seaturtle.org : MTN : ARCHIVES : Sign In
Current Status of Nesting Sea Turtles in the Northern Colombian Caribbean
Diego Amorocho, Jorge Alberto Córdoba B. & Siegfried Miklin H.
FES Foundation - WIDECAST agreement, Calle 7Oeste #2-168, Cali-Colombia
(E-mail: damorocho@home.ciat.cgiar.org)
Previous studies of the marine turtles nesting populations on the northern coast of Colombia have recorded nesting of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) (Medem 1962; Tufts 1972). In 1971, Kaufmann estimated an annual nesting population of 400 to 600 loggerhead turtles, with occasional nesting of the other three species. However, between May and July of 1987, Muñoz et al. (1989), reported only 8 loggerhead turtle nests in this region, making an urgent call for their conservation.
In 1997, a survey was undertaken encompassing the beaches between the outlets of the rivers Buritaca (73 45´W, 11 14´N) and Dibulla (73 17´W, 1117´N) in the regions of Magdalena and Guajira. Through a combination of personal observations and interviewing individuals from local organizations undertaking marine turtle surveying at specific sites, the species present and a minimum number of nests was ascertained for the different sites (see table 1).
| Site | Loggerhead | Leatherback | Hawksbill | Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paraiso | 4 | - | - | CFN |
| Palomino | 5 | 2 | - | COPAP |
| Don Diego | 8 | 3 | - | UASPNN |
| Buritaca | 8 | 1 | 1 | UASPNN |
| Cañaveral | - | 2 | 2 | UASPNN |
| TOTAL | 25 | 8 | 3 |
The threats to marine turtles in the area are diverse and have been described in detail (Córdoba & Miklin 1997). El Paraiso, a 3.1 km beach where nesting has occurred in the past (Ramírez 1975) is suffering severe erosion. The beaches of Mingueo and Dibulla no longer support nesting. In the past, nesting females were usually seen (Medem 1962), but beach patrolling to generate estimates of the size of the nesting population was never undertaken. In addition to beach erosion, there is a power station at this site discharging hot effluent directly into the sea and generating high levels of noise and ambient light, thought to affect the local nesting populations (Pinzón et al. 1996).
At the beaches between Buritaca and Don Diego, the Marine Turtle Foundation of Santa Marta (FTMSM) operates two hatcheries, where they buy eggs from local inhabitants to incubate them. Despite the purchase of eggs, slaughter of nesting turtles continues, mainly by the workers of local banana plantations and not fishermen as occurred in the past. The levels of this illegal activity cannot be estimated, but during the 1997 nesting season we were aware of two cases.
The numerous threats and the low levels of nesting indicate an urgent need for the development of plans concerning the protection of these populations.
Acknowledgments: This work was possible thanks to WIDECAST, Columbus Zoo and the FES Foundation. We sincerely thank the Palomino Fishermen Committee; the Marine Turtle Foundation of Santa Marta; the Regional Autonomus Corporation of La Guajira; the Natural National Park Tayrona; Carlos Pinzón; Luis Enganche; and Dr. Ramiro Estrada.
CÓRDOBA J. & S. MIKLIN (1997). Sea turtle conservation in the Departments of Guajira and Magdalena. Technical Report to FES Foundation - WIDECAST agreement. 22 pp.
KAUFMANN, R. 1971. La Población de Tortugas Marinas anidando al Este de SantaMarta. V Reunión Especial del Comité de Recursos Naturales del Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia y I Congreso Colombiano sobre Recursos Naturales. 6:14 pp.
MEDEM, F. 1962. Estudio sobre Tortugas Marinas. Corporación Autónoma Regional de los Valles del Magdalena y del Sinú C.V.M. Bogotá. Colombia. 12pp. Mimeografiado.
MUÑOZ, D., M. ALFARO, L. BLAIN, N. ANZOLA & G. GOMEZ. 1989. Sea turtles in Buritaca - Don Diego, Colombia. Marine Turtle Newsletter 45:9-11.
PINZON C., P. SALDAÑA & D. PIÑEROS. 1996. Diseño y Evaluación de una Incubadora para Huevos de Tortuga Marina con fines de repoblamiento en el Caribe Colombiano. Universidad del Magdalena. Facultad de Ingeniería Pesquera. 74 pp.
RAMIREZ, E. 1975. Contribución al conocimiento de "La Tortuga Gogó" Caretta caretta caretta (L.) en la costa norte colombiana "Operación Tortuga Marina" 1974 - 1975. Proyecto Parques nacionales y Vida Silvestre. 51 pp.
TUFTS, C. E. 1972. Report on the Buritaca marine turtle reserve with emphasis on biological data from "Operación Tortuga 1972" and recommendations for the future. Report to INDERENA. 73 pp.