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Information from http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn77/mtn77p15.shtml
The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation
Association (Asociación Rescate y Conservación de Vida Silvestre,
ARCAS) is a Guatemalan non-profit conservation organization
committed to preserving Guatemalan wildlife and wildlife habitat. Best
known for its Animal Rescue Center in the Peten rain forest region of
Guatemala, it also carries out sea turtle conservation activities on a
natural reserve on the south cost near the village of Hawaii. The
reserve consists of mangrove estuaries, dry tropical forests, and
volcanic sand beaches. The beaches are of the "high energy"
type characteristic of much of the Pacific coast (i.e., relatively
steep and narrow with strong waves and tides; no offshore reef
formations).
The rainy season at Hawaii occurs annually between June and October.
The olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
nesting season corresponds with the rainy season, peaking in
September, but low density nesting (ca. 2-4 turtles per night) occurs
throughout the year. There are no arribadas (mass nesting
events) at Hawaii. The olive ridleys seem to prefer dark nights, a
setting or rising moon, and strong southeast winds (turtles will even
nest during the day in the presence of such winds). On the 15 km of
coastline monitored by ARCAS, nesting frequency is generally 10-15
nests per night during the peak nesting months of August, September
and October. Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea)
are much rarer than olive ridleys. Leatherback nesting occurs in
November and December, when only 2-3 turtles arrive to nest per night
on the beach at Hawaii.
Turtle eggs are prized by local populations as a supplement to their
income and diets. Competition for turtle nests is intense, and it is
extremely rare that a nest escapes plunder. Turtle eggs are sold to
local buyers who transport them to ceviche (a pickled seafood
cocktail) restaurants in the nation's capitol. Sea turtle eggs have a
reputation for being aphrodisiacs, not a basic need in Guatemala where
the population growth rate is 2.6%. Prices for olive ridley eggs vary
from 12 quetzals (6 quetzals = 1 US$) per dozen during the height of
the nesting season, to more than 36 quetzals in the off-season.
Leatherback eggs range from 16-40 quetzals per dozen. An average nest
can, therefore, bring in roughly 140 quetzals; roughly one quarter of
the monthly income of an agricultural worker or local fisherman.
According to local villagers, the number of ridleys and leatherback
turtles that nest on area beaches is rapidly declining. Many report
that even just 15 years ago, an egg collector could expect to collect
2-3 nests per night during the nesting season. Now, due to fewer
turtles and more competition for nests, collectors may find only 2-4
nests per year. Many fear that if present trends continue, the
turtles will stop returning to the beaches altogether.
Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Program: The Hawaii Sea
Turtle Conservation Program, managed by ARCAS, in cooperation with
DIGEBOS (the Guatemalan forestry agency), encourages a donation by
local egg collectors of one dozen eggs per nest. The eggs are reburied
in protected hatcheries. Egg collectors who donate one dozen eggs are
given a receipt which gives them the right to "legally" sell
the rest of the nest. [ N.B. According to formal Guatemalan law, sea
turtles are endangered species and their eggs cannot be collected or
eaten for any reason. Informally, however, the one dozen eggs
"donation system" has been in place since about 1980 to
ensure that at least some hatchlings are returned to the sea.
Unfortunately, at best only half of the egg collectors participate. ]
More than 5,000 hatchlings in 1993, 7,000 in 1994 and 10,000 in 1995
were released from the ARCAS hatchery at Hawaii. The Hawaii hatchery
is by far the most productive in Guatemala.
Hatcheries in Guatemala are typically enclosed with corrugated tin or
fiberboard and lightly roofed (thatched) with palm. Depredation by
cats (domestic), opossums, jaybirds, ghost crabs and other predators
on hatchlings is a problem and is controlled by the use of
"scarecrows" and weighted nest cages. This is the situation
at the ARCAS hatchery, where the fenced enclosure is sited on the
upper beach and thatched with palm fronds. The hatchery enclosure is
10 m x 6 m and typically holds 300-400 nests per year. Groups of one
dozen eggs are combined into "clutches" of 24 eggs and
buried at a depth of 30-35 cm. Nests are shaped to resemble the
original "flask" form and buried roughly 30 cm apart from
one another. Each nest is marked with a numbered stake. Hatch success
ranges from 88-95%.
In addition to protecting sea turtle eggs, ARCAS is involved with
other aspects of sea turtle conservation. For example, dead turtles
wash ashore on the south coast of Guatemala after being caught and
drowned in fishing gear offshore; mainly shrimp trawls operated by
Guatemalan and foreign boats. In 1995, there were numerous strandings
(perhaps 3-5 per week on the 15 km monitored by ARCAS) during the
beginning of the nesting season (June and July). In response, ARCAS
wrote several articles for the Guatemalan press on this "turtle
massacre". Whether due to the publicity caused by these articles
or several patrols subsequently conducted by the Guatemalan Navy, the
shrimp trawlers moved further offshore and no more strandings were
seen for the rest of the season. In 1996, the Guatemalan shrimp fleet
installed TEDs, an action which seemed to reduce incidental capture
and drowning because very few turtles washed ashore dead on the
beaches.
ARCAS also conducts environmental education activities in area schools
and manages three school hatcheries where students collect and bury
their own eggs and release the hatchlings when they emerge. ARCAS also
has a crocodile and iguana captive breeding program and conducts
mangrove reforestation.
Lessons Learned: There are several aspects of the Hawaii Sea
Turtle Conservation Project, and of sea turtle conservation in general
in Guatemala, that distinguish it from conservation activities in
other countries, and these differences may be of interest to readers
of the Marine Turtle Newsletter. One aspect is that sea turtle
conservation in Guatemala is a highly decentralized activity.
Conservation efforts (mainly hatcheries) are carried out at the
initiative of a disparate group of actors ranging from private
landowners to the military to a high school. Government involvement in
turtle conservation is limited and uncoordinated. Three separate
government agencies run turtles hatcheries, but regulation of the egg
harvesting industry as a whole is virtually nonexistent. Buses and
other vehicles known to transport turtle eggs to market are only
sporadically searched by authorities. There are few national parks and
no marine reserves in Guatemala, and no focus to government
conservation initiatives or personnel training.
In addition to this lack of government involvement, there is also a
lack of involvement by national and international conservation
non-government organizations (NGOs). This is due, in part, to a kind
of "brain drain" to the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in Peten, a
United Nations-declared natural heritage site and a major focus for
international conservation efforts. It is also due to the perception
of the south coast and its coastal plains (prime agricultural lands
rich in volcanic loam) as environmentally "lost". Moreover,
the Guatemalan sea turtle conservation movement is relatively young
and unsophisticated, especially when compared to similar movements in
countries such as Costa Rica, México and the U. S. The main focus has
been and continues to be on establishing hatcheries. There have been
very few attempts to address other issues, such as changing
environmentally harmful fishing practices or reducing demand for
turtle eggs among Guatemala consumers.
The decentralized nature of turtle conservation activities in
Guatemala has its pluses and minuses. The minuses include the fact
that there is little formal oversight of hatchery operations.
Hatcheries are often operated by untrained local personnel or
volunteers using outdated methods. Due to limited funding and
technical expertise, hatchery personnel often fail to gather even
basic data regarding clutch size, incubation duration and hatch
success. The "plus side" of turtle conservation in Guatemala
is that there is relatively strong local support for activities.
Although some egg collectors refuse to cooperate with the "one
dozen eggs" donation system, there are also many who gladly give
and realize that this is an effort to conserve the resource for their
children. There are 23 hatcheries in Guatemala, and certain
communities take pride in how many eggs they are able to bury. There
has even arisen a spirit of competition among hatcheries as to which
collects the most eggs.
Successful turtle conservation efforts in other parts of the world
(e.g., Ostional, Costa Rica; Matura, Trinidad; Colola, Michoacn, México)
have clearly shown the need to work closely with local communities.
This is especially true in a country like Guatemala where there are
limited opportunities to focus formal conservation effort (e.g., there
are few national parks and no arribada sites) and the resources
and/or the will to impose stringent conservation measures are lacking
on the part of authorities. Given the realities of the Guatemalan
political and conservation environment, what is needed is technical
and material support to existing hatcheries and an effort to
strengthen the government, non-governmental and private turtle
conservation network. Research and data collection are sorely needed,
and should directly support concrete conservation goals (e.g.,
improving hatchery techniques, lobbying for the use of TEDs,
preserving nesting habitat). Of equal importance is the harnessing and
encouraging of local, indigenous efforts to conserve sea turtles.
How To Help: ARCAS has volunteer programs at both the
Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Project and at its Animal Rescue and
Rehabilitation Center in Peten. For a copy of the volunteer
guidelines, please send US$ 10.00 to ARCAS.
The Columbus Zoo and
Aquarium is dedicated to conservation and continues to search for
ways to expand its role as a conservator. It is our goal to increase
staff involvement, and develop regional and local partnerships in
conservation causes. We continue to be supporters of several long-term
projects and also assist new and innovative programs. Some of the
projects we have contributed to financially and with information,
staff and participation, are detailed below.
Wildlife Conservation in
Guatemala — The Zoo has partnered with a grassroots organization
called ARCAS (Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association) to
preserve the country’s natural heritage: the lush rain forests, the
tropical shoreline and the wide array of animals who inhabit them. For
ten years, the Zoo has been able to support ARCAS through financial
support, construction help, animal care, educational programs and
veterinarian equipment and supply donations.
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