African network protects key turtle sites

Date:
March 31, 2022
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
A network of West African Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covers
key sites used by green turtles, new research shows.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A network of West African Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covers key sites
used by green turtles, new research shows.


==========================================================================
The RAMPAO network runs along the coast of seven countries, from Cape
Verde to Sierra Leone, protecting vital habitats for many species.

The new study tracked 45 female green turtles from Poila~o Island, in
Guinea- Bissau's Bijago's Archipelago, which hosts the largest population
in the Eastern Atlantic.

The tracked turtles were found to spend most of their time during nesting
and foraging periods inside the MPA network.

However, just 21% of key "migration corridors" are protected.

The study was carried out by a team including the University of Exeter
(UK), MARE -- ISPA, Instituto Universita'rio (Portugal), the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (Guinea Bissau) and the Banc d'Arguin
National Park (Mauritania). Additionally, youngsters of local Bijago's
villages were engaged in fieldwork activities.



========================================================================== "RAMPAO is a great example of an MPA network, with good connections
between the MPAs and strong links between the organisations that oversee
them," said Dr Rita Patri'cio, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation
on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, and MARE.

"West Africa has very rich marine ecosystems. Conservation efforts
initially focussed on key habitats, such as seagrass, mangroves, estuaries
and intertidal flats, which are used by populations of global importance
of coastal and seabirds, and by charismatic species such as humpback
dolphins, West African manatees and green turtles.

"Our study is part of wider efforts to discover where species are
distributed in the region, to ultimately find the most effective ways
of protecting them.

"Green turtles have complex life-cycles, involving large-scale migrations between breeding and feeding sites.

"It is essential to understand the connectivity between these areas,
to estimate the level of protection, and to ensure that conservation
efforts on breeding sites are not cancelled out by lack of protection
at feeding sites, and vice-versa.



==========================================================================
"In the case of green turtles, our study shows the MPA network in the
region covers almost all marine areas used during the nesting period
and most feeding areas too. This is hugely encouraging.

"Our finding that most key corridors used by the turtles currently fall
outside the MPA network suggests there is an opportunity to increase
protection even further." During the nesting period, turtles spent
an average of 95% of their time within the limits of the MPA network,
and among the 35 turtles successfully tracked into the foraging period,
28 of them used waters within MPAs.

Key migration corridors were mostly located close to the shore, where regionally important fisheries activities can make effective marine
protection more challenging.

Dr Patri'cio said green turtle populations in this region "look stable"
-- but this is "conservation-dependent." "If you remove the conservation effort, the population could drop very quickly," she said.

The United Nations global target to protect 10% of the world's ocean by
2020 was not achieved, but the coverage of protected areas is increasing
-- and there are now calls to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Balancing marine protection with the needs of human coastal communities
is vital, and Dr Patricio said a key goal is to bring all parties together
to improve conservation in a way that works for people and ecosystems.

Funders of the research included the MAVA Foundation, the Regional
Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM) and the La Caixa Foundation.

The paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, is
entitled: "Green turtles highlight connectivity across a regional marine protected area network in West Africa."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. A. R. Patri'cio, M. Beal, C. Barbosa, D. Diouck, B. J. Godley, F. M.

Madeira, A. Regalla, M. S. Traore', C. Senhoury, E. Sidina,
P. Catry.

Green Turtles Highlight Connectivity Across a Regional Marine
Protected Area Network in West Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science,
2022; 9 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.812144 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331101557.htm

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