and assure that the local communities obtain benefits from conservation of the species. CONSIDERING that USAID will soon initiate the program Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic Alternatives (MAREA), whose aim is the management of coastal marine resources, and that this program includes the hawksbill turtle as a flagship species and provides opportunities to continue efforts already initiated with the species. RECOGNIZING that the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence form part of the geographic region influenced by MAREA. the members of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO), consisting of international experts in the conservation of hawksbill turtles in the Eastern Pacific URGE the MAREA program include the conservation of hawksbills as a strategic element in its Work Plan for the Gulf of Fonseca and its areas of influence. URGE the MAREA program take into consideration for their Work Plan the following conservation guidelines for hawksbill turtles and their critical habitat: 1. Continue and strengthen hawksbill nesting beach conservation programs at the beaches of; o o o o o Los Cóbanos Reef MPA (ES) Bay of Jiquilisco (ES) Amapala Point (ES) Padre Ramos Estuary NR (NI) El Ostional (NI) 2. Support the eradication of: o o Fishing with explosives The sale of hawksbill products and byproducts, including eggs, meat and tortoiseshell 2 Page 23 of 49

24 3. Evaluate and eliminate: o Mortality of hawksbills as a result of bycatch in artisanal fisheries, particularly the lobster fishery 4. Identify new hawksbill nesting and feeding areas in: o o The Gulf of Fonseca The Pacific coast of Nicaragua 5. Protect critical hawksbill habitats, specifically: o o o o Mangroves Coral reefs Reefs of hard substrates Nesting beaches 6. Foment the collaboration and coordination between agencies and organizations responsible for the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats in the three countries that share the Gulf of Fonseca Considering the aforementioned, we sign this document on the 28th day of March Alexander R. Gaos The Ocean Foundation UNITED STATES Michael Liles Fundacion Zoologica de El Salvador EL SALVADOR Liza I. Gonzalez Director Nacional Paso Pacifico NICARAGUA 3 Page 24 of 49

25 Celina Dueñas Técnica en Gestión de Vida Silvestre Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales Renovables EL SALVADOR Diego Amoroch, PhD Centro de investigación para el Manejo Ambiental y el Desarrollo - CIMAD COLOMBIA Jeffrey Seminoff, PhD NOAA - Southwest Fisheries Science Center UNITED STATES Ingrid Yañez Proyecto CAREY! MÉXICO Mauricio Vásquez Jandres Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologica de El Salvador El Salvador Bryan Wallace, PhD Conservation International UNITED STATES 4 Page 25 of 49

26 Ximena Velez-Zuazo, MC Universidad de Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras/ecOceanica PUERTO RICO/PERU Wallace J. Nichols, PhD California Academy of Sciences UNITED STATES Juanpablo Muñoz Fundación Equilibrio Azul ECUADOR Joanna Alfaro Shigueto Director ProDelphinus PERU Alberto Abreu-Grobois, PhD Unidad Academica Mazatlan Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México MEXICO Georgina Mariona Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologica de El Salvador El Salvador 5 Page 26 of 49

27 Randall Arauz Presidente Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas - PRETOMA COSTA RICA Felipe Vallejos Co-Fundador Fundación Equilibrio Azul ECUADOR Raquel Briseño Dueñas, MC Banco de Información de Tortugas Marinas Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México MEXICO Aarón Esliman, MC Director Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias, A.C. MÉXICO José Urteaga, MC Flora y Fauna Internacional NICARAGUA Andres Baquero, MC Equilibrio Azul ECUADOR 6 Page 27 of 49

28 Argelis Ruiz Site Administrator - CTPA & Gamboa Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute PANAMA Stephen G. Dunbar, PhD President/Director, Protective Turtle Ecology Center for Training, Outreach, and Research (ProTECTOR) USA Lidia Salinas Country Coordinator, Protective Turtle Ecology Center for Training, Outreach, and Research (ProTECTOR) Honduras Jacinto Rodríguez Murillo Proyecto Conservación de Tortugas Marinas del Pacífico Panameño PANAMÁ Colum Muccio Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association GUATEMALA Nelly de Paz Campos Areas Costeras y Recursos Marinos. PERU 7 Page 28 of 49

29 Paloma Alejandra Valdivia Jiménez, MC Coordinadora de Educación Ambiental - CEDO Centro Intercultural de Estudios de Desiertos y Océanos Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans MEXICO Alan Alfredo Zavala Norzagaray, MC Profesor Investigador CIIDIR-Sinaloa MEXICO Shaleyla Kelez Sara ecoceanica PERU 8 Page 29 of 49

30 NO.9 MARCH 2010 IAC BULLETIN PUBLISHED BY THE PRO TEMPORE SECRETARIAT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF SEA TURTLES (IAC) 3 RD MEETING OF THE IAC CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS We would like to thank Belize s IAC Focal Point, Mr. Isaias Majil, and the Government of Belize for hosting a successful 3 rd Meeting of the IAC Consultative Committee of Experts (CCE) in Belize City, Belize in March of The objectives of this meeting were to review pending issues from the 2 nd meeting which was held in 2006, review IAC Activities over the past 10 years in honor of its 10 th Anniversary in 2011 and determine the next steps for the IAC. Nine Signatory Countries were present at the meeting (Belize, Brazil, Netherlands Antilles, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Peru, United States and Mexico), as well as one representative from each of the 3 sectors (NGOs, Private Sector and Scientific Community) and an observer from OSPESCA. Ms. Beverly Wade, the Head of the Belizean Fisheries Department, inaugurated the three day meeting. A new Chair of the CCE, Mr. Luis Fueyo (Mexico), and Vice- Chair, Mr. Isaias Majil (Belize) were nominated. Below is a summary of the agreements and recommendations of the 3 rd CCE meeting: 1. To hold an extraordinary meeting of the CCE before the COP5 in order to review documents prepared by the IAC Scientific Committee. 2. Request that the Parties incorporate the following items on the COP5 agenda: a) review the role of the IAC subsidiary bodies according to the text of the convention and their ToR agreed to by the parties in order to clarify the coordination mechanisms between them and facilitate the adoption of resolutions by the COP; b) 10 th Anniversary of the IAC review progress, goals and challenges; c) review the draft procedures for exceptions prepared by the CCE during its 2 nd meeting. 3. IAC Annual Reports - request that to honor the IAC s 10 th Anniversary all Parties collaborate by submitting their 2010 Annual Reports. 4. IAC cooperation with other organizations - the CCE identified 4 Regional Fisheries Management Organizations of interest to the IAC (IATTC, ICCAT, CARICOM, and CRFM), to encourage cooperative efforts through the signing MOUs. 5. IAC Membership & Scope - to expand IAC membership by incorporating countries whose participation would be beneficial to the recovery and conservation of marine turtles, such as in the Greater Caribbean Region. The CCE identified the following priorities for the PT Secretariat to promote their accession to the Convention: Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Canada, Argentina, Colombia and Suriname. 6. To celebrate the 10 th Anniversary of the IAC, the PT Secretariat will distribute information to the general public and within each of the Parties. 7. Exceptions urge Parties to use the procedures for exceptions prepared by the CCE as a guideline for documenting any exceptions reported. 8. Turtle Excluder Devices - A working group (Mexico, United States, Guatemala and a member of the OSPESCA fisheries working group) was created to report on TED technology used by the IAC Parties and describe measures to be taken to ensure compliance with the mandates of the Convention. 9. Fisheries Interactions- a working group comprised of Brazil, United States, Mexico, Peru and member of the OSPESCA fisheries working group will review fisheries interactions in accordance with article IV of the text of the Convention, and the implementation of the fisheries resolution and recommendations of the Scientific Committee. 10. Score Cards - design and produce score cards for the Parties to be presented at COP5 in order to graphically describe each of the Parties compliance with the approved resolutions of the Convention. The Final Report of the 3 rd CCE Meeting will be available soon at IN BRIEF: The 30 th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium the World of Turtles will be held from April 27-29, 2010 in Goa, India. Each year over 700 participants from over 50 countries of the world come to participate in the symposium. For updates on the meeting go to The Kobe Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organization Bycatch workshop will take place in Brisbane, Australia, from June 23-25, One of its objectives is to review information on incidental capture of non-target species, such as sea turtles, providing advice to tuna RMFOs on best practices, methods and techniques to assess and reduce incidental mortality as well as develop and coordinate relevant research and observer programs. detail.php?id=138 The Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO) will hold a regional workshop in Nicaragua July 13-14, The goal of the initiative is to save Eastern Pacific hawksbills (website in Spanish only). The IV Regional Symposium on Sea Turtles in the South Eastern Pacific will be held from November 25-26, 2010, in Medellin, Columbia. For more information please visit their website (in Spanish only): Members of the CCE during its 3 rd Meeting in Belize Page 30 of 49

31 IAC BULLETIN PAGE 2 UPDATES SINCE THE REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR THE HAWKSBILL TURTLE IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN AND WESTERN ATLANTIC (PUERTO MORELOS, 2009) CITES COP 15 PRESENTS DECISION FOR FURTHER COLLABORATION BETWEEN CITES, SPAW AND IAC SECRETARIATS: COP15. Doc 50 was presented at the CITES COP 15 in Qatar in March, 2010, encouraging further collaboration between the CITES Secretariat and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC) and the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean region (Cartagena Convention) and its Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) through the development of a joint proposal that takes into consideration the outcome of the regional workshop on hawksbills. USFWS MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION FUND AWARDS GRANT TO IAC: The IAC submitted a proposal based on 3 of the 4 profiles created during the hawksbill workshop (Direct take, Genetics and Strengthening Regional Cooperation) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. We are pleased to announce that one proposal, strengthening regional cooperation through increased relations between the IAC and countries of the WCR, was accepted. If you would like a copy of the proposal, please contact the PT Secretariat at: contact@iacseaturtle.org. IAC PT SECRETARY GOES TO TED UNIVERSITY TED University was sponsored by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center of NOAA Fisheries and held in April, 2010 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. This activity was organized as a part of a regional project with OSPESCA. It is a 2 week training course on the various aspects regarding the use of TEDs such as: - History of TEDs and how they have evolved over time, including their design, certification process and understanding legal requirements. - How TEDs work and their different parts. - Hands on exercise: making and installing TEDs. - Training on how to carry out onboard TED inspections on shrimp vessels. - How to create a successful TED program in Central America through regional cooperation and existing intergovernmental organizations that protect sea turtles, such as the IAC. The objective was to train a team of TED experts in Central America that will work with the government and the industry to improve their national TED programs. The students came from the different fisheries offices of Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, in addition to invited guests such as the IAC PT Secretariat. WIDECAST ANNUAL MEETING: The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) invited the IAC PT Secretariat to participate in their Annual Meeting which was held in Martinique in March, WIDECAST is a network of biologists, managers, community leaders and educators in more than 40 nations and territories, committed to an integrated, regional capacity that ensures the recovery and sustainable management of depleted sea turtle populations. Presentations were made on national programs, regional issues, and updates on sea turtle research, conservation, and management initiatives throughout the Wider Caribbean Region, as well as in-depth session on Climate Change. We would like to thank WIDECAST for this opportunity to share valuable experiences. UPCOMING IAC MEETING: The VII IAC Scientific Committee meeting is scheduled to be held the first week of September, 2010 in Panama City, Panama. For more details on this meeting please contact the IAC PT Secretariat at contact@iacseaturtle.org. For details on how to become and approved IAC observer please go to our website s.asp Contact Information: 4401 North Fairfax Drive Room 100 Arlington, VA USA Phone: (703) Fax: (703) urtle.org Learning to assemble TEDS Simulated TED inspection Page 31 of 49

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