The relationship between the massive nesting of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the local physical environment at La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico, during 2005

Abstract

The relationship between the massive nesting of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the local physical environment at La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico, during 2005 La relación entre las arribadas de la tortuga golfina (Lepidochelys olivacea) y el ambiente físico en La Escobilla, Oaxaca, México durante 2005 . 2017. The relationship between the massive nesting of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the local physical environment at La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico, during 2005. Hidrobiológica 27 (2): 201-209. ABSTRACTBackground. Sea turtles of the genus Lepidochelys exhibit a complex and synchronous mass-nesting behavior termed "arribada." Goals. This paper analyzes the local physical environment during the arribada events that occurred in 2005 at La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods. Daily night patrols were conducted from May to November 2005, along the nesting zone. Daily records for air temperature and rainfall were obtained from the automatic weather station by the Comisión Nacional del Agua. Sea surface temperature and salinity fields were obtained from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and surface ocean currents were obtained from the Asia-Pacific Data Research Center. Results. The analyses showed five arribada events during the period. A common feature was the presence of eddies and strong currents at the beginning of each arribada. A correlation of statistical significance was observed between the abundance of the arribada and the current speed (R = 0.93, R 2 = 0.86, p = 0.04). The correlation with salinity showed values of R = 0.55, R 2 = 0.31, p = 0.32, whereas correlation with rainfall was R = 0.53, R 2 = 0.28, p = 0.14. A weak correlation was observed with air temperature (R = 0.35, R 2 = 0.12, p = 0.59) and with sea surface temperature (R = 0.23, R 2 = 0.05, p = 0.66). Conclusions. Although sea turtles are strong swimmers, the proximity to favorable oceanic currents generated by eddies might be related to the beginning of the arribada, considering that this current might provide energy savings and accumulate chemical compounds and food in the water column. RESUMENAntecedentes. Las tortugas marinas del género Lepidochelys presentan un complejo comportamiento de anidamiento masivo conocido como arribada. Objetivos. El presente trabajo analiza la relación entre el ambiente físico durante los eventos de arribada ocurridos en 2005 en La Escobilla, Oaxaca, México. Métodos. Se realizaron patrullajes nocturnos de mayo a noviembre de 2005 y se obtuvieron registros de temperatura del aire y precipitación del radar meteorológico de CONAGUA. Mapas de salinidad y temperatura superficial del mar fueron obtenidos a partir del modelo HYCOM. Las corrientes superficiales fueron determinadas a partir de bases de datos disponibles por Centros de Investigación en dinámica oceanográfica internacionales. Resultados. Se observaron cinco eventos de arribada. Una característica importante fue la presencia de vórtices y corrientes intensas durante su inicio. Se observó una correlación ...

Corozalito: a nascent arribada nesting beach in Costa Rica

“…We documented the largest arribadas in September 2019 (17,982 ± 3220 egg-laying turtles) and October 2021 (21,653 ± 3327 egg-laying turtles), coinciding with the rainiest months of the year. This is consistent with the occurrence of the largest arribada events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) region, which have been associated with rainy season months and hence, lower sand temperatures (Hughes and Richard 1974 ; Plotkin et al 1997 ; Bernardo and Plotkin 2007 ; Corina-Monter and Durán-Campos 2017 ). Overall, arribadas at Corozalito are small when compared to those of larger well-known arribada beaches, such as Ostional with as many as 476,550 egg-laying turtles (Valverde et al 2012 ), Nancite with 57,907 (Fonseca et al 2022 ), La Flor, Nicaragua with 60,816 (Honarvar et al 2016 ), La Escobilla, México with 317,219 (Corina-Monter and Durán-Campos 2017 ) and Orissa, India with 180,000 (Shanker et al 2004 ).…”

“…This is consistent with the occurrence of the largest arribada events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) region, which have been associated with rainy season months and hence, lower sand temperatures (Hughes and Richard 1974 ; Plotkin et al 1997 ; Bernardo and Plotkin 2007 ; Corina-Monter and Durán-Campos 2017 ). Overall, arribadas at Corozalito are small when compared to those of larger well-known arribada beaches, such as Ostional with as many as 476,550 egg-laying turtles (Valverde et al 2012 ), Nancite with 57,907 (Fonseca et al 2022 ), La Flor, Nicaragua with 60,816 (Honarvar et al 2016 ), La Escobilla, México with 317,219 (Corina-Monter and Durán-Campos 2017 ) and Orissa, India with 180,000 (Shanker et al 2004 ). It appears that the abundance of nesting olive ridley turtles at Corozalito is insufficient to yield monthly arribadas across an entire year, as does occur at nearby Ostional.…”

“…However, the number of nesting turtles typically increases significantly over the night the arribada starts. In general, mass synchronous nesting events occur once a month or intermittently throughout the year at established arribada rookeries (Valverde et al 1998 ; Coria-Monter and Durán-Campos 2017 ; Bézy et al 2020 ). The timing and duration of these events is highly variable and unpredictable, and generally depend on the number of nesting turtles.…”

Evolution of Ecotourism in Coastal Indigenous Communities: Comparison of the Case Studies of La Ventanilla and La Escobilla in Oaxaca, Mexico

“…Ecotourism is expressed as a sustainable tourism format where natural and cultural assets are conserved, where environmental impact is minimised, which proposes the participation of stakeholders; where the local culture is respected; and where the locals are provided with socio-economic benefits, which features educational characteristics in terms of environment and culture [13]. Through ecotourism, it is intended to promote ecological culture [14], and the experience has shown that alternative tourism is viable and profitable not only economically but also bringing with it several social benefits [15].…”

“…This manuscript is based on two previous studies made by the authors in La Ventanilla, 2011 [14] and La Escobilla, 2018 [16], where the socioeconomic and environmental situations were analysed. After ten years of fieldwork observing the growth of the communities, the aim of this manuscript is to analyse the evolution of ecotourism, with the intention of verifying whether the differences between both communities can be tested through a SWOT analysis, and to find the possible causes of these differences, as well as to obtain conclusions that can be extended to other studies using the same methodology.…”