Guanahacabibes, Cuba - Green Turtles

A project of U. Havana/Ocean Found./Mote Marine in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

Along the 70km long southern coastline of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, 10km of sandy beach are surveyed regularly. Due to the rugged nature of the coastline, which is interrupted by limestone cliffs, these 10km of beach represent the bulk of the sandy shoreline of the southern coast. Surveys are conducted continuously from May to September to correspond with peak nesting.

The Proyecto Universitario has five principal objectives:

1. To determine the principal sea turtle nesting areas in Guanahacabibes National Park.

2. To collect data on green and loggerhead sea turtles, nests and eggs.

3. To examine the genetic diversity of marine turtle populations that nest in the zone and through tagging, gain an understanding of their movements.

4. To engender an appreciation for the natural environment and its conservation in the local community and among university students participating in the project.

5. To develop an educational program and partnerships with local communities to engage them in the research and conservation of sea turtles and coastal resources.

Since its inception in 1998, more than 1,000 University of Havana students have participated in the project. The PU is the largest sea turtle monitoring program in Cuba and one of the fastest growing projects of its kind in the wider Caribbean.

For more information, see the Marine Turtle Newsletter article online http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn113/mtn113p14.shtml

Project Partners

Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de la Habana http://www.gulfbase.org/organization/view.php?oid=cim

The Ocean Foundation http://www.oceanfdn.org

Mote Marine Laboratory http://www.mote.org/seaturtles