Press Release STCB
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) staff and volunteers attended the annual ‘Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network’ (WIDECAST) meeting that was held in Suriname last week.
More than 60 sea turtle experts from 25 countries in the Caribbean were present to evaluate current national and regional programs and to set priorities for the coming year, including population monitoring, the development of guidelines, protocols and reporting tools, and education initiatives.
STCB staff presented the results from the surveys that they conducted along the west coast of Bonaire, around Klein Bonaire and inside Lac Bay between 2003 and 2018 (e.g. sea turtle abundance, health status), the data collected during the 2018 nesting season (e.g. number of sea turtle nests) and shared the remarkable journey of ‘Bonni’, a green turtle that was fitted with a satellite transmitter in September 2018. Some of the other presentations included regional initiatives and updates, bycatch assessment and reduction, and public awareness and outreach. STCB staff also participated in a working group session on sargassum to discuss effects on wildlife, tourism and fisheries and to share thoughts on unified approaches.
The attendees also visited two nesting sites in Suriname, Braamspunt and Galibi, to learn more about local efforts to protect sea turtle nests and reduce poaching in the area.
The next WIDECAST meeting will take place in March 2020 in Cartagena, Colombia.
