US Fish & Wildlife to declare 3 beaches protected areas for leatherback turtles

The decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, known as a 90-day finding, is the first procedural step toward protecting leatherback nesting areas on Puerto Rico’s California Beach in Maunabo, Tres Hermanos Beach in Añasco and Grande Beach in Areci

By THE STAR STAFF

As a result of a petition filed by conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced it will declare three beaches in Puerto Rico as protected areas for leatherback sea turtles.

The decision, known as a 90-day finding, is the first procedural step toward protecting leatherback nesting beaches on Puerto Rico’s California Beach in Maunabo, Tres Hermanos Beach in Añasco and Grande Beach in Arecibo. The Fish and Wildlife Service must now conduct a thorough review of the best available science before determining whether to increase habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas, Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration, Yo Amo el Tinglar and the Center for Biological Diversity submitted the petition in February 2024.

“After 25 years of hard work and community collaboration to protect leatherback turtles and the California beach in Maunabo, we are proud that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the importance of this beach for the species,” said Luis Crespo, president of Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas and Puerto Rico WIDECAST country coordinator. “We are deeply grateful to all the volunteers who have worked with us over the years — this achievement belongs to all of you. Special thanks to the Center for Biological Diversity, Mr. Carlos Diez from Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and Dr. Jessica Castro for their invaluable support.”

Mariela Muñoz, director of Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration at the University of Puerto Rico, expressed excitement at the federal recognition of “the significance of our local nesting beaches for leatherback sea turtles.”

“This consideration for nesting critical habitat is crucial for the protection of these endangered turtles in Añasco and the other areas,” she said. “We are dedicated to enhancing our conservation efforts and collaborating with the community to ensure these vital habitats are preserved for future generations.”

Myrna Concepción, project leader from Comité Arecibeño por la Conservacion de las Tortugas Marinas, known as “Yo Amo el Tinglar,” expressed gratitude “for this advancement in the process” and said the organization “truly believe[s] it will play an important role in ensuring the safety and protection of the beaches involved.”

“For over 10 years Yo Amo el Tinglar has been collecting data across multiple nesting beaches, with Playa Grande consistently documented as the most used nesting site by leatherbacks, yet it remains the most vulnerable to habitat loss due to the sale of adjacent lands and habitat destruction,” Concepción noted. “For this reason, we deeply value the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to launch a biological status review and consider the revision of critical habitat. We also recognize the importance of providing supplementary information during this process and will gladly contribute any relevant data to support the agency’s efforts.”

Carlos E. Diez, the Sea Turtle Project coordinator at the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and a member of the IUCN Sea Turtle Specialist Group said the federal action “encourages us to continue our management and conservation efforts to help recover this endangered species.”

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world and existed at the same time as dinosaurs. They are highly migratory, travelling thousands of miles a year, and they can dive to great depths — nearly 4,000 feet.