Sea Turtle Recovery United Nations Environment Action Plan for the Programme Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Environment Programme Regional Coordinating Unit Prepared by: CEP Technical Report 49 Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Environment Programme. © 2010 UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme 14-20 Port Royal Street Kingston, Jamaica This document may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form of educational or non-proper services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this document as a source. No use of this document may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. For bibliography purposes, this document may be cited as: Forestry Division (Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago), Save our Seaturtles-Tobago, and Nature Seekers. 2010. WIDECAST Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Trinidad & Tobago (Karen L. Eckert, Editor). CEP Technical Report No. 49. UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme. Kingston, Jamaica. xx + 132 pages. Caribbean Environment Programme United Nations Environment Programme Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Forestry Division (Ministry of Housing and the Environment, Government of Trinidad and Tobago), Save our Seaturtles- Tobago, and Nature Seekers Karen L. Eckert, Ph.D. Executive Director, WIDECAST Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan Series Editor CEP Technical Report No. 49 PREFACE Of the six species of sea turtle that inhabit the Caribbean Sea, all are classified as Critically Endan- gered, Endangered, or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In addition to centuries of regulated but largely unmonitored exploitation, sea turtles are accidentally captured and often drowned in active and abandoned fishing gear, resulting in death to uncounted tens (perhaps hundreds) 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 elimi- nated nesting beaches and feeding grounds. Population declines are complicated by the fact that causal factors are not always local. Sea turtles are migratory at all life stages, meaning that what appears as a decline in a local population may be a direct consequence of the activities of people many hundreds of kilometers away. Thus, while local conservation is crucial, action is also called for at the regional level. To adequately protect migratory sea turtles and achieve the objectives of the UNEP/CEP Regional Programme for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife, The Strategy for the Development of the Caribbean Environment Programme (1990-1995) called for “the development of specific management plans for econo- mically and ecologically important species”, making particular reference to endangered, threatened, or vul- nerable species of sea turtle. This is consistent with Article 10 of the Cartagena Convention (1983), which states that Contracting Parties shall “individually or jointly take all appropriate measures to protect ... the habitat of depleted, threatened or endangered species in the Convention area.” Article 10 of the 1991 Protocol to the Cartagena Convention concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) specifies that Parties “carry out recovery, management, planning and other measures to effect the survival of [endangered or threatened] species” and regulate or prohibit activities having “adverse effects on such species or their habitats”. Article 11 declares that each Party “shall ensure total protection and recovery to the species of fauna listed in Annex II”. All six species of Caribbean-occurring sea turtles were included in Annex II in 1991. This CEP Technical Report is the 13th in a series of Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plans prepared by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), a coalition of Caribbean sea turtle specialists, natural resource managers, and community-based organizations. The objectives of the action plan series are to assist Caribbean governments in the discharge of their obligations under the SPAW Proto- col, to promote a regional capability to implement scientifically sound sea turtle management and conserva- tion programs, and to encourage a unified approach among range States. Each action plan summarises the known distribution of sea turtles, discusses major causes of mortality, evaluates the effectiveness of existing conservation laws, and prioritizes implementing measures for stock recovery. This document was developed and peer-reviewed by national stakeholder-led processes, with WIDECAST serving as scientific advisor, and upon completion was submitted to the UNEP/CEP Regional Coordinating Unit (Kingston, Jamaica) and the SPAW Focal Point in Trinidad and Tobago for approval and permission to publish. WIDECAST was founded in 1981 by Monitor International, in response to a recommendation by the IUCN/CCA Meeting of Non-Governmental Caribbean Organizations on Living Resources Conservation for Sustainable Development in the Wider Caribbean (Santo Domingo, 26-29 August 1981) that a “Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan should be prepared ... consistent with the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme.” WIDECAST is comprised of Country Coordinators in more than 40 States and territories, and has served the CEP for more than a quarter-century in support of a shared vision to “protecting the marine environment of the wider Caribbean region for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations” and ensure “co-ordinated and comprehensive development without environmental damage” (Preamble, Cartagena Convention). Page i CEP Technical Report No. 49 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Gratitude is extended to the following persons and groups who directly or indirectly contributed substantively to this Recovery Action Plan. Without their assistance and insight, the immense task of compiling this document could never have been completed. Special thanks are extended to Molly Gaskin, Pointe-à-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust, who served as a liaison between WIDECAST and the Republic during the 1980s and laid the groundwork for this document. Mr. Kenneth Fournillier followed Ms. Gaskin as WIDECAST Country Coordinator, and his leadership as the Sea Turtle Focal Point within the Wildlife Section-Forestry Division was instrumental both in helping to establish many of the nation‟s sea turtle field programs and in developing, in a substantial way, this important document. With Mr. Fournillier‟s retirement from the Wildlife Section, Mr. Stephen Poon took the task of completing the Recovery Action Plan with a national coalition of partners. Special appreciation is extended to Dr. Carol James, former Head of the Wildlife Section-Forestry Division and retired UNDP Senior Sustainable Development Advisor, for her vision and her diplomacy in establishing a variety of policies which have since borne fruit for the conservation of sea turtles at the grassroots, national and international levels. Ms. Nadra Nathai-Gyan, Dr. James‟ successor, is also acknowledged for her important contributions to the develop- ment of this Recovery Action Plan, her past and present leadership, and her passion for modern and sustainable resource management practices. This unique document, created to serve as a blueprint for harmonised national research, conserva- tion and management practices in Trinidad and Tobago, has guided, in its various drafts, the nation‟s development of modern sea turtle management practices for more than a decade. For this reason a great number of professionals, many of them now retired, must be acknowledged for their unswerving dedica- tion to the survival of the nation‟s rich sea turtle heritage. They are, in so many ways, responsible for a new generation of resource managers who not only share the commitment of their predecessors but bring a scientific rigor to the task that ensures the nation‟s position as a model and mentor for countries throughout the region, and the world. In Trinidad, many individuals have given selflessly to the study and conservation of sea turtles. Indeed, much of what we know today rests on the pioneering work of Prof. P. Bacon, Mr. I. Lambie, Mr. D. Rooks, Mr. E. Laforest, Mr. N. Acham, Jim and Linda Geary, Geoff and Kate Gibbs, Mr. D. Simons, Mr. D. Lee-a-Ping, Mr. Y. Guillaume, Mr. R. Mulligan (Blanchisseuse boatman) and other members of the Field Naturalists‟ Club in the 1960s and 1970s. Studies undertaken by the Pointe-à-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust, Institute of Marine Affairs, and prominent foreign scientists have also contributed meaningfully. In recent years, sea turtle conservation and monitoring in Trinidad has been conducted mainly by community-based organisations. While dozens of members are actively involved, we would like to acknowledge, in particular, the following founding members: Mr. S. Aguillera, Ms. S. Lakhan, and Mr.