NESTING ECOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC GREEN TURTLE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OF COSTA RICA

Green turtle (Chelonia Mydas) populations suffer different types of threats that compromise their survival and reproduction. For their ecological roles and as umbrella species, they are of conservation importance.
Since green turtles are terrestrial nesters, nesting beaches provide an important opportunity for studying their nesting biology and behaviour, which are related to their reproductive fitness and thus to their conservation.
This study has as a main goal to conduct an exhaustive analysis of the nesting ecology and behaviour of Pacific green turtles on two beaches in the South Pacific of Costa Rica during two full nesting seasons.
Results show the main trends in nesting activity on two nesting beaches, the spatial and temporal distribution of the nesting activity, the influence of some environmental factors on the nesting and reproductive processes, and strategies that nesting turtles adopt in order to increase the chances of successful reproduction and enhance the survival of the green turtle population.
An understanding of the nesting environment, ecology, and behaviour of a population is crucial for its conservation and management in the region.