Estudios submarinos de varias décadas revelan la disminución de las tortugas marinas en el pacífico oriental tropical

Una investigación reciente ha revelado una alarmante disminución en las poblaciones de tortugas marinas en el Pacífico Oriental Tropical. Este estudio, que se basó en más de 35,000 inmersiones realizadas en la Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, durante 26 años, proporciona una visión profunda de la vulnerabilidad de las tortugas frente a las presiones ambientales y los depredadores.

Los datos recopilados mostraron que la abundancia relativa de tortugas marinas disminuye un 26% cada año. Factores como el aumento de la temperatura del mar y la interacción con tiburones tigre, uno de los principales depredadores de las tortugas, han sido identificados como causas clave de esta tendencia. Un aumento de solo 1°C en la temperatura superficial del mar puede reducir la presencia de tortugas en un 7%.

Esta investigación resalta la importancia de las áreas marinas protegidas y la necesidad de una mayor protección para las tortugas en su entorno marino, ya que migran a través de vastas áreas como Galápagos y la Isla del Coco. Aunque estas áreas cuentan con protección, las tortugas siguen enfrentándose a amenazas fuera de estas zonas, como la captura incidental en la pesca.

El estudio también subraya el papel crucial de la ciencia comunitaria. Muchas de las observaciones fueron realizadas por buzos profesionales durante inmersiones turísticas, lo que demuestra cómo las colaboraciones entre científicos y ciudadanos pueden contribuir significativamente a la conservación de especies marinas.

Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto la necesidad urgente de medidas más efectivas para proteger a las tortugas marinas, especialmente en contextos de cambio climático y presión pesquera. La información obtenida a través de este tipo de estudios es fundamental para desarrollar estrategias de conservación que permitan la recuperación de estas especies vulnerables.

Descubre más en el siguiente enlace: 

https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.13249

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In 2022, the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) and the broader UNC & USFQ Galapagos Initiative will celebrate its 10th Anniversary. We are proud to announce the World Summit on Island Sustainability scheduled to be held on June 26–30, 2022 at the Galapagos Science Center and the Community Convention Center on San Cristobal Island.

The content of the World Summit will be distributed globally through social media and results documented through papers published in a book written as part of the Galapagos Book Series by Springer Nature and edited by Steve Walsh (UNC) & Carlos Mena (USFQ) as well as Jill Stewart (UNC) and Juan Pablo Muñoz (GSC/USC). The book will be inclusive and accessible by the broader island community including scientists, managers, residents, tourists, and government and non-government organizations.

While the most obvious goal of organizing the World Summit on Island Sustainability is to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the GSC and the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, other goals will be addressed through special opportunities created as part of our operational planning of the World Summit.

For instance, we seek to elevate and highlight the Galapagos in the island conservation discourse, seeking to interact with other island networks in more obvious and conspicuous ways to benefit the Galapagos Islands, the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, and the world. We will seize the opportunity to further develop the I2N2 – International Islands Network-of-Networks. Further, we wish to highlight and emphasize multiple visions of a sustainable future for the Galapagos Islands and we cannot do this alone. Therefore, engaging the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, the Government Council of Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park, and local Galapagos authorities, including government and non-government organizations and local citizen groups, is imperative.

The Galapagos Science Center on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos

Borrowing from Hawaii’s and Guam’s Green Growth Program and the Global Island Partnership, we wish to examine existing global programs that emphasize island sustainability and their incorporation into life, policies, and circumstances in the Galapagos Islands. We will also seek to enhance our connections with the institutional members of our International Galapagos Science Consortium and expand the Consortium through the recruitment of other member institutions. We will also work to benefit islands and their local communities by working with citizen groups as well as important NGOs who seek to improve the natural conditions in the Galapagos and diminish the impact of the human dimension on the future of Galapagos’ ecosystems.

Lastly, we will use the World Summit to benefit UNC & USFQ and our constituencies through a strong and vibrant communication plan about the World Summit, creating corporate relationships as sponsors, identifying funding goals through donors, and benefiting our study abroad program for student engagement in the Galapagos Islands. We plan to develop and issue a Galapagos Sustainability Communique after the World Summit that includes the vision and insights of all its participants for a sustainable Galapagos with applicability to global island settings.

We are eager to hear your perspective and have you join us at the World Summit on Island Sustainability!