|
The Gulf of Fonseca (GOF) is a shallow Pacific sea-inlet fronting the Central American countries
of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. As part of the ICAPO region-wide hawksbill conservation effort, our team has equipped
ten hawksbills with satellite tags in Central America [El Salvador (n=6) and Nicaragua (n=4)], four of which showed the turtles
migrating into the GOF after completing their nesting cycle. The coastlines of the GOF, and of the several islands contained
therein, consist of extensive estuaries and numerous lagoons, which provide critical refuges for hawksbill turtles.
Nonetheless,
aside from the four satellite tracked turtles, not much is known about the importance of the GOF for foraging or nesting of
hawksbills. Considering the results of the tracked individuals and that the three most important hawksbill nesting sites (Bahia
Jiquilisco and Los Cobanos, El Salvador, and Estero Padre Ramos, Nicaragua) identified to date in the EP are located just
outside of the mouth of the GOF, its potential importance for hawksbills is unparalleled.
Via this two-year project, we are conducting systematic surveys around the entire coast of the GOF to identify potential
hotspots for hawksbill nesting, foraging and fisheries interactions, thus generating urgently needed baseline data, elucidating
the regional importance of the area, and setting the stage for future conservation actions.
The GOF covers approximately 3,200 km2, consisting of a coastline of approximately 261 km,
of which 29 km are in El Salvador, 153 km in Honduras, and 47 km in Nicaragua. Several islands are distributed throughout
the Salvadoran and Honduran waters of the GOF, the largest being Conchaguita, Meanguera and El Tigre (Amapala). Due to the
region’s high biodiversity, a large portion of the GOF’s coastline under Honduran jurisdiction was designated
a “Wetland of International Importance” and adopted as the world’s 1000th RAMSAR site (July 1999). Despite
this designation, large-scale ecosystem degradation through the development of commercial shrimp farms and other activities
are disrupting the delicate balance of ecosystems in the region. This is complicated by the fact that the abundant resources
generated in the area constitute the social and economic foundation for many coastal communities and contribute significantly
to the economies of the nations that share the GOF.
Implementing Organizations
Protective Turtle Ecology Center for Training, Outreach and Research (ProTECTOR)
Fauna & Flora International
Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative - ICAPO
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation - NFWF
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Regional Program for the Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic
Alternatives (MAREA)
|
