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Nicaragua beaches receive 5 of the worlds 7 main species of turtles each year. La Flor is one of the main nesting sites in the region. Sea turtles are endangered due to fishing with nets, pollution of the oceans and destruction of marine habitats, seagulls, vultures eating the eggs and of course human poachers are the main threat to turtles.
Much of the facts presented here have been gleaned from the Wildlife ConservationnSociety Nicaragua (WCS) and Fauna and Flora International FFI which prompted me to visit the wildlife reserve in La Flor in September 2019
Every year thousands of turtles arrive on the pacific coast to lay their eggs. There is a major conservation program going on in Nicaragua. It’s estimated that only one out of every 1,000 eggs will become an adult turtle.
The number of nests is on the rise in large part to WCS’s 16-year-old Hawksbill Conservation Project. In 2016 the program broke its record for the most Hawksbill sea turtle nests in a single season which counted 546 Hawksbill sea turtle nests in Nicaragua’s Pearl Cays. All told, an estimated 51,735 hatchlings, reached the water. Things have come a long way. When the project began in 2000, there were 154 nests and the turtles were in big trouble,
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green turtles can weigh up to 700 lbs and up to 5 ft long. Unlike most sea turtles, adult green turtles are herbivorous, feeding mainly on seagrasses and algae. Green turtles are listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and on Appendix I in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). On the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, there is a legal harvest for green turtles for those with traditional subsistence rights. More than 170,000 green turtles were estimated to have been killed between 1991 and 2011 (Lagueux et al. 2014). Green turtles do not nest on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua but a large population uses the coastal waters for foraging, resting and migrating
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
The leatherback is the largest sea turtle in the world, measuring as much as 6.5 feet in length and weighing as much as 1190 pounds. Unlike other sea turtles, the leatherback does not have a hard shell, but rather a leathery carapace composed of a mosaic of small bones covered by firm, rubbery skin with seven longitudinal ridges and numerous white spots. The most widely spread marine turtles, leatherbacks are found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, particularly in tropical regions. They feed on jellyfish and other oceanic invertebrates. Leatherbacks dive the deepest of any sea turtles (almost 4000ft) and migrate thousands of miles across ocean basins. They nest every two to three years, several times in one season, to lay nests of around 80 eggs. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Nicaraguan Environmental Ministry were very concerned in 2019, as the leatherback nesting season in the Eastern Pacific progressed with no sign of the critically endangered turtle. The season ended in early March without the world’s largest turtle establishing a single nest in Nicaragua.
Through strict enforcement procedures and awareness-raising campaigns, have overseen an almost complete eradication of the illegal harvesting of eggs; the demand from communities for eggs to eat has also fallen off a cliff as a result of this campaign and the national education programme.
Yet in spite of these efforts, leatherbacks are still struggling against many human-made pressures. This denizen of the deep plays a critical role in marine ecosystems and is the living link to reptiles that have existed for 100 million years. It would be a profound failure of humanity if this gentle giant were to die off forever after having survived the worst that has been thrown at planet Earth, including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
“The unprecedented situation in Nicaragua is alarming and clearly points to the fact that leatherbacks across the Eastern Pacific are in trouble,” said Alison Gunn, Fauna & Flora International’s Programme Manager for the Americas & Caribbean. “Our monitoring work shows this decline in leatherback numbers is a trend and not a blip.
Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
Loggerheads can be found in the temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are named for their large head and powerful jaws to help them eat large crustaceans and other hard-shelled prey. They grow to 3ft and around 250lbs as adults. Loggerheads nest every 2-3 years, laying between 3-5 nests with 120 eggs per nest. Loggerheads are classified as Endangered by the IUCN and are on the CITES Appendix I list of species
Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Olive ridleys are the smallest species of sea turtle, with adults weighing around 100lbs and growing to 2ft long. They mainly eat fish, crustaceans, bivalves and jellyfish. This species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Olive ridleys nest in concentrated arribadas on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, in places such as the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge and La Flor Beach Natural Reserve.
Each month along Nicaragua’s stunning coastlines, several thousand sea turtles come ashore and lay an average of 100 small ping-pong ball shaped eggs each. Both of Nicaragua’s coasts (Pacific and Carribean) are popular sites for nesting turtles.
One of the largest groups of turtles can be found at the La Flor Wildlife Reserve, a horseshoe of white sand beach lined by magnificent tropical rainforests and rocky cliffs. Located just south of San Juan del Sur, this natural refuge covers only a mile and a half of beach, yet attracts an unbelievable number of turtles each year, including more than 200,000 Olive Ridleys, one of the world’s smallest species.
La Flor beach is a sanctuary of nature. Nicaragua is blessed with several beaches where the Olive Ridley turtles come to lay their eggs. The Olive Ridley turtles come to the beach en masse, during so called arribadas in which thousands of turtles arrive at the same time to lay their eggs.
Wildlife Reserve La Flor measures more than 3,000 hectares and is located 22 kilometers south of San Juan del Sur. It is one of the places in Nicaragua where you can observe the arribadas of Olive Ridley turtles. Seven massive arribadas occur each year, all taking place between July and January. Many other smaller turtle arrivals will also take place during that same time frame. The moon influences the arrivals, but it is never exactly predictable when the turtles will come.
After arriving at the beach, the turtles look for a decent place to lay their eggs. After digging a hole the turtles start laying their small, white eggs. About 100 eggs are deposited in the hole, which is then covered up by the turtle. After this impressing job the turtles slowly make their way back to the water. The arribadas take a couple days, during which thousands of turtles visit La Flor.
