WIDECAST and SPAW

The SPAW Sub-Programme has benefited from the expertise of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) for more than a decade. WIDECAST has provided a sustained forum for collaborative conservation action on behalf of six species of "Endangered" and "Critically Endangered" (cf. IUCN) species of sea turtle, and as such has served as a model for other expert networks in the region.

What is WIDECAST?

The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) was founded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1981 to prepare a "Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan ... consistent with the Action Plan for the [UNEP] Caribbean Environment Programme." WIDECAST’s goal is to realize a future where all inhabitants of the Wider Caribbean Region, human and sea turtle alike, can live together in balance.

The volunteer network is comprised of Country Coordinators (mainly sea turtle experts and natural resource professionals) in more than 30 Caribbean States and territories. Because each Coordinator works closely with a national coalition of stakeholders, WIDECAST embraces several hundred scientists, conservationists, resource managers, resource users, policy-makers, educators and others.

Rationale

In general, sea turtles are severely reduced from historical levels. According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Conservation Monitoring Centre's Red Data Book, persistent over-exploitation, especially of adult females on nesting beaches, and the widespread collection of eggs are largely responsible for the "Endangered" or "Critically Endangered" classifications of Caribbean sea turtle species.

In addition to a largely unregulated harvest that has spanned centuries, sea turtles are accidentally captured in active or abandoned fishing gear, resulting in death to thousands and perhaps tens of thousands annually. Coral reef and seagrass degradation, oil spills, chemical waste, persistent plastic and other marine debris, high density coastal development, and an increase in ocean-based tourism have damaged or eliminated nesting beaches and feeding areas. International trade has also played a role. In the two decades between 1970 and 1989, for example, more than a quarter million hawksbill turtles were killed to service the shell trade with Japan.

Population declines and local extinctions are often due to a combination of factors, both domestic and foreign. Population recovery is complicated. Threats accumulate over long periods of time and can occur anywhere in a population’s range. Because sea turtles are migratory throughout their long lives, what appears as a decline in a local population may, in fact, be a direct consequence of the activities of peoples many hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Thus, while local conservation is crucial, co-operative action is also called for at the regional level.

Facilitating Regional Action

WIDECAST is designed to address both national and international conservation priorities, both for sea turtles and the habitats upon which they depend. As an international scientific network, WIDECAST is an established Partner Organization of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP). This relationship ensures that local concerns and expertise are linked to international decision-making. Standardized regional guidelines, as well as comprehensive national-level action plans, are developed by the WIDECAST network and published in the CEP Technical Report series.

UNEP’s 1983 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) form an important framework for sea turtle management throughout the Caribbean Region. The Protocol calls upon Parties to engage in population recovery activities that benefit endangered species under their jurisdiction and, with certain exceptions for traditional use, to fully protect species included on Annex II, including all species of sea turtle.

WIDECAST provides governmental and non-governmental stakeholders with updated information on the status of sea turtles, specific recommendations for their management and recovery, and a framework for effective collaboration in fulfilling the unique mandate of the SPAW Protocol. Local and regional WIDECAST experts assist each country in the development of a national conservation strategy for sea turtles. The strategy is referred to as a "Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan", or STRAP. Each action plan is tailored to local circumstances and discusses:

• sea turtle status and distribution;
• major causes of mortality;
• the effectiveness of existing legislation;
• the present and historical role of sea turtles in the local culture and economy; and
• local, national, and multilateral implementing measures for science-based sea turtle management.

The direct involvement of resident scientists, conservationists, enforcement officers, policy-makers, fishermen, teachers and others in the development of the action plan results in an informed advocacy body that, ideally, will promote implementation of the action plan. Each STRAP follows a standard format, thereby serving not only as a blueprint for national action, but for harmonized regional action as well.

Involving and Empowering People

WIDECAST is rooted in the belief that conservation must be nurtured from within, it cannot be commanded from outside. Further, it can only be effective to the extent that the actions implemented are scientifically sound and tailored to local circumstances. The network emphasizes information-sharing, thus encouraging a technical understanding of sea turtle biology and management among local individuals and organizations. The network also encourages conservation and management programs based on the best available science, and advocates for grassroots involvement in decision-making and project implementation.

WIDECAST experts regularly provide assistance to habitat census and population monitoring projects, including project planning, methodology, evaluation, and fund-raising. The network organizes training workshops and exchange programs, ensures that conservation priorities reflect the views of a broad spectrum of stakeholders, and promotes public awareness.

WIDECAST has donated many hundreds of reference books and technical manuals, as well as tens of thousands of brochures, leaflets, posters, slides and other educational materials to government offices, public libraries, conservation organizations, and community-based groups over the last decade, and raised more than US$ 1 million for local habitat surveys, population monitoring programs, and research.

The Wider Caribbean Region once supported populations of sea turtles that numbered in the millions. Seventeenth and eighteenth century mariner records document flotillas of turtles so dense and vast that net fishing was impossible, even the movement of ships was curtailed. Today some of the largest breeding populations the world has ever known are virtually gone; for example, the green turtles of the Cayman Islands. It is clear that sea turtles cannot survive the next century without unflinching regional cooperation and coordination of conservation and management programs. Everyone has a role to play!

 

For further information, please contact:

WIDECAST
Dr. Karen L. Eckert, Executive Director
Marine Laboratory of Duke University
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9721, USA
Tel: (252) 504-7597
Fax: (252) 504-7648
Email: widecast@ix.netcom.com
Internet: www.widecast.org [ soon ]

Or, please contact the SPAW Programme Officer at the address listed below or send us an email at uneprcuja@cwjamaica.com.