Camera Traps: A Novel Method to Estimate Numbers of Nesting Sea Turtles

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Conservation Science
• Wildlife Monitoring

Background:

• Accurate abundance estimates are crucial for endangered species management, especially for sea turtles.
• Traditional methods like ground counts are challenging at remote nesting sites.
• Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) require effective monitoring strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the applicability of camera traps for monitoring sea turtle nesting tracks.
• To compare camera trap data with traditional foot patrol surveys.
• To validate camera traps as a tool for estimating sea turtle populations.

Main Methods:

• Deployed 13 camera traps along a 2.8 km beach in Diego Garcia, Chagos Archipelago.
• Conducted daily photographic monitoring and compared track counts with foot patrol surveys.
• Analyzed track counts in relation to tidal cycles and simulated increasing camera coverage.

Main Results:

• Foot patrol surveys showed higher track counts during neap tides compared to spring tides.
• Mean daily track counts from camera traps were comparable to those from foot patrols.
• Increasing camera coverage from 5% to 20% is projected to decrease track count disparities.

Conclusions:

• Camera traps offer a viable complementary tool for monitoring sea turtle nesting at remote sites.
• This technology can help fill critical data gaps in sea turtle population assessments.
• Increased temporal coverage from cameras aids in identifying nesting phenology and population trends.