Leatherback ecotourism development, implementation, and outcome assessment in St. Kitts, West Indies

Published source details Stewart K.M., Norton T.M., Tackes D.S. & Mitchell M.A. (2016) Leatherback ecotourism development, implementation, and outcome assessment in St. Kitts, West Indies. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 15, 197-205.
Share Tweet Email

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Introduce alternative income sources to replace hunting or harvesting of reptiles Action Link
	Offer reptile-related eco-tourism to improve behaviour towards reptiles Action Link

Introduce alternative income sources to replace hunting or harvesting of reptiles

A before-and-after study in 2006–2009 in St Kitts (Stewart et al. 2016) found that offering alternative livelihoods relating to sea turtle management to sea turtle fishers resulted in fishers reporting that they had ceased turtle fishing activity. Fishers that accepted jobs on the turtle management project reported that they had stopped harvesting sea turtles as a result. Prior to this, fishers reported that they caught between 25 and 100 turtles/year. In 2006, an initial survey of seven fishers was carried out that assessed how dependent fishers were on the sea turtles and how many they were capturing. Fishers that expressed interest in a Fishers’ Technician Programme were offered positions on the turtle management project. Those fishers that took up positions on the technician programme subsequently reported on their sea turtle harvesting activities (details of reporting method are unclear).

(Summarised by: William Morgan)
Offer reptile-related eco-tourism to improve behaviour towards reptiles

A study in 2009–2014 on St Kitts, St Kitts and Nevis (Tackes et al. 2016) found that people who attended a leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea tour reported that after going on the tour they would be more conscientious of how their behaviours on the beach affected sea turtles. All 38 people that responded to survey after attending a tour reported that in future, they would be more conscientious of how their behaviours on the beach affected sea turtles. Thirty-six (97%) respondents also reported that they would be more likely to report sightings of turtle nests or injured turtles. In 2009–2014, leatherback turtle ecotours were carried out during April–June. Tours involved a maximum of 10 people visiting a turtle nesting beach with a trained guide to observe nesting turtles. Attendees also received a briefing and education material on sea turtles. In 2014, a survey was distributed to 206 attendees of the tour that had provided contact information.

(Summarised by: William Morgan)