Information from http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn77/mtn77p15.shtml

The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Association (Asociación Rescate y Conservación de Vida Silvestre, ARCAS) is a Guatemalan non-profit conservation organization committed to preserving Guatemalan wildlife and wildlife habitat. Best known for its Animal Rescue Center in the Peten rain forest region of Guatemala, it also carries out sea turtle conservation activities on a natural reserve on the south cost near the village of Hawaii. The reserve consists of mangrove estuaries, dry tropical forests, and volcanic sand beaches. The beaches are of the "high energy" type characteristic of much of the Pacific coast (i.e., relatively steep and narrow with strong waves and tides; no offshore reef formations).

The rainy season at Hawaii occurs annually between June and October. The olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting season corresponds with the rainy season, peaking in September, but low density nesting (ca. 2-4 turtles per night) occurs throughout the year. There are no arribadas (mass nesting events) at Hawaii. The olive ridleys seem to prefer dark nights, a setting or rising moon, and strong southeast winds (turtles will even nest during the day in the presence of such winds). On the 15 km of coastline monitored by ARCAS, nesting frequency is generally 10-15 nests per night during the peak nesting months of August, September and October. Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are much rarer than olive ridleys. Leatherback nesting occurs in November and December, when only 2-3 turtles arrive to nest per night on the beach at Hawaii.

Turtle eggs are prized by local populations as a supplement to their income and diets. Competition for turtle nests is intense, and it is extremely rare that a nest escapes plunder. Turtle eggs are sold to local buyers who transport them to ceviche (a pickled seafood cocktail) restaurants in the nation's capitol. Sea turtle eggs have a reputation for being aphrodisiacs, not a basic need in Guatemala where the population growth rate is 2.6%. Prices for olive ridley eggs vary from 12 quetzals (6 quetzals = 1 US$) per dozen during the height of the nesting season, to more than 36 quetzals in the off-season. Leatherback eggs range from 16-40 quetzals per dozen. An average nest can, therefore, bring in roughly 140 quetzals; roughly one quarter of the monthly income of an agricultural worker or local fisherman.

According to local villagers, the number of ridleys and leatherback turtles that nest on area beaches is rapidly declining. Many report that even just 15 years ago, an egg collector could expect to collect 2-3 nests per night during the nesting season. Now, due to fewer turtles and more competition for nests, collectors may find only 2-4 nests per year. Many fear that if present trends continue, the turtles will stop returning to the beaches altogether.

Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Program: The Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Program, managed by ARCAS, in cooperation with DIGEBOS (the Guatemalan forestry agency), encourages a donation by local egg collectors of one dozen eggs per nest. The eggs are reburied in protected hatcheries. Egg collectors who donate one dozen eggs are given a receipt which gives them the right to "legally" sell the rest of the nest. [ N.B. According to formal Guatemalan law, sea turtles are endangered species and their eggs cannot be collected or eaten for any reason. Informally, however, the one dozen eggs "donation system" has been in place since about 1980 to ensure that at least some hatchlings are returned to the sea. Unfortunately, at best only half of the egg collectors participate. ] More than 5,000 hatchlings in 1993, 7,000 in 1994 and 10,000 in 1995 were released from the ARCAS hatchery at Hawaii. The Hawaii hatchery is by far the most productive in Guatemala.

Hatcheries in Guatemala are typically enclosed with corrugated tin or fiberboard and lightly roofed (thatched) with palm. Depredation by cats (domestic), opossums, jaybirds, ghost crabs and other predators on hatchlings is a problem and is controlled by the use of "scarecrows" and weighted nest cages. This is the situation at the ARCAS hatchery, where the fenced enclosure is sited on the upper beach and thatched with palm fronds. The hatchery enclosure is 10 m x 6 m and typically holds 300-400 nests per year. Groups of one dozen eggs are combined into "clutches" of 24 eggs and buried at a depth of 30-35 cm. Nests are shaped to resemble the original "flask" form and buried roughly 30 cm apart from one another. Each nest is marked with a numbered stake. Hatch success ranges from 88-95%.

In addition to protecting sea turtle eggs, ARCAS is involved with other aspects of sea turtle conservation. For example, dead turtles wash ashore on the south coast of Guatemala after being caught and drowned in fishing gear offshore; mainly shrimp trawls operated by Guatemalan and foreign boats. In 1995, there were numerous strandings (perhaps 3-5 per week on the 15 km monitored by ARCAS) during the beginning of the nesting season (June and July). In response, ARCAS wrote several articles for the Guatemalan press on this "turtle massacre". Whether due to the publicity caused by these articles or several patrols subsequently conducted by the Guatemalan Navy, the shrimp trawlers moved further offshore and no more strandings were seen for the rest of the season. In 1996, the Guatemalan shrimp fleet installed TEDs, an action which seemed to reduce incidental capture and drowning because very few turtles washed ashore dead on the beaches.

ARCAS also conducts environmental education activities in area schools and manages three school hatcheries where students collect and bury their own eggs and release the hatchlings when they emerge. ARCAS also has a crocodile and iguana captive breeding program and conducts mangrove reforestation.

Lessons Learned: There are several aspects of the Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Project, and of sea turtle conservation in general in Guatemala, that distinguish it from conservation activities in other countries, and these differences may be of interest to readers of the Marine Turtle Newsletter. One aspect is that sea turtle conservation in Guatemala is a highly decentralized activity. Conservation efforts (mainly hatcheries) are carried out at the initiative of a disparate group of actors ranging from private landowners to the military to a high school. Government involvement in turtle conservation is limited and uncoordinated. Three separate government agencies run turtles hatcheries, but regulation of the egg harvesting industry as a whole is virtually nonexistent. Buses and other vehicles known to transport turtle eggs to market are only sporadically searched by authorities. There are few national parks and no marine reserves in Guatemala, and no focus to government conservation initiatives or personnel training.

In addition to this lack of government involvement, there is also a lack of involvement by national and international conservation non-government organizations (NGOs). This is due, in part, to a kind of "brain drain" to the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in Peten, a United Nations-declared natural heritage site and a major focus for international conservation efforts. It is also due to the perception of the south coast and its coastal plains (prime agricultural lands rich in volcanic loam) as environmentally "lost". Moreover, the Guatemalan sea turtle conservation movement is relatively young and unsophisticated, especially when compared to similar movements in countries such as Costa Rica, México and the U. S. The main focus has been and continues to be on establishing hatcheries. There have been very few attempts to address other issues, such as changing environmentally harmful fishing practices or reducing demand for turtle eggs among Guatemala consumers.

The decentralized nature of turtle conservation activities in Guatemala has its pluses and minuses. The minuses include the fact that there is little formal oversight of hatchery operations. Hatcheries are often operated by untrained local personnel or volunteers using outdated methods. Due to limited funding and technical expertise, hatchery personnel often fail to gather even basic data regarding clutch size, incubation duration and hatch success. The "plus side" of turtle conservation in Guatemala is that there is relatively strong local support for activities. Although some egg collectors refuse to cooperate with the "one dozen eggs" donation system, there are also many who gladly give and realize that this is an effort to conserve the resource for their children. There are 23 hatcheries in Guatemala, and certain communities take pride in how many eggs they are able to bury. There has even arisen a spirit of competition among hatcheries as to which collects the most eggs.

Successful turtle conservation efforts in other parts of the world (e.g., Ostional, Costa Rica; Matura, Trinidad; Colola, Michoacn, México) have clearly shown the need to work closely with local communities. This is especially true in a country like Guatemala where there are limited opportunities to focus formal conservation effort (e.g., there are few national parks and no arribada sites) and the resources and/or the will to impose stringent conservation measures are lacking on the part of authorities. Given the realities of the Guatemalan political and conservation environment, what is needed is technical and material support to existing hatcheries and an effort to strengthen the government, non-governmental and private turtle conservation network. Research and data collection are sorely needed, and should directly support concrete conservation goals (e.g., improving hatchery techniques, lobbying for the use of TEDs, preserving nesting habitat). Of equal importance is the harnessing and encouraging of local, indigenous efforts to conserve sea turtles.

How To Help: ARCAS has volunteer programs at both the Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation Project and at its Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Peten. For a copy of the volunteer guidelines, please send US$ 10.00 to ARCAS.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is dedicated to conservation and continues to search for ways to expand its role as a conservator. It is our goal to increase staff involvement, and develop regional and local partnerships in conservation causes. We continue to be supporters of several long-term projects and also assist new and innovative programs. Some of the projects we have contributed to financially and with information, staff and participation, are detailed below.

Wildlife Conservation in Guatemala — The Zoo has partnered with a grassroots organization called ARCAS (Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association) to preserve the country’s natural heritage: the lush rain forests, the tropical shoreline and the wide array of animals who inhabit them. For ten years, the Zoo has been able to support ARCAS through financial support, construction help, animal care, educational programs and veterinarian equipment and supply donations.