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.
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.
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.
.gif){kind=spacer}
.gif){kind=spacer}
