Date Posted: July 29, 2009

After an intensive week-long sea turtle conservation workshop that ran from 22 to 25 July, an Anguilla National Trust (ANT) working group, dedicated to sea turtle species and habitat conservation, has been established. The Anguilla Sea Turtle Conservation Group (ASCG), so far comprised of twelve individuals, emerged from discussions held among the ANT, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (DFMR), and the Department of Environment (DOE). Also from these discussions, gaps in information collected about Anguilla’s sea turtle nesting populations were identified and it was agreed that the ASCG could play a critical role in monitoring these populations.

The Anguilla National Trust received funding for this workshop from the Buccoo Reef Trust, based out of Trinidad and Tobago, the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), and the United Nations Foundation (UNF), as well as in-kind support from the DFMR and ANT volunteer, Mrs. Jacqueline Cestero. The workshop, in which ten people participated, consisted of two morning in-class sessions held at the DFMR Conference Room. The in-class component of the workshop was facilitated by Mr. Stuart Wynne, Deputy Director of Scientific Research at the DFMR, and Mr. Rhon Connor, Sustainable Development Coordinator at the DOE. Topics covered included Anguilla’s coastal environment and sea turtle ecology. The in-class sessions were followed by afternoons and a full day in the field during which theory was put into practice. Two experts in nesting sea turtle monitoring methods and protocols from the Antigua Sea Turtle Group, Ms Mykl Clovis and Mr. Joseph “Junior” Prosper, also led two night “turtle patrols” at Captain’s Bay – an important mainland nesting beach for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle.


 

Workshop participants included Mr. Remone Johnson, Mr. Randall Richardson, and Mr. Orlando Salisbury from the DFMR, ALHCS Environmental Club and/or ANT members Mr. Devon Carter, Ms Clarissa Lloyd, Mr. Joash Proctor, Mr. Anderson Richardson, and Mr. Trevor Ruan, as well as Ms Janeczka Richardson and Ms Farah Mukhida of the ANT. Other ASCG members include Mr. Wynne and Mr. Connor.

With the formal establishment of the ASCG, a nesting beach monitoring programme for the island and its offshore cays will be initiated by mid-August and will support DFMR’s own on-going initiatives. It is expected that both the creation of the ASCG and the monitoring programme itself will serve to increase knowledge and understanding of Anguilla’s sea turtle populations, thereby providing sound scientific data to support future species- and habitat-based decisions. As a community-based and –centred initiative, it also serves to empower residents with not only practical monitoring skills, but also an opportunity to play a direct and significant role in the environmental management process.

While only ten individuals have been initially trained, the ASCG is open to anyone who is interested in sea turtle conservation issues. A short public meeting for those individuals who are interested in joining the Group and assisting with monitoring exercises will be held on 18 August at 5.00pm at the Auditorium of the Teachers Resource Centre.

For more information about the workshop, the ASCG, or the ANT, interested individuals are encouraged to contact the ASCG Coordinator, Ms Janeczka Richardson, or the ANT office at 497 5297.