Fewer leatherback turtles are coming up to nest on the Grande Riviere beach this year compared to previous years.
This was confirmed by turtle conservationist Len Peters who has been pioneering a conservationist programme at Grande Riviere to protect the vulnerable turtles.
Speaking exclusively to Guardian Media on Saturday, Peters said he was not worried as declining nesting numbers does not necessarily mean fewer turtles. He said Grande Riviere continues to provide stable nesting for turtles, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.
Explaining the life cycle of the extraordinary animal, Peters said turtles nest every two years and they always return to the same spot to lay their eggs. Since 2018 was a high-density nesting year, Peters said this could be why 2019 is a lower density nesting year.
However, he said data has to be collated from all 20 nesting sites in T&T before a proper assessment of the turtle population could be made.
Peters, who is the chairman of the Grande Riviere Nature Tour Guide Association, also said that Grande Riviere continues to be the highest density nesting site for leatherbacks in the world.
"Grand Riviere supports one of the most important nesting colonies in the world. We have a good conservationist programme and we have been doing conservation on the beaches. Turtles nest on two to three-year nesting cycles. Through the national monitoring programmes we have a good idea of the nesting population," Peters said.
He explained that globally the leatherback population is on the decline.
"It has declined by four per cent within the last ten years. The leatherbacks have been downgraded from being critically endangered to vulnerable. The Atlantic population is doing better than in other parts of the globe," Peters said.
"The number of turtles returning to nest is not as significant as previous years. In order for us to become overly concerned, this low number has to be consistent. Trinidad is fortunate to be managing the major nesting beaches. In Grande Riviere, we have seen stable nesting over the years thanks to our own community intervention. We have seen no significant nesting decline over the years although, in 2019, nesting is not as dense as other years."
He noted that the most number of turtles encountered in one night at Grande Riviere was 283.
"We did a censor on the numbers and for some, that number is a lot but to us, that is a decline because at the peak of the season we usually see as many as 300 to 500 turtles nesting on a one-kilometre stretch in one night. The peak season is from May to June. Turtles nest every nine to ten days. They return to lay again in the same beach as many as 11 times although they may lay on average of three to five times," Peters said.
Saying this presented enormous tourism potential for T&T, Peters lamented that the Central Government has not provided assistance to the conservationists who protect the leatherback population. He added that corporate companies like Bhp Billiton and Atlantic have offered assistance. he noted that up to 2018, conservationist were given aid through the Green Fund grant to collate data on the turtles. However, Peters said funding had dried up and the work was totally being financed through community support and volunteerism.
Peters also said they were also protecting other species of turtles including the green and hawksbill turtles.
"We encounter 30,000 leatherback nestings during the period March to August and during this period we may get as little as 20 green and hawksbill turtles. Over the past four years, we have been incubating the green and hawksbill turtles eggs and raising them in the tank. We share information on the turtles to the children."
Peters said anyone wanting to go on turtle tours can contact the association at 469-1288.