Corredor Azul: marine protected areas and sea turtles in the SW Atlantic.

FALLABRINO A; VICTORIA GONZÁLEZ CARMAN; BECKER H; BONDIOLI A; ESTIMA S

Simposio; 30th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation; 2010

Sea turtles are highly migratory animals that use a wide variety of habitats along their life span. Therefore, research and conservation efforts must be conducted coordinately and cooperatively between nations involved, going beyond geographic and political boundaries. For this reason, this study aims to assess connections between nesting and feeding populations, recognize common threats and also identify gaps in sea turtle knowledge and unprotected critical habitats along the species distribution. According to several studies employing genetics, marc-recapture and remote sensing tools, populations of juvenile green turtles are shared by the three countries. These populations are mainly affected by incidental capture, especially on artisanal fisheries, and marine debris ingestion due to anthropogenic pollution. Even though coastal and marine protected areas cover an important proportion of the species distribution, some gaps has been identified. In some protected areas of Brazil, no sea turtle information is available. Moreover, critical feeding habitats like the Río de la Plata estuary, are completely unprotected.