seaturtle.org : MTN : ARCHIVES : Sign In

Figure 1. Guanahacabibes Peninsula and PU study sites. Shading represents the boundaries of Guanahacabibes National Park, with the dots indicating the nine nesting beaches patrolled in 2005. Squares mark local subsistence communities. (From Ibarra-Martín et al. 2005).

Along the 70km long southern coastline of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, 10km of sandy beach are surveyed regularly. Due to the rugged nature of the coastline, which is interrupted by limestone cliffs, these 10km of beach represent the bulk of the sandy shoreline of the southern coast. Surveys are conducted continuously from May to September to correspond with peak nesting.

The Proyecto Universitario has five principal objectives:

1. To determine the principal sea turtle nesting areas in Guanahacabibes National Park.
2. To collect data on green and loggerhead sea turtles, nests and eggs.
3. To examine the genetic diversity of marine turtle populations that nest in the zone and through tagging, gain an understanding of their movements.
4. To engender an appreciation for the natural environment and its conservation in the local community and among university students participating in the project.
5. To develop an educational program and partnerships with local communities to engage them in the research and conservation of sea turtles and coastal resources.

Since its inception in 1998, more than 1,000 University of Havana students have participated in the project (Ibarra-Martín et al. 1999; Ibarra-Martín et al. 2002; Ibarra-Martín et al. 2005). Eight years later, the PU is the largest sea turtle monitoring program in Cuba and one of the fastest growing projects of its kind in the wider Caribbean.

Several small communities live within the biosphere reserve and subsist through artisanal fishing. Sea turtles are protected by law, and while some poaching of eggs and adults has occurred, it appears that outsiders rather than the local residents are responsible. With a lack of adequate enforcement within national park boundaries, the continuous presence of project volunteers has led to a steep decline in the poaching of sea turtles and other animals, such as hutias and deer, for meat. The deterrent provided by the volunteers was demonstrated by an abrupt increase in poaching during the volunteers’ three week absence in July 2004 after Hurricane Ivan ravished the peninsula (Diaz-Fernandez et al. 2004).
Since the beginning of the Project, locals have been participating with University students in monitoring activities. During the nesting season, Project staff give classes in eight local schools and organize educational excursions. Recently, project organizers have boosted efforts to educate local inhabitants in and near the park on the ecological and economic value of sea turtles to the area.

The September 2005 workshop was sponsored by The Ocean Conservancy, the Centro de Investigaciones Marinas and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. The event was a follow-up to a 2002 workshop organized by The Ocean Conservancy and the Centro de Investigaciones Marinas to explore the project’s strengths, challenges and opportunities. While the first workshop provided an opportunity to exchange information on methodology and results, strategize on ways to bring Cuban scientists and students into the mainstream of international sea turtle biology and conservation, meet with local residents, and develop a blueprint for an ambitious future, the 2005 workshop focused on boosting community outreach efforts in Guanahacabibes and reviewing the project’s successes and shortcomings since 2002. Participants’ recommendations included the incorporation of new research practices and ways to increase institutional collaboration within Cuba as the project now serves as a model for other universities interested in undertaking sea turtle nesting beach projects in other regions of Cuba.

The following are highlights of the recommendations made by the workshop participants:

• Continue to increase institutional collaboration within Cuba .
• Elevate the project’s public profile outside Cuba through scientific exchanges and publication in international peer reviewed journals.
• Improve camp conditions.
• Ensure sea turtle protection in advance of planned increases in tourism.
• Establish institutional links with researchers abroad.
• Increase community involvement in monitoring and project supervision.
• Continue expansion of project to other parts of Cuba.
• Engage Cuban policymakers in making good decisions for sea turtles and the local community.

Future of Proyecto Universitario

Using the consensus recommendations made during the 2002 and 2005 workshops, the Proyecto Universitario will continue to expand its scientific work and community outreach in and around Guanahacabibes National Park. In the next three years, the Proyecto Universitario hopes to promote the role of the local community in the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources to ensure that local residents are fully engaged stakeholders in future decisions made for the natural resources of the park.

DIAZ-FERNANDEZ, R., A. ARIAS-PEREZ; R. DIAZ-FERNANDEZ & A. DURAN-RODRIGUEZ. 2004. Informe de Expedición: Valoración del Impacto Costero en el Parque Nacional Península de Guanahacabibes, Cuba, luego del Paso del Huracán Iván. 8 pp.

IBARRA-MARTIN, M.E., R. DIAZ-FERNANDEZ & J. AZANZA. 2005. Proyecto universitario para el estudio y conservación de las tortugas marinas en Cuba: Informe final, 8a temporada. Unpublished report.

IBARRA-MARTIN, M.E., R. DIAZ-FERNANDEZ, A. NODARSE, J.AZANZA, J.ANGULO, G. ESPINOSA & J. PACHECO. 2002. Project Update: University project for the study and conservation of Cuban sea turtles-completion of year 3. Marine Turtle Newsletter 95:18-20.

IBARRA-MARTIN, M.E., J.A. VALDES, G.E. LOPEZ, J.P. ROBERTO, F.M. GAVILAN, G.N. ANDREU & E.E. GONZALEZ. 1999. University project on the study and conservation of Cuban sea turtles. Marine Turtle Newsletter 84:11-12.