Abstract

The Guianas (French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana) is known for at least three species) of nesting marine turtles namely the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and Olive ridely (Lepidochelys coriacea) on its shoreline or moving in its coastal off-shore waters; frequenting Cayenne, Awala and Yalimapo (French Guiana); Ga-libi and Braamspunt (Suriname) and Shell Beach Protected Areas (SBPA) (Guyana) beaches and nesting in abundance. The Guianas has a total length of 1,145km, and is known for their shifting shorelines which results in unstable and unpredicta-ble nesting beaches and variable patterns. There is a long history of over 15 years of monitoring and sea turtle conservation efforts on these beaches with support from the respective governments or non-governmental agencies with variability of monitoring methods in each country. Nevertheless, like their counterparts throughout the world the marine turtles of the Guianas, continue to face several serious threats to their population survival with bycatch and poaching being two of the main threats. Recently the leatherback population especially has seen a rapid declince. Due to marine turtles being highly migratory, protecting them requires a regional and coordinated approach. WWF Guianas for more than a decade has been committed with its local partners in all three countries to ensure long- term protection of these shared species thus helping to alleviate the threats or atleast maintain stable populations. Other important activities include raising awareness and promoting turtle friendly eco-tourism at marine turtle sites, and enabling local communities to be more involved while benefit-ing or improving their livelihood from the protection of the species.

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