Community-based biodiversity assessment and continued protection of an endangered population of nesting sea turtles in two protected areas

In 2023, we recorded only 16 poached turtles in these two protected areas. This represents a poaching rate of only 0.1% of the entire population of nesting turtles who visited this area this year (total of 70,481 divided by an average of 5 nests per individual). Our target indicator value was to have <50 poached turtles in the 2023 season, so we are delighted with this result.

In 2023, we recorded 368 turtles rescued and safely returned to the sea out of a total of 398 turtles recorded as found unable to return to the sea without intervention. This meant that 92% were rescued, which exceeded our target of 50%. Unfortunately, 30 were already dead by the time they were found.

36 rangers were directly employed by the MG-WA-2117 project, however a total of 183 national and international rangers and volunteers were involved in the protection effort.

35 PA rangers and coordinators attended a training workshop held by the Ministry of Environment and a further 25 individuals from tour operators attended a capacity building workshop to raise awareness about the importance of the turtles in Boa Vista and also the laws and legislations in place to protect them.

With the successful protection of this species, we are contributing to The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework GOAL A – Protect and Restore: Human induced extinction of known threatened species is halted, and, by 2050, the extinction rate and risk of all species are reduced tenfold, and the abundance of native wild species is increased to healthy and resilient levels;

We implemented extensive patrols around the island to reduce the risk of the endangered loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) being poached or threatened by other human means. We joined forces and collaborated with various stakeholders to raise awareness and implement activities with innovative technologies to reduce loss of turtles and to capture evidence to provide key data necessary to share information with key decision and policy makers and begin to take steps to design actions to reduce the threats further.

Recommendations:

• Continue to engage and collaborate with stakeholders to protect endangered species.
• Use the lessons learnt and success stories from this project to share knowledge with other islands, nations and NGOs to support them to apply techniques such as the application of innovative technology to preserve endangered species.

We now have baseline data from six different monitoring methods to allow us to evaluate the current and future status of several different aspects of the PAs. They focussed on the following themes: climate change, community engagement, sustainable resource use and extraction, impacts and pressures from human activities, status of invasive species and current distribution and abundance of endemic, endangered species. Now that we have this information, we can begin to design and implement effective management plans to improve the integrity, connectivity and resilience of the ecosystems and therefore contribute to The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework GOAL A – Protect and Restore.

Key findings:

1. Participatory Monitoring of Corvus ruficollis

• Increased raven sightings during turtle nesting season (June-October), particularly in RNT and PNN.
• High predation rates on turtle hatchlings (194 cases recorded) but no evidence of predation on bird species.
• Ravens observed more frequently in areas with human presence, suggesting a correlation between human activities and raven abundance.
• Limited evidence of raven reproduction, with nests observed but no juveniles recorded.
• Osprey nests were more common in areas without ravens, while brown booby sightings decreased in raven-dense areas.

2. Fisheries Biology of Goat Whelk (Persististrombus latus)

• Fishing activities concentrated in protected areas (PNN and RNT), with an annual catch of ~12,300 kg.
• Average individual size: 97.3 mm in length, 30.4 g in weight.
• Strong correlation between length and weight, but lip thickness and therefore maturity varied.
• Larger individuals found in Baía das Gatas compared to Ervatão.

3. Monitoring of Invasive Plant Species and Impacts on Native Species

• Invasive species (Prosopis juliflora, Parkinsonia aculeata) covered up to 26% of surveyed quadrants, reducing native plant diversity.
• Tamarix senegalensis and Suaeda caboverdeana were less dominant, struggling to compete.
• Habitat degradation from invasive species threatens the survival of native flora.

4. Census of Phoenix atlantica and Ficus sycomorus

• 488 individuals recorded (479 P. atlantica, 9 F. sycomorus), with most located outside anthropogenic zones.
• Only 13.9% of P. atlantica showed signs of regeneration.
• 75% of P. atlantica and 67% of F. sycomorus exhibited damage from human activities (burning, invasive species, collection, pests).

5. Human-Induced Pressures on Protected Areas

• High feral animal presence in PNN (donkeys, goats, cows) impacting habitats.
• Significant reduction (98.5%) in sea turtle poaching over 16 years, though unreported cases persist.
• Resource extraction (sand, gravel, quarrying) mainly in PNN, affecting conservation efforts.
• Pollution (agricultural waste, construction debris, tourism waste) widespread, particularly in PNN.
• Unregulated human activities and poorly managed tourism add stress to the ecosystem.

6. Climatic Data Monitoring

• Data collection from three active sites was inconsistent, with missing months.
• Highest recorded temperature: 43.2ºC (Povoação Velha); lowest: 18.6ºC (Lacação).
• Humidity ranged from 51% (Lacação) to 75% (Sal Rei).
• Community involvement included five trained individuals.

Recommendations:

• Continue the monitoring methods and/or repeat in the stipulated time frame to have an understanding of trends to assess the status of each of the values assessed.
• Widen the monitoring methods to other species, communities, threats and habitats to expand understanding of the entire PAs.
• Replicate the work undertaken in other PAs across the island and nationally to allow for comparison and national statuses.
• Use the information gathered to adapt current management plans to prioritise future actions.

A total of 36 rangers were directly employed by this project during the sea turtle season, however this formed part of a much greater project in which a further 81 rangers, drivers, cooks and coordinators were employed in the sea turtle protection program plus 183 national and international volunteers contributed to the work.

18 different fishermen were engaged in the project related to the fishing of the goat whelk. The expected engagement in this activity was for 15 fishermen. This activity included data collection, questions and interviews, formal and informal data workshops including round table discussions, exchanges of knowledge and also the presentation of the results of the study.  With the guidance of an international fisheries consultant, they were provided with key information related to the biology and ecology of the species, its current status in Cabo Verde and Boa Vista, and potential future projects, based on over-exploitation and climate change. This aspect of the project included data collection, questionnaires and interviews, formal and informal workshops including round table discussions, exchanges of knowledge and also the presentation of the results of the study.  With the guidance of an international fisheries consultant, the fishermen were provided with key information related to the biology and ecology of the species, its current status in Cabo Verde and Boa Vista, and potential future projects, based on over-exploitation and climate change. In addition to the fishermen, this project also engaged the fisheries inspector, the delegate for the institute of ports and maritime affairs, the delegate for the ministry of environment in Boa Vista, Zofia Radwan – Focal point of turtle monitoring and Representative of the National Director of Environment, Fishing Inquirer, local city council of Boa Vista, the Society for Touristic Development in Boa Vista and Maio, several national NGOs, iMAR – Institute of the sea from multiple islands and fishmongers.

This has contributed towards The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework GOAL B – Prosper with Nature: Biodiversity is sustainably used and managed and nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services, are valued, maintained and enhanced, with those currently in decline being restored, supporting the achievement of sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations by 2050.

Recommendations

• Take the opportunity to continue to develop this new positive relationship with local fishermen to benefit both parties. They have extensive knowledge and understanding of the ecosystems and trends in resources. They could be a unique and valuable source of data and would benefit from further capacity building and support.
• Apply the knowledge learnt from the workshop and methods used to other islands in Cabo Verde to take a national approach to the situation.

As part of this project, the PAs were discussed in many international and national events.  The project manager presented the topic: Threats and pressures facing an endangered population of loggerhead turtles in Boa Vista, Cabo Verde. At the International Sea Turtle Symposium in Thailand to over 300 people and also at the PRCM Marine Forum in Guinea Bissau to over 200 people. The 20203 Turtle season results were presented in Mauritania at the PRCM steering committee meeting for the Survival of Sea Turtles program and at the TAOLA annual meeting in Santo Antao in2024.

25 social media posts were created and widely shared, with lots of engagement internationally across four different platforms Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn. Newsletters and annual reports included this project to share the information further.

We are delighted to say that the PAs which are the focus of this project were added to the WDPAs in August 2024. This is a huge achievement for Cabo Verde. FT have now led four IMET PAME evaluations in cooperation with other stakeholders.

Interviews were conducted and videos were shown in the local language to engage local people. Local people were encouraged to volunteer in the monitoring activities and “vulnerable” or “isolated” members of the community were selected to participate in data collection related to climate change. Our capacity raising activities engaged more than 312 people in this project.

Recommendations

• Continue to raise awareness internationally and put the four completed IMET evaluation on the WDPA.
• Engage more target groups from the population, building on the success of the engagement with the buzio fishermen.
• Present the work carried out in the PAs in more national and international conferences.

You can see a summary video of our project here:

Read the report on the IMET workshop: