Defenders of Wildlife Blog

© William R. Curtsinger / National Geographic Stock

Juan Carlos Cantu, Mexico Program Manager

Humans can regularly be seen on Mexico’s beaches, umbrella drink in hand. But we’re not the only ones who regularly hit the country’s beautiful sandy coastline. Literally, every sea turtle species on earth nests on Mexico’s beaches, save one that is only found in Australia. That’s why we’re known as the sea turtle capital of the world, and that’s why the way Mexico protects its sea turtles matters on a global scale.

Current Mexican law classifies all sea turtle species as endangered. But unfortunately this really only means turtles are protected from direct harvest—meaning they can’t be killed for their meat, skin, shell or eggs. Yet other factors pose serious dangers, including damage to and destruction of sea turtle habitat. Even nesting habitat, which is particularly important to the survival of these species, was not legally protected.

An endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle comes ashore to lay her eggs. (© Steven Price)

But not anymore, because in February, a new Mexican law (known as Official Norm-162) took effect, and it offers a whole slate of new protections for sea turtle nesting grounds in Mexico.

Previously, only the most important sea turtle nesting sites have been designated as sanctuaries and natural reserves, which allowed them some level of protection but left the majority of nesting habitat vulnerable.  But now, the new regulation extends habitat protections to all turtle nesting sites. Here are just some of the things that this new and unprecedented regulation has accomplished for sea turtle nesting habitat:

Protecting Native Habitat
The new regulation forbids the removal of native vegetation in the nesting habitat. When coastal vegetation is removed, especially from sand dunes, it allows increased erosion that could eventually destroy nesting beaches. In addition, some turtles like the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle even prefer to crawl up the beach all the way up to the vegetation to nest.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchling (NPS)

Putting Out Artificial Lights
The regulation also addresses one of the main factors that disrupt nesting turtles: artificial lights from houses, hotels and roads. These light sources can not only disorient nesting females, but they can be lethal to emerging hatchlings. As they climb their way up from their sandy nest, newly-hatched turtles look for the subtle light reflecting off the surf and waves to orient themselves towards the sea. Artificial lighting can point them in the wrong direction and when you are that young, one wrong turn can force you to use up your limited energy stores, leading to an almost certain death. Even those that eventually make their way to the surf can be too exhausted to swim away, becoming easy pickings for fish and marine birds. For the first time in Mexico, this new regulation calls for moving, changing or eliminating any light sources that illuminates a nesting beach or creates a glow that could disorient the females or hatchlings. These changes won’t happen overnight, but authorities are already informing beachside homeowners and hotels of the new rules.

Off-Road Vehicles
The new regulation also helps address the use of heavy vehicles on the beach. Heavy vehicles may compact sand, destroy nests and eggs, create deep ruts that can become traps for nestlings and basically tear up nesting beaches. No more. From now on, vehicles on nesting beaches have to be less than 300 kg in weight and can only be used for patrolling and management of the nesting site.

In the U.S., sea turtle nesting grounds are often carefully protected. (© Robert S. Donovan)

Spectators
A less obviously threatening activity also outlawed by the new regulation is the release of newly hatched sea turtles. Many hotels near nesting beaches offer guests the opportunity to be part of the release of hatchlings into the sea. The problem is that they keep the hatchlings in confinement for many days until enough people sign up for the activity. So when they are released after being held in captivity, they are too weak to handle the surf or avoid predators. Hatchlings need to get into the water as soon as possible after hatching so they can use their limited energy to swim away. This tourism practice is now forbidden, and hatchlings have to be released immediately. Also for the first time, those who want to watch sea turtles laying their eggs during nesting season will have to follow strict rules.

All of these and many more regulations will help protect beaches, nests, female sea turtles, their eggs and hatchlings from now on. I am proud to say that Defenders of Wildlife played a key role in making this happen. We worked on this regulation for many years; in fact we were the ones who proposed its creation back in 2002. It took a decade of lobbying before we got the Environment Ministry to develop it, and Defenders is one of only four non-governmental organizations credited with helping to make these new protections a reality. It took a long time to get these regulations adopted but now when sea turtles hit Mexico’s beaches to nest, they will find it a safer place than ever.

Juan Carlos Cantu, Mexico Program Manager

An incredible animal with an incredible story, the Pacific loggerhead sea turtle will face many challenges throughout its life. From the day it is born, it enters the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean and travels thousands of lonely miles as it struggles to reach adulthood, return to the place it was born and continue the circle of life. Despite the perils of such a journey, the most severe threat these animals now face is humans.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchling (NPS)

The Northern Pacific loggerhead sea turtle nests on the coasts of Japan, where it can lay approximately 95 to 150 eggs. After 56 to 80 days, the nestlings hatch and enter the cold Japanese waters to start one of the most amazing journeys of any living species. Their goal is to cross the Pacific Ocean to arrive at the rich feeding grounds off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur in Mexico. The origins of this migration are a mystery, but the reality is that these small loggerhead sea turtles must travel 7,500 miles of open sea to reach their destination. This is an immense body of water for the little turtles to swim, and the trip can take up to six years. By the time they arrive in Baja, those that survive are no longer small hatchlings, but fairly large juveniles. They spend the next 10 years in Mexican waters, where they feed mostly on crustaceans called pelagic red crabs in a relatively small area in front of the Bay of Ulloa.

Slow to grow and mature, even at 15 to 20 years of age, loggerheads are still considered subadults when they begin their journey back across the Pacific. They will roam the Northern Pacific until they reach their reproductive age, then swim back to the beaches in Japan where they were born and start a new cycle of nesting. The round trip takes decades to complete, and the adult sea turtles will never leave these waters to traverse the Pacific Ocean again.

Unfortunately, the number of nesting females in Japan has decreased by 90 percent in the past three generations, which qualifies this loggerhead population as critically endangered. The main culprit is “bycatch” — the unintentional capture of sea  turtles in fisheries.

Fishing nets (Credit: Garry Knight)

In the waters off Japan, loggerhead sea turtles fall prey to massive nets, while in the open ocean the threat comes from the international longline fleet, which consists of fishing lines dozens of miles long, each with thousands of hanging hooks. Drift net fisheries (huge, miles-long nets that capture everything in their path) and gillnet fishers in the Pacific also have high bycatch of loggerheads. The National Marine Fisheries Service has noted that just 37 to 92 North Pacific loggerheads killed each year through bycatch would increase the species’ risk of extinction. In Mexico, these sea turtles are even more vulnerable to bycatch because they gather in such small areas to feed. Coastal fisheries in Baja, which mainly target shark and halibut, are capturing a staggering 1,000 loggerheads every year.

For years, teams of NGOs and scientists tried to convince fishermen to use alternative fishing gear and modify their fishing practices. Defenders of Wildlife helped this effort by producing materials like posters and even comic books with information on how to help sea turtles. Eventually these efforts started to pay off — fishermen were changing their fishing practices voluntarily, and bycatch was being reduced. Unfortunately, a recent seasonal ban on shark fishing prompted fishermen to start using their old methods on other species to increase their total catch, and as a result, bycatch has skyrocketed.

Bycatch alone is not illegal because it is not intentional. The problem here in Mexico is that the loggerheads’ feeding areas have little protection, and there are no regulations that mandate the use of alternative fishing gear or practices to reduce bycatch or in any way limit the number of sea turtles that can legally be caught as bycatch. For years, we worked to develop shark fishery regulations that include provisions to decrease sea turtle bycatch in Mexican waters, and in 2007, these were finally published in the official register. These regulations included a ban on drift nets and all surface nets, as well as mandatory use of circle hooks in surface longlines, which have been shown to be very successful in decreasing sea turtle bycatch and mortality. These efforts have helped, but since many Baja coastal fisheries use bottom-set longlines and gillnets, which invariably drown sea turtles, it has not been enough.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Photo: NOAA)

At the same time, Defenders joined an effort by local and international NGOs and research scientists to request that the Environment Ministry create a refuge area to protect loggerheads in their feeding grounds. For the past five years, environmental authorities have dragged their feet on this issue, with never-ending stakeholder meetings that resulted in no protected area, and no regulation of the different types of coastal fisheries that are negatively impacting the loggerhead population. This year, bycatch increased by 600 percent, making it the highest bycatch rate of loggerheads in the world.

We have denounced this unnecessary mass mortality, publicly demanding that government institutions, which are obliged by law to protect endangered species, take action immediately to put a stop to this loggerhead massacre. The response from the authorities was swift, promising to increase vigilance of fishery activities as well as confirming that a draft refuge area decree is in the works, but we haven’t seen anything yet.

On December 1st, a completely new administration took over, and we are hopeful that this may be the break loggerhead turtles need to finally get some real protection in place. We’ll keep you posted on what happens, and we will not stop until the North Pacific loggerhead population in Mexican waters has the protection it needs to survive.

Teyeliz President Maria Elena Sanchez (middle), Defenders Mexico Director Juan Carlos Cantu, and Supervivencia producer Cynthia Ruiz accept a Conservation of Nature award in Communications for their wildlife radio program.

More and more people are recognizing that protecting wildlife is an important mission that transcends geographic boundaries and crosses media. And now our conservation partners in Mexico have the accolades to prove it.

Last week, a Defenders-funded radio show, Supervivencia, won a “Conservation of Nature” award in Communications! The program is hosted by Maria Elena Sanchez, president of Teyeliz, A.C. and wife of Defenders’ Mexico Program Director Juan Carlos Cantu, and focuses on threats to biodiversity.

Supervivencia is broadcasted weekly from Mexico City on IMER, a national governmental radio station that reaches more than 200,000 people across the country. Maria Elena and Juan Carlos created the show with help from Defenders to educate Mexican citizens about threats to parrots, sea turtles, mangrove forests and other major conservation challenges in the country.

Coyote tracks mark the sand at Medanos de Samalayuca near Ciudad Juarez, where the awards ceremony took place

The show was honored last Tuesday by officials of the Mexican government during National Conservation Week at a ceremony in Ciudad Juarez. The celebration and awards ceremony took place at the “Medanos de Samalayuca,” among the highest and largest sand dunes in Mexico, located just across the border from El Paso, Texas in the state of Chihuahua. The dunes are one of the country’s natural protected areas and home to coyotes, jack rabbits and kangaroo rats—just a few of the animals that had left visible tracks on the day of the ceremony.

Places like these exemplify the abundance of wildlife that our Mexican colleagues are fighting to protect. And with award-winning shows like Supervivencia, our allies have shown that they continue to lead the way.

Congratulations to the producers of the radio show and to Maria Elena and Juan Carlos for all their terrific work!

Coastal mangrove forests buffer ocean waves with strong root networks that extend above and below the tide.

The director of our Mexico programs, Juan Carlos Cantu, continues to push for stronger laws to protect threatened mangrove forests. The new law would strengthen protections for mangroves in Mexico, but is being fought by the tourism lobby. Defenders and other NGOs are pushing the Mexican government not to yield to the demands of tourism developers who want to cut down mangrove forests to create beachfront resorts.

“Mangroves provide ecological end economical benefits for coastal dwellers even for those that live inland by decreasing the impact of hurricanes and climate change. The protection of mangroves is a matter of national security for all Mexicans and the decision to protect them legally should not be restricted to the economic interests of a few,” said Juan Carlos Cantú, director of programs for Defenders of Wildlife in México.

See the full story (in Spanish!) below from Jesus Vazquez, a blogger from Cancun.

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Apoyo total a NOM 059

* Grupo de los Cien; Greenpeace; Cemda; OCVA; Defenders of Wildlife; CEJA y muchos otros grupos ambientalistas apoyan la defensa del mangle.

* Homero Aridjis: Hoteleros cometen harakiri, porque al destruir manglares destruyen playas

|Por Jesús Vázquez |

Organizaciones ambientales del país respaldaron la NOM 059 en lo que se refiere a la protección de los manglares en México y pidieron al gobierno federal no ceder a las presiones de los empresarios turísticos que piden mayor laxitud para la protección de esta especie.

El Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (Cemda), el Centro de Estudios Jurídicos y Ambientales, A.C. (CEJA), Defenders of Wildife de México, Greenpeace, Teyeliz, A.C., Grupo Ecologista del Mayab (Gema), Marielena Hoyo-Producciones Serengueti, el Grupo de los Cien y Observatorio Ciudadano de Vigilancia Ambiental (OCVA), señalaron que durante cuatros años las organizaciones ambientalistas lucharon para que cuatro especies de mangle (rojo, negro, blanco y botoncillo) subieran de la categoría de Protección Especial a la categoría de Amenazada, dado que han perdido el 65% de su población original y sufren una deforestación del 2.5% anual que, de acuerdo con el Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE), los llevará a perder el 50% de su masa forestal para el 2025.

Los manglares brindan una gran variedad de servicios ambientales: son zonas de alimentación, refugio y crecimiento de juveniles de crustáceos y alevines, por lo que sostienen gran parte de la producción pesquera; actúan como sistemas naturales de control de inundaciones y como barreras contra huracanes e intrusión salina, controlan la erosión y protegen las costas, mejoran la calidad del agua al funcionar como filtro biológico, contribuyen en el mantenimiento de procesos naturales tales como respuestas a cambios en el nivel del mar, mantienen procesos de sedimentación, sirven de refugio de flora y fauna silvestre y actúan como reservorios de carbono, por lo que ayudan a combatir el calentamiento global del planeta.

“La NOM 059 no es perfecta y requiere ser actualizada puesto que su publicación se retrasó cuatro años, lo cual la ha hecho obsoleta respecto de muchas condiciones ecológicas de poblaciones silvestres que se han modificado en ese tiempo. Sin embargo, consideramos fundamental apoyarla en lo que se refiere a la protección que se ha logrado establecer para preservar los manglares de México”, señaló Gustavo Alanís Ortega, presidente del Cemda.

Araceli Domínguez del Grupo Ecologista el Mayab (Gema), señaló que: “En los cuatro años que pasaron sin que los manglares tuvieran protección, de manera irresponsable e incongruente la Semarnat permitió la aprobación de manifestaciones de Impacto ambiental y permisos de aprovechamiento que destruyeron innumerables hectáreas de manglar en todo el país. Esperamos que la nueva norma sirva para detener las lagunas legales que se utilizaron para evadir la protección legal que otorga la Ley General de Vida Silvestre a los manglares.”

Respecto del argumento que manejan los empresarios de buscar mecanismos de compensación para autorizar la destrucción de manglar, la evidencia señala que en casi todos los casos, los programas de recuperación de manglares han sido enfocados principalmente hacia la reforestación y no al restablecimiento de las condiciones hidrológicas y recuperación de las funciones de los manglares, utilizando la estrategia de ensayo y error con resultados de alta mortalidad de las plántulas sembradas a un costo muy alto, y sin alcanzar las metas planteadas.

La compensación como una medida de recuperación de zonas de manglar en México no es viable, debido a que el manglar sólo puede existir en zonas muy específicas de la costa las cuales están siendo destruidas por los desarrollos. Además, los servicios ambientales que se pierden por su destrucción en una zona específica no se pueden recuperar para esa zona si se proyecta plantar el mangle en otra zona distinta. Por ejemplo. El mangle que se plante a 100 ó 500 km de distancia no ayuda a detener los efectos de marejadas de un huracán en la zona que se quitó el mangle.

“Los manglares brindan beneficios ecológicos y económicos a todos los habitantes de la costa e incluso a los que viven en estados sin costa al disminuir el impacto de los huracanes y el cambio climático. La protección de los manglares es una cuestión de seguridad nacional para todos los mexicanos y la decisión de su protección legal no debe quedar restringida a los intereses económicos de unos cuantos” dijo Juan Carlos Cantú director de programas de Defenders of Wildlife de México.

“Se están esgrimiendo argumentos falsos como el afirmar que las especies de manglares están clasificadas en Peligro de extinción dentro de la NOM 059, cuando la realidad es que están clasificadas como Amenazadas y cada año se siguen perdiendo muchas hectáreas de ecosistemas de manglar. De hecho la Auditoría Superior de la Federación afirma que solamente en el 2009 la Semarnat autorizó 62 Manifestaciones de Impacto Ambiental (MIA) de proyectos que destruirían manglar”, declaró María Elena Sánchez presidenta de Teyeliz, A.C.

Por su parte, Salvador Muñúzuri Hernández, director del CEJA, comentó que es necesario encontrar esquemas compatibles entre los desarrollos turísticos y el respeto a los ecosistemas, especialmente aquellos vulnerables como el manglar, no a costa de ellos. Consideró necesario que los empresarios que desarrollan complejos en las zonas costeras, eviten hacerlo en zonas de manglar o bien encuentren mecanismos innovadores que permitan la conservación de esas importantes zonas de anidación, alevinaje y reproducción de especies acuáticas y de aves, que no menoscaben o pongan en riesgo su supervivencia. “Sí al desarrollo, pero con respeto al medio ambiente”, indicó.

“Al oponerse a la protección de los manglares, los hoteleros que insisten en seguir destruyéndolos están cometiendo harakiri, porque cuando venga el próximo huracán devastador se llevará de nuevo sus playas. Conservar los manglares es parte de su propia seguridad”, apuntó. Homero Aridjis, presidente del Grupo de los Cien. Por todo lo anterior, las organizaciones firmantes consideramos que la NOM 059 debe mantener su redacción actual y solicitamos al gobierno federal, particularmente a la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) llevar a cabo las acciones correspondientes para que no sea modificada.

Defenders’ efforts to combat the illegal parrot trade in Mexico are working. Data on the number of birds seized by authorities over the past eight years show the illegal bird trade is declining. Last year only 566 parrots were seized by authorities, down nearly a third from the year before and the lowest number in almost ten years!

“A decrease in the illegal trade is very good news for the conservation of endangered parrots of Mexico,” reports Defenders’ Mexico Program Director Juan Carlos Cantu. “It shows that trade bans do work when accompanied by a broad communications campaign to enlist the help of the people to stop buying wild parrots.”

In 2008, following the release of a major report produced by Defenders, Mexico finally banned the capture and export of wild parrots. After the ban, Defenders began a campaign to promote understanding of the new laws and create awareness and appreciation of these threatened birds. Through radio talk shows, posters, children’s coloring books and teaching kits for educators we have sought to educate people about the parrots’ plight and deter the purchase of these birds.

Our efforts to raise awareness appear to be working. The number of reports filed regarding illegal parrot sales in Mexico has increased dramatically since the 2008 ban and the launch of our education campaign.

“It is a good beginning but we still have a long road to go before we can save parrots from extinction,” says Cantu.

Next to habitat loss, trapping is the greatest threat to the birds’ survival in Mexico, affecting 19 endangered parrot species, such as the yellow-headed and red-crowned parrot. According to a 2007 Defenders’ report, trappers capture roughly 65,000 to 78,500 parrots annually. As many as 75 percent of these (nearly 58,000) die during transport under horrible conditions. The ones that do survive are typically severely traumatized or injured.

This inhumane and devastating practice must be stopped before these national treasures disappear from the wild completely.

What Defenders is Doing

Defenders continues its public awareness campaign across Mexico while monitoring reports and seizures of illegally caught birds. The campaign aims to combat poaching by eliminating the demand for wild parrots and promote bird-watching as an alternative to keeping parrots as pets.

What You Can Do

Defenders of Wildlife urges U.S. consumers not to purchase parrots that lack proper documentation so as not to inadvertently support the illegal parrot trade. Determine if your parrot is legal before you buy.

Learn more about the U.S. demand for parrots here.

View from the top: Calakmul means "the city of two adjacent pyramids"

The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve sits within the Mayan forest, the second largest  tropical forest in the Americas. Home to jaguar, tapir, deer, bats, amphibians, reptiles and monkeys, the reserve is one of the most biodiverse and threatened regions of the world. Recently, the Mexican government has been aggressively promoting economic growth and tourism in the region. But with development comes deforestation and highway expansion – bad news for Mexico’s wildlife. According to some estimates, if all highway plans are carried out, at least 768,917 acres of the Mayan forest will be lost by 2030. That’s bigger than Yosemite National Park!

For the past few years, Mexican officials have been widening Highway 186 that crosses through the Calakmul biosphere reserve to accommodate more traffic. Fortunately, Mexican conservation organizations have been working with officials to incorporate wildlife-friendly measures along the highway. Without them, these bigger, wider highways carrying more cars and faster traffic through the preserve would put wildlife and motorists in jeopardy.

In the summer of 2009, I was invited to Mexico to discuss the best ways to reduce the impacts on wildlife and provide the animals with ways to move throughout their habitat. Together with partner organizations, I met with representatives from the Mexican federal transportation and natural resource agencies, as well as the biologists who have been tracking jaguar movement throughout the reserve. During my last few days, we even toured Highway 186 to scout out the best locations for wildlife crossing structures.

Trisha White (middle) stands with partners from other conservation groups underneath Highway 186

Entering the bat volcano

One evening, my hosts took me to see a unique cave less than 600 feet from the highway called “el volcan de los murcielagos” (in English, “the bat volcano”). Each night, two million bats of eight different species leave the cave  to hunt and feed. Standing at the mouth of the cave, I watched in awe as the bats swirled like a black tornado, and then zoomed right by my head as they flew out for their nocturnal activities. It was a wildlife encounter I will never forget.

Sadly, I also was witness to the slaughter on Highway 186 that ensues every night right after the bats’ departure. As we left the forest, we saw the highway littered with dead bats, hit by passing cars. Looking in both directions, I could see the bats in the headlights just before they were struck. I could hear the tiny impacts on the grills of the trucks as they zoomed past me. I knew this would only get worse as Highway 186 was widened and more and more traffic passed through.

Getting better for bats

Today, I’m happy to report that we are seeing progress on Highway 186. Due to the ongoing, tireless efforts of our great partners in Mexico, plans are underway for wildlife overpasses and tunnels to be constructed in selected sites with the agreement of the Mexican federal government.

Until then, motorists will have new signs to alert them when they are entering wildlife habitat areas. Using the information provided by the conservation organizations, signs were placed where animals are most likely to cross and speed limits are reduced for added safety.

Learn more:

Click here for more information on how we can make roads safer for people and wildlife of the Mayan forest.

Watch this video to learn more about the effects the highway is having on wildlife in Calakmul and Balamku, Mexico.