A coastal vulnerability index for sea turtle conservation management in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica
Globally, as a result of the rising sea levels, the erosion, flooding, and retreat of the coastline would affect coastal communities, in particular, the economy of tropical and biodiverse regions. From an ecological point of view, tropical beaches are important nesting habitats for endangered sea tu...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2019 |
| País: | México |
| Institución: | Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí |
| Repositorio: | Repositorio Institucional de la UASLP |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repositorioinstitucional.uaslp.mx:i/5734 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://repositorioinstitucional.uaslp.mx/xmlui/handle/i/5734 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | coastal vulnerability index, sea level rise, coastal management, sea turtles, Tortuguero National Park Índice de vulnerabilidad costera, aumento del nivel del mar, manejo de áreas costeras, tortugas marinas, Parque Nacional Tortuguero CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMATICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA |
| Sumario: | Globally, as a result of the rising sea levels, the erosion, flooding, and retreat of the coastline would affect coastal communities, in particular, the economy of tropical and biodiverse regions. From an ecological point of view, tropical beaches are important nesting habitats for endangered sea turtle species. Therefore, it is crucial to develop tools to estimate the vulnerability to sea level rise of nesting beaches. Tortuguero National Park is located in the Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and is the most important nesting ground for green turtles (Chelonia mydas, L.), in the Western Hemisphere. To assess the vulnerability to sea level rise of this nesting site, this study adapted the widely used Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) framework to the socio-economic conditions, and at the same time, to the biological settings of the nesting population of green sea turtles. To calculate the total CVI, first, the Physical Vulnerability sub-index (PVI) which includes six physical parameters (shoreline change rate, mean sea level rise, coastal slope, significant wave height, tidal range, coastal regional elevation) were calculated; then the Anthropogenic Vulnerability sub-Index (AVI) with three parameters (distance to town center, land cover, touristic impact) and the Biological Vulnerability sub-index (BVI) with two parameters (Distribution of nesting, eroded and inundated nests) were calculated thereafter. Different weights were assigned to each of the parameters using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) approach. The urbanized sectors of Tortuguero National Park were dominated by “High” and “Very High” vulnerability classes while the sectors within the National Park were categorized in “Low” and “Very Low” vulnerability classes. The overall coastal vulnerability map shows a high risk, induced by unregulated urbanization on the beachfront. This type of urbanization reduces not only the sea turtle nesting activity but also the vegetation line, that can serve as a buffer in the case of a potential beach retreat. The lack of regulation by the authorities has allowed the construction of buildings outside the retreat area allowed by the Costa Rican legislation. This study recommends the implementation of a setback line for the town of Tortuguero, to enable an adequate buffer line between the beach and the buildings. It is also suggested to carry out reforestation campaigns of the vegetation on the beachfront in order to maintain the ideal conditions for sea turtle nesting. |
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