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Green turtles highlight connectivity across a regional marine protected area network in west Africa

2022Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorPatrício, A. R.
dc.contributor.authorBeal, M.
dc.contributor.authorBarbosa, C.
dc.contributor.authorDiouck, D.
dc.contributor.authorGodley, B. J.
dc.contributor.authorMadeira, F. M.
dc.contributor.authorRegalla, A.
dc.contributor.authorTraoré, M. S.
dc.contributor.authorSenhoury, C.
dc.contributor.authorSidina, E.
dc.contributor.authorCatry, P.
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-11T19:56:04Z
dc.date.available2022-05-11T19:56:04Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractNetworks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are invaluable for the protection of species with high dispersal capacity, yet connectivity within networks is poorly understood. We demonstrate the connectivity within the regional MPA network in West Africa (RAMPAO), mediated by the largest green turtle population in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. We equipped with satellite tags 45 female green turtles nesting in the Bijagó s Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, and tracked them during internesting, migration, and foraging to quantify the degree of coverage the RAMPAO network provides during each of these critical periods. During the internesting period, turtles were largely concentrated around the nesting islands, with a mean of 94.8% (SD 0.1%, range: 46% - 100%, n = 40 turtles) of tracking positions falling within MPA limits. Among the 35 turtles successfully tracked into the foraging period, we identified variable migratory strategies, with 12 turtles remaining near-resident at distances of 40-90 km from breeding sites, 10 turtles migrating 300-400 km to The Gambia and Senegal, and 13 turtles traveling >1000 km to northern Mauritania. Of the 35 foraging turtles, 26 used MPAs, with a mean of 78.0% (SD 34.8%, range: 3.7% - 100%) of their tracking positions falling within the limits of RAMPAO MPAs, across Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Mauritania. Migration corridors with high concentrations of passing turtles were mostly located nearshore, and 21% of these high passage areas fell within the MPA network. Overall, we found that this population connects five RAMPAO MPAs, yet some foraging sites (e.g., in the Bijagó s) and important migration areas (e.g., Cap-Vert peninsula) described here are currently unprotected. These results are relevant to any considerations of MPA extension or establishment within the regional network, which would contribute towards meeting the Convention on Biological Diversity targets for national marine protected area estate coverage. By documenting biological connectivity across RAMPAO, this study represents an important example of the relevance of international protected area networks for green turtle conservation and for wider conservation action at a regional scale.pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorshipFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTpt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.citationA. R. Patrício, M. Beal, C. Barbosa, D. Diouck, B. J. Godley, F. M. Madeira, A. Regalla, M. S. Traoré, C. Senhoury, E. Sidina, & P. Catry. (2022). Green Turtles Highlight Connectivity Across a Regional Marine Protected Area Network in West Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.812144pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fmars.2022.812144pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn22967745
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/8653
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherFrontiers Media S.A.pt_PT
dc.relationLCF/BQ/PR20/11770003pt_PT
dc.relationMarine and Environmental Sciences Centre
dc.relationMarine and Environmental Sciences Centre
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/pt_PT
dc.subjectChelonia mydaspt_PT
dc.subjectProtected area networkpt_PT
dc.subjectConnectivitypt_PT
dc.subjectMPApt_PT
dc.subjectSatellite trackingpt_PT
dc.subjectWest Africapt_PT
dc.subjectGPSpt_PT
dc.subjectSea turtlept_PT
dc.titleGreen turtles highlight connectivity across a regional marine protected area network in west Africapt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleMarine and Environmental Sciences Centre
oaire.awardTitleMarine and Environmental Sciences Centre
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04292%2F2020/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04292%2F2020/PT
oaire.citation.conferencePlaceSwitzerlandpt_PT
oaire.citation.endPage13pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage1pt_PT
oaire.citation.titleFrontiers in Marine Sciencept_PT
oaire.citation.volume9pt_PT
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
relation.isProjectOfPublication44ac91a1-9377-452e-94d8-d2e5c7cc0cb3
relation.isProjectOfPublication6e9ecd88-acf2-4476-8c10-8b5de6ded14f
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery44ac91a1-9377-452e-94d8-d2e5c7cc0cb3

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