Inter-island nesting dynamics and clutch survival of green turtles Chelonia mydas within a marine protected area in the Bijagós Archipelago, West Africa

Green turtle nesting success varies significantly among islands within the Bijagós Archipelago's João Vieira-Poilão Marine National Park, with Poilão Island serving as a primary rookery offering optimal conditions for clutch survival. Research from 2015 to 2022 revealed that while Poilão's high nest density leads to increased egg destruction by later nesting turtles, it maintains a higher mean hatching success of 67.9% compared to neighboring islands like Meio (11.9%), Cavalos (36.0%), and João Vieira (76.0%). The study suggests a source-sink dynamic, where Poilão acts as the source due to its superior reproductive output, while adjacent islands with lower survival rates may serve as sinks for migrating turtles. This finding highlights the potential impact of population growth and sea level rise on nesting suitability, emphasizing the need for conservation efforts to consider secondary sites to mitigate localized threats.

Raposo, C., Rebelo, R., Catry, P., Ferreira-Airaud, M. B., Barbosa, C., Garcia, T. B., Regalla, A., Sampaio, M. S., & Patrício, A. R. (2024). Inter-island nesting dynamics and clutch survival of green turtles Chelonia mydas within a marine protected area in the Bijagós Archipelago, West Africa. Marine Biology, 171(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04463-w