Efforts to increase the participation of local communities in the conservation of the endangered loggerhead population of Cape Verde

[EN] The loggerhead population of Cape Verde is one of the most important in the world. Several islands from this archipelago capture nesting females for human consumption. This a widespread practice in the local population that can be killing more than 25% of nesting females every year. This activity is not relevant for the general economy of the country but can be important for some families.

Estudio genético de paternidad múltiple de la tortuga común Caretta caretta en el Archipiélago de Cabo Verde: aplicación a la ecología de la conservación.

[EN] Los análisis genéticos de las estrategias reproductivas (paternidad múltiple y almacenamiento de esperma) están abriendo una vía de investigación novedosa además de promover informaciones importantes para definir los criterios y las medidas de conservación de muchas especies de reptiles. La población de tortuga común, Caretta caretta del Archipiélago de Cabo Verde es una de las poblaciones nidificantes más grandes del Atlántico, pero que actualmente sufre la pesca selectiva de machos por parte de la comunidad local de Cabo Verde. En este estudio se pretende testar la hipótesis de que una disminución significativa en el número de machos podría afectar la eficacia biológica de las crías, disminuyendo la variabilidad genética de la población.

Evaluation of male breeding population inferred from paternity analyses in the Cape Verde islands

[EN] Because of the extensive migrations of marine turtles through the ocean, many aspects of their biology have been unknown for a long time. However, much information has been recently gained from genetic studies and population monitoring of female turtles at their nesting sites. In contrast, still very little is known on the genetic diversity, population structure and dispersal patterns of the male breeding population, mainly because of the difficulty of capturing and monitoring them at sea. The aim of this study is to assess the genetic patterns of the male breeding population of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, using a non invasive approach and compare them to the female breeding population.

Rate predation on the nesting of Caretta caretta because of Ocypode cursor in Calheta de Pau beach, Boa Vista Island (Cape Verde Rep.)

[EN] Located in the Cape Verde Archipelago is one of the most important nesting population of Caretta caretta, Boa Vista Island being the principal nesting area. This population has been subject of research since 1998.

Massive loggerhead nest predation by ghost crabs in Boavista Island (Cape Verde): implications of the absence of large predators.

[EN] The impact of nest predators on sea turtle hatching success is highly variable depending on predator abundance and also on interactions among different predators. Food web connectivity usually makes it difficult to understand predator-prey interactions and develop efficient conservation strategies. In the Cape Verde archipelago there is an important nesting area for loggerheads where ghost crabs are the only described nest predator. We have studied the impact of ghost crabs on loggerhead nests on this threatened population as well as the efficiency of several management practices to reduce this impact.

Productivity of females loggerhead from Cabo Verde Islands

[EN] The nesting colony of Caretta caretta has been recently described for the island of Boavista (Cabo Verde, 500 km off the coast of Senegal, Western Africa, FIGURE 1). Although more data is needed, it represents one of the most important populations in the North Atlantic (Brongersma, 1982; López-Jurado & Andreu, 1998; Ross, 1995). Since 1998, a tagging and management campaign was established in Boavista to study this nesting population. We present next data on reproductive biology of nesting females of Caretta caretta in Boavista during the year 2000 nesting season, in which we obtained twice as much than those tagged in 1998 and 1999 seasons; we also found some recaptures of females from preceding years, our first data on remigration interval.

The coast of Cape Verde hosts the third largest loggerhead nesting population in the world

[EN] Extensive sea turtle nesting monitoring has been conducted in several islands of the Archipelago of Cape Verde during the past years. The loggerhead turtle is the only species that nests in these islands though green and hawksbill turtle juveniles are very often found feeding around their coasts. Around 90% of loggerhead nests are deposited in the island of Boavista on approximately 50 km of white sandy beaches. This is one of the less populated islands with more inaccessible beaches, as all villages are far from the main nesting areas. Another 9% of nests are equally distributed among the islands of Sal, Maio and San Nicolau and the remaining 1% of nests are found among the other six major islands and several islets of the archipelago.

Direitos das Mulheres e Políticas Públicas em Cabo Verde (1991- 2011): análise a partir do Plano Nacional de Igualdade e Equidade de Género

Ao discutir a política pública e os direitos das mulheres em Cabo Verde no período democrático(1991-2011), não se pretende apenas a mera identificação de instrumentos que configuram tal política, mas também, desenvolver uma análise que abarca o processo de construção e implementação dos mesmos e a algumas dimensões da sua efetividade. No presente trabalho, procura primeiramente analisar a situação das mulheres no mundo de forma geral, e em Cabo Verde em particular, a partir de um debate teórico sobre diversos conceitos que subsidiaram o estudo. A realização desta investigação baseou-se, sobretudo, na análise do Plano Nacional de Igualdade e Equidade de Género de Cabo Verde, 2005-2009 uma vez que este constitui um instrumento orientador da política com vista á igualdade entre os sexos e a promoção dos direitos das mulheres. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de sistematização das actividades, melhoramentos na definição de estratégias e maior articulação entre os diferentes serviços, de modo que as estratégias definidas nos instrumentos de políticas se materializem e se traduzam na garantia dos direitos das mulheres. / Discussing the public policy and the women rights in Cape Verde in the democratic period it’s not intended to just identify the tools that set these policies and rights, but also develop the analysis which includes the construction process and implementation of them, and the impact that they produce on the consecration of woman rights. This research attempts firstly to analyze the women situation worldwide and in Cape Verde in particularly through a theoretical debate about several concepts that subsidized the research and present data that show the inhuman reality of several women. This study is based in the analysis of “National Plan for Equality and Equity of Genre in Cape Verde since that document is the tool that guides the policy that leads to the equality between sexes and the promotion of women rights. The analysis points to the need activities systematization, improvements in the definition of strategies and better articulation between institutions so that defined strategies in the policies instruments materialize and become in the warranty of the woman rights.

The international importance of the archipelago of Cape Verde for marine turtles, in particular the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

[ES] The shores of Cape Verde hosts one of the most important nesting populations of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the world, as well as important feeding grounds for hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and green turtles Chelonia mydas. In the past few years, a number of scientific studies have demonstrated the relevance of the waters and beaches of this archipelago for the conservation of these endangered marine megavertebrates. This article aims to bring together the most relevant scientific information published on the subject so far. In addition, we will provide an overview of the current situation of sea turtles in Cape Verde, their conservation status and their importance in an international context.

New records of the olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) from the Cape Verde Islands

[ES] The olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea has been recorded in the Cape Verde Islands, but the most recent published data (1998-2000) are of stranded ndividuals and remains only. This article presents new data on olive ridleys recorded during the years 2001-2011 on Boavista and Sal islands. The presence of his species does not appear to be related to nesting activity. The possible geographical origin of these turtles is discussed. In addition, we propose some studies that could help to reinforce the conservation of sea turtles in West Africa.

First records of Fraser's dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei for the Cape Verde Islands

[ES] On 31 August 2003, at 11:40 local time, c. 5 nm southwest of São Nicolau 16º33.1N, 024º27.7W), Cape Verde Islands, GT and PLS observed c.20 Fraser’s Dolphins Lagenodelphis hosei Fraser, 1956 (Fig.1). The sighting was made under excellent weather conditions (sea state Beaufort 2 with sun) from the 39.6 m diesel engine powered oceanographic research vessel Taliarte during a two week cetacean survey conducted as part of the Hydrocarpo project. The animals were c. 2.5 m in length, with a short beak, robust ody, small dorsal and pectoral fins and showed the characteristic longitudinal striping (cf. efferson et al.1993, Carwardine 1995).

Manual for the monitoring of sea turtles in the Cape Verde Islands

[ES] To actively protect sea turtles on their nesting beaches, it is essential to obtain knowledge about trends in abundance. The way sea turtles live makes it extremely difficult to identify how many individuals there are in a population at any point in time. Due to practical problems, given their entirely marine life with limited visibility and great oceanic dispersal, counting males or juveniles is currently quite difficult and imprecise. Counting females and nests on beaches during the nesting season is the best feasible but still imperfect method, since only an unknown portion of adult females nest every season. It is impossible to know the real number of females in the population by merely counting females and nests in a given year.

Incidental Capture of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) on Boa Vista (Cape Verde Islands)

[EN] The sea is one of the major natural resources of the Cape Verde Islands, a small archipelago located 500 kilometers off the coast of Senegal (West Africa). This country consists of ten main islands and several islets, and possesses an Exclusive Economical Zone (EEZ) of about 734 square kilometers and a coastal perimeter of nearly 2000 kilometers. The marine shelf, whose limit is the 200 m isobath, is particularly extensive on the island of Boa Vista (Figure 1). lt is likely that most of the loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) that breed in this archipelago are concentrated on this island (López-Jurado et al., 1999).

Nuevas observaciones herpetológicas en las islas desertas (Archipiélago de Cabo Verde).

[ES] El archipiélago de las Desertas está compuesto por tres pequeñas islas de origen volcánico pertenecientes a la República de Cabo Verde (Santa Luzia [35 km2]; Branco [3 km2]; Razo [7 krrt ]) (figura 1 ). Las tres islas están expuestas a un reg1men de precipitaciones monzónicas extremadamente escasas (< 100 mm anuales), a temperaturas suaves y a vientos, generalmente del noreste (alisios) que soplan más de 275 días al año (CASTINHEIRA & CARDOSO, 1994). Las desfavorables condiciones climáticas a las que se hallan sometidas junto a los casi inexistentes recursos hídricos han determinado que las tres estén deshabitadas.

La tortuga fósil de la isla de Sal (Archipiélago de Cabo Verde)

[ES] Se describe una nueva especie de tortuga terrestre fósil para la isla de Sal en función de cuatro restos óseos: un fémur, dos huesos del caparazón y un cráneo incluido en una matriz caliza. La nueva especie, relativamente próxima a la actual Geochelone sulcata del Sahel, se caracteriza por presentar un tamaño más pequeño que ésta (longitud del caparazón próxima a los 400 mm) y por ser mucho menos robusta.