Turtles in the Caribbean Overseas Territories (TCOT)

The TCOT Final Report is now available and is freely available online as a series of downloadable PDF files including over 50 appendices.

The full citation of the report is:

Godley BJ, Broderick AC, Campbell LM, Ranger S, Richardson PB (2004) An Assessment of the Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Wider Caribbean. Final Project Report to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 253pp.

Project Sponsors

The Project is funded by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with additional funding for training and capacity building initiatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Environment Fund for the Overseas Territories. Substantial additional in kind contributions will be made by project consortium and collaborating organisations. The project commenced October 2001 and had a duration of 3 years and involved work on the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) (photo below), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

Goals

To assess the status and exploitation of marine turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean including:

Juvenile hawksbill in BVI (Photo: Peter Richardson/MCS)
Anguilla
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
Turks and Caicos Islands

Project Consortium

TCOT will also benefit from extensive collaboration with local organisations. As part of the original project proposal TCOT was given the collaboration of:

Cayman Islands Department of Environment (CIDoE)
Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF)

These organisations have committed to ensuring TCOT aims are achieved in the Cayman Islands and offered extensive support to regional training initiatives within TCOT.

Specific Goals

Identify project partners and initiate monitoring projects incorporating an initial training programme
Assemble quantitative and socio-economic data on the harvest and uses of marine turtle populations
Assess current conservation status of, and trends in, marine turtle populations and their habitat
Determine by DNA analysis the genetic profile of the turtle populations in OT's and the origin of harvested animals
Provide an assessment of the sustainability of any harvest
Provide recommendations for the future conservation, monitoring and management of marine turtles in the OT's

Collaborating Organisations in the Overseas Territories

TCOT will only succeed through extensive collaboration with relevant local organisations. The growing list includes:

Resting hawksbill in Montserrat reef habitat (Photo: Wolfe Krebs)
Anguilla

Director of Fisheries
Anguilla National Trust Bermuda The Bermuda Turtle Project British Virgin Islands Conservation and Fisheries Department
British Virgin Islands National Parks Trust
H. Lavity Stout Community College
Island Resources Foundation Cayman Islands Cayman Islands Department of Environment
Cayman Turtle Farm Montserrat Montserrat Department of Agriculture
Montserrat Department of Fisheries
Montserrat National Trust
Montserrat Volcano Observatory
Sea Wolf Diving School
Montserrat Divers Turks and Caicos Islands Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR)
Turks and Caicos Coastal Resources Management Project

Project Outputs

Project outputs, many of which are included as part of the final report, incuded:

Website This website has been set up as a focal point to allow the project profile and results to be viewed. Please book mark us and visit us again for updates.

Press Releases: To facilitate dissemination of information, regular press releases which will be circulated within each of the Territories, in UK and internationally.

Press Release 1 (15th November 2001) (128K PDF)
Press Release 2 (21st August 2002) (188K PDF)
Press Release 3 (15th August 2003) (119K PDF) Bibliography of Marine Turtles in the Overseas Territories To help pull together many disparate sources of information a bibliography of marine turtle related literature has been compiled for all of the UK Overseas Territories. The compilation of this will be a dynamic process so if you have a new pertinent literatures source then please contact us.

Version 3 (1st February 2003) (504K PDF) E-mail Discussion List As part of the project we operate a closed e-mail discussion list solely for the use of those directly involved with marine turtles in the Caribbean Overseas Territories. If you would like to join this we would be grateful if you would contact us detailing your involvement with marine turtles.

Leaflet: Turtles & Tourism As part of the TCOT Initiative with additional support from marine turtle species champion, Cheltenham & Gloucester, an information leaflet is being produced and distributed. We are posting a draft version here to allow project partners to view and give feedback to allow the leaflet to be modified to yield best results.

Version 1 (15th May2002) (1.2MB PDF) Genetics Sampling Sheet: One of the aims of TCOT is to ascertain the genetic profiles of marine turtles in each of the Caribbean Overseas Territories. Samples will be analysed as part of the project by Professor Mike Bruford and Angela Formia at the University of Wales, Cardiff. Project staff have designed a datasheet to accompany each sample to help standardise the collection of important data. It is recommended that the form be photocopied double-sided. Version 1 (2.2MB PDF) (15th June 2002) TCOT Monitoring Protocols: In support of developing monitoring efforts by TCOT partners advice notes regarding monitoring/research protocols have been drafted. Advice Note 1 version 1 Nesting Grounds ( 172 KB PDF) (15th February 2003)
Advice Note 2 version 2 Foraging Grounds ( 116 KB PDF) (15th February 2003) TCOT Training Workshop Report: As an integral part of the TCOT process, from 27th August to 2nd September 2002, 25 delegates met in Grand Cayman for a training workshop hosted by Cayman Islands Department of the Environment and the Cayman Turtle Farm. A short proceedings has been produced detailing the progress of the meeting. Report ( 2.1 MB PDF) (15th April 2003)

Further information

Please contact the project at
info@tcot.seaturtle.org
or contact project co-ordinators:

Drs. B.J. Godley and A.C. Broderick
Centre for Ecology and Conservation
University of Exeter in Cornwall
Tremough Campus
Penryn TR10 9EZ UK
<https://seaturtle.org/mtrg/>
e-mail: MTRG@seaturtle.org MTRG