Leatherback sea turtle nesting at Gandoca Beach in Caribbean Costa Rica: Management recommendations from fifteen years of conservation

Published source details Chacon-Chaverri D. & Eckert K.L. (2007) Leatherback sea turtle nesting at Gandoca Beach in Caribbean Costa Rica: Management recommendations from fifteen years of conservation. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 6, 101-110.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Patrol or monitor nesting beaches Action Link
	Relocate nests/eggs to a hatchery: Sea turtles Action Link

Patrol or monitor nesting beaches

A study in 1990–2004 on one sandy beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica (Chacón-Chaverri et al. 2007) found that patrolling beaches resulted in a decline in poaching of leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nests. Results were not statistically tested. Incidents of poaching declined over the 14-year period when beaches were patrolled, from 55% of nests poached in 1990, to 13% in 1995, 9% in 2000 and 1% in 2004. The authors reported that most poaching events took place close to public access points to the beach. In February–July 1990–2004, the beach was patrolled every night for a total of 8 h (20:00–04:00 h). The main purpose of patrols was to locate nesting female turtles and to relocate nests laid in high-risk areas to an on-beach hatchery.

(Summarised by: William Morgan)
Relocate nests/eggs to a hatchery: Sea turtles

A replicated, controlled study in 1990–2004 on one sandy beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica (Chacón-Chaverri & Eckert 2007) reported that relocating leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nests from areas at high-risk of erosion to an on-beach hatchery resulted in similar emergence success compared to nests in low-risk areas. Results were not statistically tested. Emergence success was similar for eggs in the hatchery (43%) compared to eggs from nests in low-risk areas of the beach (41%). In February–July 1990–2004, all nests laid in high-risk areas (within 100 m of a river mouth) were relocated to on-beach hatcheries. Hatcheries were fenced and staffed 24 h/day during the incubation period, and all reburied nests were surrounded by a metal mesh cylinder to exclude predators and a fine cloth mesh (1 mm) to exclude flies. In February–July 1990–2004, nest surveys were conducted every night between 20:00–04:00 h, and all nests were monitored four times/day.

(Summarised by: William Morgan)