Sea turtles and climate change

WWF organises workshop on climate change in the insular Caribbean

MIAMI, USA: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has organised a workshop in Miami on Dec 10-12, to investigate the potential effects of climate change on hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata).

With the support of the MacArthur Foundation, a group of the world’s best biologists on marine turtles and climate change will gather to study the threats and effects of climate change on this indicator species.
The recommendations of the workshop will be incorporated into an 18 month data gathering and research period, ending with a reconvening of the specialist network to revisit the recommendations and make best use of the information gathered.

Hawksbills are an “indicator species” with which to measure biological effects of climate change since they live in habitats ranging from beaches to the open ocean throughout their lives. As adults, Hawksbills mainly feed on sponges, found on coral reefs, and therefore the fate of coral reefs may be very important to them.

The health of beaches as well as mangrove, sea grass beds, coral reefs and deep ocean ecosystems can be gauged by the presence of sea turtles that use these areas for nesting, foraging, rookeries and migrations.

Increased understanding of how climate change may affect the beaches, the reef and the open ocean will not only benefit endangered sea turtle populations, but also the millions of people who live along the coastlines of the world.

By designing strategies to avoid the negative impacts of climate change, many other species in these environments will also benefit.

Global climate change is pushing many species towards probable extinctions and causing them to shift poleward at rates faster than in geological pasts.

Entire regions are suffering from the effects of climate change and will continue to suffer for the indefinite future.

Eventually all ecosystems will be affected by climate change, as well as the host of other anthropogenic threats that already challenge them (e.g., habitat degradation and pollution).

Some of the most heavily impacted and relied upon ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and sustain essential services.

The Insular Caribbean has a unique biodiversity that supports complex coastal and marine systems (e.g. the Meso American barrier reef – the second largest in the world), making it a region highly vulnerable to climate change effects, including sea-level rise.

WWF is trying to link abundant but scattered existing resources, databases, and information sources within the Insular Caribbean to assess their validity, usefulness and accessibility aiming at the future development and implementation of a climate change-related ecosystems vulnerability and adaptability action plan.

The Insular Caribbean consists of the region between North and South America comprised of three subregions: the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles, and the Greater Antilles. This region includes 25 different countries and territories spread over more than 4 million km2 of ocean with only an estimated 230,000 km2 of land.

The Insular Caribbean is known for its rich biodiversity and high levels of endemism, yet has a long history of human exploitation resulting in a significant amount of resource degradation and depletion.

For example, 90% of the Insular Caribbean forest cover has been converted to agroscapes, over 70% of its coral reefs are threatened, mangroves deforested, and its beaches impacted, altered and squeezed by coastal development.

The Insular Caribbean islands emerge as top priority for the expansion of the global protected areas with endemically rich islands in need of preservation, and requiring biodiversity assessments, and management tools to conserve the remaining resources and create sustainability.