7/31/2019 The Making of a New Marine Protected Area in Uruguay.

1/2

34 | SWOT Report

After the report was presented to SNAP, Karumb began carryingout additional research that would be needed to develop an eectivemanagement plan should the area be declared a protected area. Testudies found that this foraging ground hosts a mixed stock of turtlesoriginating from 10 distinct nesting beaches in the Atlantic Ocean.Tus, mortality of turtles in Uruguayan waters may be depletingendangered nesting populations elsewhere in the Atlantic, whichfurther highlights the areas conservation importance.

Recent studies found that although incidental capture by artisanal

and recreational sheries is an important threat to green turtles inCerro Verde, interaction with solid marine debris is the main cause ofmortality that has been increasing since 2008. o a lesser extent, meatconsumption and carapace trade also threaten Cerro Verdes greenturtle populations. o address those threats and to build long-termsupport for the possible protected area, Karumb has been working topromote economic alternatives and to increase the participation oflocal people in conservation activities. A new Marine urtle Center wasconstructed in the town of La Coronilla, which is adjacent to Cerro

Verde, and Karumb has been carrying out public awareness eortsat the areas main tourist sites along with environmental education

activities in local schools. Such eorts, which include an annual seaturtle festival, have served as key elements to build community supportfor the development of the protected area.

In the end, Karumbs many years of work have paid o. In August2011, the government of Uruguay declared Cerro Verde and La Coro-nilla Islands a Coastal-Marine Protected Area. Although the work is farfrom over, thanks to the groundwork laid by Karumb over the prior12 years, the forthcoming management plan will be well informed, andthe protected area will benet from strong participation by localcommunities. Tis result, in turn, will benet not only the regional seaturtle population but also the entire local ecosystem.n

After its establishment, members of Karumb spent four yearsstudying the occurrence and conservation status of sea turtles inUruguayan waters to inform future research and conservation eorts.Te studies were done in collaboration with local community members(including shermen, politicians, artisans, teachers, military groups,traders, tourist guides, and farmers) in the various areas of study. Notonly did these collaborations make the work possible, but also theylaid a foundation for future collaboration around conservation eorts.Karumbs research found that juvenile green turtles are the most

common sea turtle species in Uruguay and then identied the areaof Cerro Verde and La Coronilla Islands as a critical foraging anddevelopmental habitat. Te studies revealed that green turtles aresubject to a number of ongoing threats in Uruguayan waters, particu-larly by sheries bycatch.

Beyond hosting important habitat for sea turtles, the area of CerroVerde and La Coronilla Islands hosts great biodiversity, including manymigratory and endangered species such as Franciscan and bottlenosedolphins, right whales, sea lions, and seabirds. Despite the fact that thearea is part of the Baados del Este y Franja Costera Biosphere Reserve,

which was established in 1976 and has been on the Ramsar List of

Wetlands of International Importance since 1982, it lacks a manage-ment plan to ensure its sustainable development. Given the areasimportance for sea turtles and other biodiversity, Karumb decided tomake Cerro Verde and La Coronilla Islands its primary target for seaturtle conservation.

Following the completion of preliminary research in 2004, all ofthe information that had been generated by Karumb and other researchgroups was published in two bachelors theses that detailed the areasgreat importance for biodiversity. Tose publications enabled Karumbto write a report to Uruguays National Environmental Agency in 2005,thereby asserting the importance of Cerro Verde and La CoronillaIslands and urging the agency to include the area within UruguaysNational System of Protected Areas (Sistema Nacional de reas Prote-gidas, or SNAP). Te justication was based on the areas biogeograph-ical, ecological, scientic, economic, and social relevance; uniquelandscapes; and overall importance at national and international levels.

The Making of a New MarineProtected Area in ruguay

by Karumb

S tt nd tgt ugy wt, t t nty t n nting,itt ttntin d n pid t t ni nti t tin t nngvnntgnitin K in 1999. K i gp intit, t, fn, ndtdnt wking tgt twd t nvtin tt in ugy tg ,

iittin, t, dtin, nd tin dvpnt.

aT rIGhT: Gn tt tgt t gin k t c Vd, ugy, tdin n it ndnt g. lt y t w dd ct-min Pttda y ugy gvnnt, pving t wy ipvd ng-t nvtin ti iptnt itt. clocKWIse From ToP leFT: Karumb; GabrIela Vlez-rubIo; sWoT; Karumb; Karumb; Karumb

7/31/2019 The Making of a New Marine Protected Area in Uruguay.

2/2

SeaTurtleStatus.org | 35