Macro description of public beach attributes that may effect turtle nesting in Playa de Coco, La Flor (Pacific, southwest Nicaragua) and Pacuare and Tortuguero, (Caribbean, Costa Rica), July 2013

Abstract

We observed several macro beach features of four public sea turtle nesting beaches for Playa Coco (latitude11.15382, longitude 85.80051; geographic datum WGS84) and La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418) in southwest Nicaragua (Pacific), and Pacuare Reserve (latitude10.20123, longitude, 83.25925) and Tortugero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520) in Costa Rica (Caribbean). Recorded features included the intensity of tourism, number of different predator species of sea turtle hatchlings, number of tourists, and line transects for density of plastic, wood, metal, and crab burrows. Light and sound disturbances at night were also recorded as well as man-made objects left overnight on the shore of the beaches. This data set is part of a sea turtle class with Maderas Rainforest Conservancy and provides a basic and non-invasive description and a snap shot in time and space for public nesting beaches of relevance for Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840), Green (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN ) and Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843 ) sea turtles. Some photos were taken for vizualisation purposes.