CASE STUDIES or PROBLEMS
Green Sea Turtle conservation in Grand Cayman, B.W.I
A Conservation Problem Case Prepared By
Larkin A. Powell, School of Natural Resource Sciences, University of Nebraska
Note: This case is designed as an applied problem in conservation biology; the case is based on a real situation in the Cayman islands. The characters quoted in the introductory 'story' are fictitious. However, their statements and scientific information are based on facts. Students are referred to various sources of data; therefore this problem case should not be cited as an informational source for the Green Sea Turtle.
STAGE 1: The problem
15 August 2001
The warm Caribbean sun felt good on Nick Hartwig's face. He was beginning to like this job. After 25 years as a deputy foreign minister in London, he had been selected by His Excellency, the Governor Alan Scott to serve on the Executive Branch Cabinet of Grand Cayman, B.W.I. "Think of this as a reward for years of hard work," Nick's former boss in London had told him. Nick was beginning to love living in Grand Cayman.
A small island in the Caribbean, Grand Cayman was home to about 35,000 people, but about half that many came to the island each day during peak tourist season on cruise ships. In fact, on the famed Seven-Mile Beach, near the capitol of Georgetown, it looked like a cruise ship parking lot on many days with 3-5 ships lined up, ferrying passengers to the docks in downtown Georgetown. The opportunity to swim with stingrays, go diving for conch, or enjoy deep SCUBA dives on the outer reef was alluring to many people.
It was now the end of Nick's first week on the job, and he was touring the Cayman Turtle Farm, a local attraction, with the Governor. Part of Nick's responsibilities as part of the Governor's Cabinet, was to oversee environmental concerns. This meant overseeing the Department of the Environment's Protection and Conservation Unit. The Cayman Turtle Farm, which produced 45,000 green sea turtle eggs each year, had over 300,000 annual visitors. It was a great photo op for the Governor, who came out to be on hand when turtles were taken from the tanks and released on a local beach.
Nick had heard about the Turtle Farm before he came to Grand Cayman. In the 1970's and 1980's, there had been a large controversy about the role of the Turtle Farm in mariculture and contributions to sea turtle conservation. As the only large-scale sea turtle farm in the world, the Turtle Farm provided a great opportunity for research scientists to study turtle reproductive behavior and other aspects of sea turtle biology. The farm released a portion of each year's hatch into the wild, while selling the rest to local restaurants. The Turtle Farm had struggled financially during the 1980's--turtle steaks and tourist gate fees were its only source of revenue. Green sea turtles were on the Endangered Species List in the U.S., which prevented most of the visitors to Cayman from returning home with turtle shell jewelry and other items that would have been used to subsidize the conservation efforts. Beyond that, some experts felt that turtles raised in mariculture situations would not survive or reproduce in the wild. Turtles take a long time to grow to breeding age, but over time, the Turtle Farm had shown that their released turtles did survive in the wild, and second generation turtles at the farm were breeding successfully.
The beaches of Grand Cayman had been the site of some nesting attempts by green sea turtles. Because of development and the potential for nest failure, all nests had been brought to the Turtle Farm for safe incubation, and the hatchlings were released in the wild. Grand Cayman had certainly changed over the past generation--more development and beach use was making its mark on the island.
"I've been thinking, Nick," the Governor began as they rode back to the capitol. "Why can't we set aside some beach area to encourage these turtles to breed in the wild on Cayman? I believe we've got to start being careful how our beaches our being used, and this fits into my goal of reducing use on some beaches. Why don't you look into designing a special 'Turtle Beach' that could help global conservation efforts for the green sea turtle?"
"We've already got the Marine Park system," replied Nick. "Are you thinking of something beyond that?"
"The Marine Parks are mainly for protecting conch, lobster, and fish reproduction, and I'm not sure the Parks are in the right location. I guess I'm thinking of a terrestrial component to one of those Marine Parks that would provide beach habitat for turtle nesting," said the Governor.
"Yeah, I can just see the Cayman Hilton giving up its prime resort beach," thought Nick. But with that thought and the Governor's directive, he was off on a mission.
END OF STAGE ONE
Link to Stage Two--more details
LEARNING ISSUES: What information does Nick need to begin designing a reserve on Grand Cayman for green sea turtles? Can a reserve for sea turtle breeding be designed for Grand Cayman, B.W.I.?
LEARNING ISSUE REPORT: your assignment
Your assignment will be to work as a group to prepare a reserve design for the green sea turtle on Grand Cayman. You should prepare one group written report to turn in. You may divide tasks and all members should contribute. You may want to elect someone to serve as the Editor to bring all written work together--be sure that person is given fewer tasks to compensate for their work as Editor!
Your group will receive the same score for the assignment. However, you will receive a survey where you will rank your participation and your group members' participation. If all/most of your group agree that you did not contribute fully, your score will be lowered from the group's starting score. As with all assignments, you have the right to appeal your score. This assignment will serve as Exam #2, instead of a learning issue report.
Be sure to answer the following topics in your report (remember this serves as the final exam for this Reserve Management unit):
1. How do human dimensions and policy-making decisions influence your reserve design?
2. How do management needs of the species influence your reserve design?
3. Where is the reserve to be located? Why?
4. How do basic ecological principles (eg., fragmentation, corridors, edge effect, etc.) affect the design or location or your reserve?
Your report might be structured to include the following sections:
Background information
The problem
Current situation
Key stakeholders
Ecology and biology of green sea turtles (relevant to reserve design)
Management needs of the species
Proposed plan
Location (map)
Management requirements (what will be required to maintain, manage the reserve?)
Other details
Justification for plan
Meffe and Carroll (p. 310) state, "The purpose of conservation reserves should be to retain the diversity of biological elements and ecological processes inherent in nature that would otherwise be lost through continuing habitat degradation." Does your reserve meet this goal?
How does reserve fit into landscape?
How does reserve fit into the social atmosphere?
How does reserve meet the needs of the species?
How will reserve's success be measured?
Links to resources for this case problem:
Stage Two--more details and internet links
Sea turtle case readings--scientific articles on sea turtles and Cayman
General reserve design readings--articles on reserve design
Other conservation biology links
Potential learning issues for this problem
Teaching blueprint for this case
This case study is dedicated to Dr. Nicholas Hartwig. Dr. Hartwig, now Professor Emeritus at Graceland University, spent over 20 years taking students to Grand Cayman. He is the person who showed me the ecological world of the Cayman Islands and who changed my career path from veterinary science to wildlife ecology and conservation.
Schedule for this case problem: