Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for St. Kitts and Nevis - WIDECAST

PREFACE
Sea turtle stocks are declining throughout most of the Wider Caribbean region; in some
areas the trends are dramatic and are likely to be irreversible during our lifetimes. According to
the IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre's Red Data Book, persistent over-exploitation, especially
of adult females on the nesting beach, and the widespread collection of eggs are largely
responsible for the Endangered status of five sea turtle species occurring in the region and the
Vulnerable status of a sixth. In addition to direct harvest, sea turtles are accidentally captured in
active or abandoned fishing gear, resulting in death to tens of thousands of turtles annually.
Coral reef and sea grass degradation, oil spills, chemical waste, persistent plastic and other marine
debris, high density coastal development, and an increase in ocean-based tourism have damaged
or eliminated nesting beaches and feeding grounds. Population declines are complicated by
the fact that causal factors are not always entirely indigenous. Because sea turtles are among the
most migratory of all Caribbean fauna, what appears as a decline in a local population may be a
direct consequence of the activities of peoples many hundreds of kilometers distant. Thus, while
local conservation is crucial, action is also called for at the regional level.
In order to adequately protect migratory sea turtles and achieve the objectives of CEP's
Regional Programme for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW), The Strategy for the
Development of the Caribbean Environment Programme (1990-1995) calls for "the development
of specific management plans for economically and ecologically important species", making particular
reference to endangered, threatened, or vulnerable species of sea turtle. This is consistent
with Article 10 of the Cartagena Convention (1983), which states that Contracting Parties shall
"individually or jointly take all appropriate measures to protect ... the habitat of depleted,
threatened or endangered species in the Convention area." Article 10 of the 1991 Protocol to the
Cartagena Convention concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol)
specifies that Parties "carry out recovery, management, planning and other measures to effect the
survival of [endangered or threatened] species" and regulate or prohibit activities having
"adverse effects on such species or their habitats". Article 11 of the SPAW Protocol declares that
each Party "shall ensure total protection and recovery to the species of fauna listed in Annex II".
All six species of Caribbean-occurring sea turtles were included in Annex II in 1991.
This CEP Technical Report is the fifth in a series of Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plans
prepared by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Team and Conservation Network
(WIDECAST), an organization comprised of a regional team of sea turtle experts, local Country
Co-ordinators, and an extensive network of interested citizens. The objective of the recovery
action plan series is to assist Caribbean governments in the discharge of their obligations under
the SPAW Protocol, and to promote a regional capability to implement scientifically sound sea
turtle conservation programs by developing a technical understanding of sea turtle biology and
management among local individuals and institutions. Each recovery action plan summarizes
the known distribution of sea turtles, discusses major causes of mortality, evaluates the effecttiveness
of existing conservation laws, and prioritizes implementing measures for stock recovery.
WIDECAST was founded in 1981 by Monitor International, in response to a recommendation
by the IUCN/CCA Meeting of Non-Governmental Caribbean Organizations on Living Resources
Conservation for Sustainable Development in the Wider Caribbean (Santo Domingo, 26-
29 August 1981) that a "Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan should be prepared
... consistent with the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme." WIDECAST is
an autonomous NGO, partially supported by the Caribbean Environment Programme.