May 3rd 2008 welcome back turtles cleanup.

It has been known for hundreds of years that sea turtles nest on Nevis. However, there has never been a comprehensive monitoring programme over the years. Thus there was little knowledge of the types and numbers of sea turtles that nest on the island. Having completed a Masters programme in Natural Resource Management at the University of the West Indies in Barbados I started along with a group of friends to monitor the beaches on the island at nights in 2003. Our group is called the Nevis Turtle Group.

Legacy Intal Youth Group.

Commencement of the monitoring programme was prompted by the absence of such efforts. It was also due to the fact that despite legislation imposing a closed season and size limits on the harvesting of sea turtles, poaching of nesting turtles and of their eggs were occurring on a large scale. As sea turtles provide ecosystems services such as eating sponges that would otherwise out compete corals) it is important that they be protected or at least be used in a sustainable manner. Taking of nesting females and their eggs can only serve to decimate the population perhaps beyond recovery. Efforts at conservation are therefore critical for the survival of the species.

It has been known for hundreds of years that sea turtles nest on Nevis. However, there has never been a comprehensive monitoring programme over the years. Thus there was little knowledge of the types and numbers of sea turtles that nest on the island. Having completed a Masters programme in Natural Resource Management at the University of the West Indies in Barbados I started along with a group of friends to monitor the beaches on the island at nights in 2003. Our group is called the Nevis Turtle Group.

Commencement of the monitoring programme was prompted by the absence of such efforts. It was also due to the fact that despite legislation imposing a closed season and size limits on the harvesting of sea turtles, poaching of nesting turtles and of their eggs were occurring on a large scale. As sea turtles provide ecosystems services such as eating sponges that would otherwise out compete corals) it is important that they be protected or at least be used in a sustainable manner. Taking of nesting females and their eggs can only serve to decimate the population perhaps beyond recovery. Efforts at conservation are therefore critical for the survival of the species.