Sea turtle stocks are declining throughout most of the Wider Caribbean region; in some areas the trends are dramatic and are likely to be irreversible during our lifetimes
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4.4 Develop Public Education4.41 ResidentsSince the late 1960's, STINASU has been involved in providing the general public as well as local villagers with information regarding the need to manage and protect marine turtles. It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that greater emphasis be placed on developing up‑to‑date educational materials for dissemination to schools and the public media. Amerindians from the two villages of Christiaankondre and Langamankondre on the Surinam side of the Marowijne River (Figure 4) have always resented the presence of the Galibi Nature Reserve in what they consider their area. The education and information activities of the Surinam Government and STINASU have not been very successful in explaining the rationale of the reserve. The villagers claim their "Traditional Rights" to the region, including unrestricted use of the marine turtle resources; they have even undertaken armed hostilities to force the issue. Admittedly, the Surinam Government has made mistakes in the gazetting of the reserve, mostly by not including more Amerindian representation in the management of the reserve. Reichart (1991) provides a review of the conflict, and suggests solutions for its remedy. It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that a new start be made in arriving at a just settlement of these issues. The Amerindians are an integral part of the area, and they should derive economic benefit from the reserve. Marine turtle management is an international responsibility and, as such, must remain under control of the Government, although more local people should be included in the management team. In the Management Plan for the Galibi Nature Reserve (Reichart, 1992) several recommendations are made which may be acceptable to the villagers. 4.42 FishermenIt is important that shrimp fishermen be adequately informed about the need and merit of turtle excluder devices (TEDs). SAIL is the agency having the responsibility to implement the use of TEDs on Surinam‑based foreign fishing vessels (see section 4.27). As far as the ar‑tisanal fishermen are concerned, many, but not all, are already aware of the need to protect marine turtles. It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that education and infor‑mation activities should continue in the villages with the support and help of the village chiefs (kapiteins) in the form of public meetings, slide shows, and a continuing dialogue between villagers, nature reserve management personnel, and the Government. 4.43 TouristsIt is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that notices be placed in the arrival and departure halls of Suriname's international airport at Zanderij to alert travelers about national as well as international regulations concerning possession and transport of protected wildlife species, including all species of sea turtles. Efforts are already made to provide tourists with educational materials. For example, STINASU provides stenciled brochures for tourists visiting the nesting beaches on its guided tours. Visitors can also purchase various informative booklets on marine turtle conservation published by STINASU or the Surinam Forest Service. Visiting the nesting beaches at Galibi Nature Reserve is also an educational option for tourists, although access is not easy. There is no direct road connection, nor is there an airstrip present in or near the reserve. From Paramaribo, the reserve can be reached in several ways (see Figure 3): (a) by car and boat (take the Paramaribo‑Meerzorg ferry across the Suriname River, drive east to Albina at the Marowijne River, obtain boat transport down the Marowijne River to the reserve headquarters at Baboensanti), (b) by boat down the Suriname River, up the Commewijne River, through the Matapica Canal to the ocean, then eastward over sea to the Marowijne River, up the Marowijne River to Baboensanti, or (c) by boat down the Suriname River to the ocean, then eastward over sea to the Marowijne River, up the Marowijne River to Baboensanti. The first option is the easiest and quickest way to reach the reserve. The Galibi nesting beaches can also be reached from French Guiana in about 40 minutes by driving to the Amerindian village of Ya:lima:po, near the town of Les Hattes in the northwest corner of the country, and crossing the Marowijne River by boat. All boat travel should be done in a seaworthy vessel equipped with survival gear. For reserve access, travel arrangements and accommodations, including those at other nesting beaches, contact the Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname (STINASU). The address is: Cornelis Jongbawstraat 14 P. O. Box 436 Paramaribo, Suriname Telephone: 471856 (country code 597) It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that on the nesting beaches visited by tourists, information boards should be placed to inform visitors about the rules and regulations pertaining to observing marine turtles. Brochures, describing the attractions of the reserve and an overview of the marine turtle species nesting in Suriname, should be readily available at all field stations. Nature tourism in Suriname, which declined considerably during the civil strife of the late 1980's, is now being revitalized. The infrastructure of the Galibi Nature Reserve will have to be rebuilt, and indigenous people from the area must be included in this development process. STINASU as well as local people can derive economic benefit from nature tourism to the reserve. STINASU has brochures available in Dutch and English to inform tourists on aspects of marine turtle biology. In order to attract more tourism from French Guiana, documentation in French and Portuguese would be helpful. 4.44 Non‑consumptive activities that generate revenueThe challenge is to convince local people to use sea turtles, and other wildlife resources, in a non‑consumptive way to generate revenue, and that, by maintaining viable populations, there is great potential for a well managed tourism industry. STINASU currently organizes trips for tourists to the Brownsberg Nature Park in the interior and to the nesting beaches at Matapica. Because of recent civil strife in the area, the Galibi Nature Reserve is still closed for the public, but the reserve is expected to be open for tourism again in 1994. On the beaches, tourists can stay in simple housing or in primitive camps. Prior to walking the nesting beaches at night, tourists are instructed by field personnel on the proper way to behave when observing a nesting turtle. During the turtle nesting season, the use of flashlights on Surinam beaches is strongly discouraged. There is no specific law to that effect, but information brochures and familiarization talks by field personnel inform the public about the dangers of disorientation from artificial lights. It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that comprehensive guide‑lines be developed for nature tourism on nesting beaches, including beach etiquette, tour guide training, impact monitoring (e.g., harassment, erosion, litter), etc. Directory: pubs -> Techreports Techreports -> Caribbean Environment Programme United Nations Environment Programme pubs -> The Affective Dimension of Pervasive Themes in the Information Technology Curriculum pubs -> The neotectonic setting of Puerto Rico pubs -> B. Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities pubs -> Publications by John Tait pubs -> Contents Bill Rolfe appointed Repatriation Commissioner 2 pubs -> In the high court of justice chancery division patents court Techreports -> Table des matieres Techreports -> Preface acknowledgements Download 429.84 Kb. Share with your friends:
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