Annex 4

Outline of a strategic plan for the conservation of hawksbill turtles
within the wider Caribbean Vision

To enhance the conservation status of hawksbill turtles so that the Caribbean
regional population is no longer considered to be threatened

General objectives

a) To achieve the recovery of depleted populations;

b) to ensure that recovered populations are maintained at a stable level;

c) to identify recovery levels for all genetically discrete nesting populations; and

d) to ensure that any use of the regional population is sustainable.

Mechanisms

a) Promote and strengthen existing management measures, by:

i) ensuring that adequate national legislation is in place to implement a strategy or national plan;

ii) ensuring that legal provisions are available for the conservation of hawksbill turtles and their habitats, and for the regulation of trade and of any harvests;

iii) seeking to harmonize and standardize regional legislation, programmes and policies whilst recognizing the diversity of views and approaches within the region; and

iv) increasing synergy and collaboration with other regional and international agreements including, amongst others, the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles.

b) Undertake research and monitoring necessary to implement the plan, by:

i) seeking to identify and target for further study those topics in which significant gaps in knowledge remain;

ii) implementing standard monitoring protocols for foraging and nesting populations at agreed and defined index sites;

iii) monitoring take and mortality of hawksbill turtles from legal harvests (including catch-per-unit effort), by-catch in other fisheries and illegal catch;

iv) assessing the levels of legal and illegal trade within the region; and

v) undertaking studies into the genetic composition of nesting and foraging populations, the migratory movements of hawksbills and the definition of potential management units.

c) Improve communication and information sharing within the region by:

i) establishing and maintaining, through UNEP-WCMC, a clearing house of information on hawksbill turtles within the region;

ii) continuing the regional dialogue process as a means of bringing the relevant states and territories together;

iii) ensuring the involvement of all stakeholders in the region in strategy development and implementation;

iv) ensuring that decisions are based on the best scientific and traditional knowledge available; and

v) undertaking public awareness and education campaigns concerning, inter alia, relevant legal mechanisms and the conservation and management needs for the species.

d) Ensure the availability of adequate resources for implementation, by:

i) seeking to ensure adequate funding through allocation of in-house resources, external fund-raising and the provision of other resources;

ii) increasing the capacity of Governments, organizations and individuals in the region to implement relevant elements of the strategy; and

iii) sharing relevant expertise, technology and resources within the region.

Sub-regional meetings

a) In the light of the usefulness of the dialogue meetings held under the auspices of the CITES Secretariat to facilitate collaboration, planning and information exchange on the management of hawksbill turtles within the wider Caribbean, such meetings shall be continued, and:

i) subject to the availability of funding, before the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, at least one dialogue meeting of the wider Caribbean regional on hawksbill turtles shall be arranged in order to facilitate further regional collaboration, planning and information exchange;

ii) the participation of relevant regional and international Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other relevant bodies, such as UNEP-CEP and the IAC in dialogue meetings to promote joint collaboration shall be sought; and

iii) a full report, inter alia for presentation at the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES shall be compiled on the outcome of the dialogue meeting.

b) Parties in the wider Caribbean shall report progress on the implementation of their national plan at each dialogue meeting and, where appropriate, develop actions and share relevant information between dialogue meetings, through ad hoc working groups. Non-Parties will be invited to do the same.

c) Parties agree to the following terms of reference for the wider Caribbean hawksbill turtle sub-regional meetings:

The regional dialogue process has the following goals:

i) to encourage the development and implementation of a sub-regional strategy and national management plans for the conservation of hawksbill turtles and, where appropriate, other marine turtles;

ii) to report on the implementation of national management plans as a contribution to regional goals and to establish priorities for collaborative action;

iii) to enable discussion and information sharing relating to the conservation and management of hawksbill turtles;

iv) to share the results of research and monitoring activities;

v) to focus on specific issues of interest or concern to the region;

vi) to encourage capacity building within the region and to raise awareness of issues relating to hawksbill turtle conservation and management; and

vii) to stimulate participation by States and territories within the region in the process and in the implementation of a sub-regional strategy.