Over a four-year period, the practice of illegally removing turtle eggs from nests has dropped from nearly 100 percent on several islands known as the Pearl Cays, to approximately 21 percent during 2002, according to the researchers, who published their results in the latest issue of the journal Chelonian Conservation and Biology.
"The Pearl Cays Hawksbill Conservation Project demonstrates how important local partners can be in protecting an endangered species such as the hawksbill turtle," said WCS scientist Dr. Cynthia Lagueux, who has conducted research on turtle populations along the Nicaraguan coast for more than a decade. "Beach surveys and active protection of females and their eggs can make a difference for the survival of this endangered species in this part of the Caribbean."
Weighing up to 200 pounds with a shell some 3 feet in length, the hawksbill turtle has vanished from many areas of its former range around the world. It is hunted for food, eggs and its valuable shell, which is commercially sold as "tortoise-shell" for use in eyeglass frames, hairbrushes, and a host of other fashion items. The species is listed as "critically endangered" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Further, hawksbill turtles are listed under Appendix I in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which bans all international trade.
The project's engagement of local communities and government bodies started back in 2000, with meetings of nine communities with fishermen known to use the Pearl Cays area. These meetings provided the residents with biological information on hawksbills a
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Contact: Stephen Sautner
ssautner@wcs.org
718-220-3682
Wildlife Conservation Society
26-Jan-2004