GVI Seychelles Curieuse Terrestrial Conservation Expedition

Annual Report

2013Submitted in whole toGlobal Vision International

Global Vision International, Seychelles - Curieuse Report Series No. 123-132 ISSN 1751-2255 (Print)

Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA)

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Produced byNol Dunn | Curieuse Island Science Co-ordinatorPatrick Woods | Assistant Science co-ordinator

AndChristophe Mason-Parker | Country DirectorReggie Lang | Base ManagerZach Jones | ScholarApril J Burt | Curieuse Island Science Co-ordinatorDan White | Base ManagerLee Bush | Expedition StaffRachel Walls | General StaffAnt Hardman | Dive OfficerEsme Bebb | Scholar

Special thanksTo all volunteers from April 2012 April 2013. Data collection wouldnt be the same without their efforts.

GVI Seychelles - Curieuse/Marine and Terrestrial Conservation ExpeditionAddress: GVI c/o SNPA, PO Box 1240, Victoria, Mah, SeychellesEmail: seychelles@gviworld.comWeb page: http://www.gvi.co.uk and http://www.gviusa.comExecutive SummaryThis report summarises the science programmes conducted by the Seychelles Global Vision International (GVI) Expedition on Curieuse Island, between April 2012 and April 2013.Bird monitoring commenced in January 2013. In total 25 different species have so far been recorded in 993 observations. Point counts were located in two habitats, coastal areas and in the mangroves. In both areas, the most commonly recorded species were the Seychelles Sunbird, and Common Myna. Shore birds were observed more commonly in the mangroves than in coastal habitats. Six bird species were not recorded in both habitats: Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel) and Little Egret (Egretta garzetta).An on-going Coco de Mer census added a further 1078 palms to bring the total number of Coco de Mers surveyed to 2663 trees. The results continue to show an even sex ratio between adults with over half the population (N=1552) being juveniles. Of the total population, 7.9% are seedlings indicating a small amount of rejuvenation. A key finding was that female trees on average have a trunk height 0.5m taller than male trees. This is in contrast to the Praslin populations where male trees are significantly taller than female trees. Of 351 female Coco de Mers currently surveyed on Curieuse, 240 had 0 nuts when surveyed and only 111 trees had one nut or more when surveyed.Mangrove distribution in relation to hydrology and salinity surveys started in March 2013. Therefore, a substantial data set is lacking, however maps displaying data from the first month visually represent the work that will continue in the near future. The current data shows soil salinity on average is highest near the coastline and lowest in fringing areas of the mangrove forest. Furthermore, inundation at spring tide in March was not evenly dispersed from the seaward edge inland, but seemed to follow channels.During the 2012-13 Hawksbill sea turtle nesting season a total of 531 emergences were recorded, 75% of which occurred on Grande Anse. Of these emergences 284 were successfully laid nests. The most suitable nesting beaches are Anse Badamier, Grande Anse and Anse Mandarin respectively. The mean hatchling success rate for all beaches was 87.9%. Photo identification commenced in 2010 and this season an additional 54 individual female turtles have been documented, doubling the previous total. Based on the number of nests laid, a conservative estimate indicates 75 females nested on Curieuse during the 2012-2013 nesting season. List of ContentsExecutive Summary 3Introduction5Terrestrial Expedition 6Study Sites 7Training 7Birds 8Aims 9Methodology 9Results 11Discussion 12Conclusion 13Coco de Mer 14Aims 14Methodology 15Results 16Discussion 16Conclusion 19Mangroves 20Aims 20Methodology 20Results 21Discussion 22Conclusion 22Sea turtles 23Aims 24Methodology 25Results 26Discussion 28Conclusion 30References 32Appendices 34Appendix A. Birds 34Appendix B. Coco de Mer 38Appendix C. Mangroves 41Appendix D. Sea turtles 43

IntroductionGlobal Vision International (GVI) Seychelles comprises two expeditions based on separate granitic islands. The Curieuse expedition is based on a small granitic island of the same name located to the north of Praslin. Base camp is located at Anse St. Jose within the Curieuse Marine National Park. This marine park has been established since 1979 and represents an area of 14.7km2.All of GVIs scientific work in the Seychelles is carried out on behalf of local partners and at their request, using their methodology. GVI supplies experienced staff, trained volunteers and equipment to conduct research in support of their on-going work. GVIs key partner is the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA). Additional local scientific partners are the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS), the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF).Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA): A local parastatal organisation partly funded by the government, encompassing the Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology (SCMRT) and the Marine Parks Authority (MPA). These organisations have the respective aims of conducting marine research in the Seychelles and management and protection of the marine parks. Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS): A local NGO that carries out environmental research in the Seychelles, currently monitoring whale sharks, cetaceans and turtles around Mah.Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA): The governing body, which oversees the management and regulation of commercial and artisanal fisheries in the Seychelles. This government agency is directly concerned with setting the catch, bag and seasonal limits that apply to local stocks on an annual basis, as well as managing the international export industry that is generated from the harvest of fisheries across the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF): This organisation manages and protects the World Heritage sites of Aldabra and Valle de Mai. Their work with the Coco de Mer forests on Praslin and other endemic trees, plants and animals is closely linked with the flora and fauna and Coco de Mer population on Curieuse. In regards to the Coco de Mer census, GVI collects identical data to that recorded on Praslin so data sets may be collated and analysed together.

Terrestrial Expedition The Seychelles Islands are the only mid-oceanic granitic islands in the world. Isolated for 75 million years, the Seychelles now hosts a unique assemblage of flora and fauna, many of them extremely primitive. Such ancient species include endemic palm trees such as the Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldavica). However, 200 years of human settlement has exerted a serious influence on the native biota of these islands. Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as invasive species, have caused several extinctions and reduced populations of many species to perilous levels. Natural resource exploitation continues to pose a serious threat to the Seychelles native flora and fauna (Hill 2002).Curieuse Islandis a small graniticisland(2.86km2) in theSeychelles,close to the north coast of the island ofPraslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the uniqueCoco de Merpalms, one of thecultural iconsof the Seychelles that is only present in three populations on Praslin and Curieuse.In 1979 Curieuse Island and its surrounding waters were declared the Curieuse Marine National Park in order to protect the native wildlife. Today it is home to approximately 200feral Aldabra Giant Tortoises (Geochelone gigantean) found mainly at the Rangers Station but in smaller numbers throughout the island around Curieuse. Sea turtles are often found in the sea grass and reef habitats and the beaches are an important nesting site for female sea turtles between October and February. Another key part of the Curieuse marine ecosystem is the mangrove forest, a group of terrestrial trees adapted to cope with high salinity and low oxygen environments. Mangrove trees are found most extensively around the lagoon area at Baie Laraie and bridge the gap between the marine and terrestrial environments, playing a key role in maintaining optimum reef building conditions for corals (Obura & Abdulla 2005).The objectives of the terrestrial expedition from April 2012 - April 2013 on Curieuse focused on developing a bird monitoring programme, continuing Coco de Mer Census data collection, developing a new mangrove monitoring programme and streamlining the on-going sea turtle surveys. The fundamental goal behind all fieldwork is to make sure data collected is relevant to our project partners. The information collected by GVI is available through SNPA to be used as a baseline for future study.

Study sites

Figure 1. A map of Curieuse Island showing all current survey sites as undertaken by GVIBird point counts surveys along nesting beaches and in the mangrovesCoco De Mer palms counted and surveyedBaie Laraie mangrovesSea turtle nesting beaches: 1 Anse Caiman/Cimitier, 2 Anse St. Jose, 3 Anse Mandarin, 4 Anse Laraie, 5 Anse Papaie, 6 Grande Anse, 7 Anse Badamier

TrainingTerrestrial Health and SafetyAll Expedition Members on the terrestrial program are educated through safety precautions to work on beaches or walking off-path to sites. They are also provided with first aid training through the Emergency First Response course, which is taught on-site.

Terrestrial Species identificationGVI relies on volunteers to carry out all of its fieldwork. These volunteers stay for periods of 4, 8 or 12 weeks. To ensure precision and continuity all volunteers are intensively trained and need to pass an exam before they are permitted to survey. All Expedition Members are required to identify birds by sight and sound, recognize Coco De Mer palms, and learn species of mangroves and sea turtles. Training is initially provided in the form of presentations, workshops and informal discussion with the expedition staff. Self-study materials are also available in the form of textbooks and fact sheets. Staff members accompany volunteers on all field excursions. Observations and responses are noted and staff supervision remains vigilant until the expedition member demonstrates accurate identification of all necessary species, tracks and procedures. To maintain reliability for bird surveys one of the observers is always a staff member who is trained to a higher level and has more identification experience than Expedition Members.

BirdsAccording to the SBRC 263 bird species had been recorded in The Seychelles by 31st January 2013, including resident land and water birds, breeding seabirds, annual migrants, occasional visitors and extinct species. Of these 263 species, 56 species had been documented on Curieuse Island by the SBRC.At present there is a lack of readily available, published information on the birdlife of Curieuse Island. Considering the marine park status of Curieuse Island it is particularly important to fill this gap in the scientific knowledge. Curieuse is not an Important Bird Area (IBA), as listed by Rocamora and Skerrett (2001). However, it may be important for seabird, shorebird and migratory species, due to its Marine Park status and the presence of rare habitats, such as mangroves and Coco de Mer forests. The presence and foraging habits of seabirds in the ocean surrounding Curieuse, particularly inshore feeding species such as the White Tern (Gygis alba), Lesser Noddy (Anous tenuirostris) and Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus) can give an indication of the health of the marine park (Burger and Lawrence 2003). In addition, the presence of shore birds and migratory bird species, such as the Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) give an indication of the importance of Curieuse as a wintering ground and as a stopover during migration. The comparison of bird diversity between habitats will enable the identification of any particularly species rich and diverse habitats on Curieuse, providing conclusive justification as to the conservation importance of such habitats. For example, the mangrove habitat appears to be important for many bird species (Patrick Woods pers. obs.). The mangroves are also a threatened habitat on Curieuse so this research would provide further evidence in conjunction with a separate on-going mangrove study run by SNPA for the importance of mangrove conservation.

AimsThe main aim of the bird-monitoring programme is to establish baseline data on the bird species that visit and inhabit Curieuse Island. The Seychelles Bird Records Committee (SBRC), as of 31st January 2013, had documented 56 different species on Curieuse. The long-term goal of collecting data on birds is to gauge and monitor the status and changes in the status of birdlife on Curieuse, particularly species endemic to The Seychelles.A key objective of a regular bird-monitoring programme on Curieuse is to identify how key habitats such as the beaches, inter-tidal areas and mangroves are used by different bird species. Species richness will be used as a measure of alpha diversity to assess bird diversity within each habitat. In addition, any seabird breeding activity found on Curieuse will be shared with the Seychelles Seabird Group (SSG). As this project will be on-going any long term changes in the birdlife of Curieuse will be monitored. MethodologyThere are two main habitats on Curieuse that were initially surveyed; the coastline along the southern and eastern facing beaches and the area of mangroves at Baie Laraie. Now the monitoring programme is established there is scope to extend surveying efforts into the palm forests and elevated areas (Figure 2). The survey method used was point counts. Point counts were chosen over line transects because point counts are better suited to bird-habitat studies, in addition point counts suit dense habitats, such as mangroves and are more useful for high density, species rich populations (Gregory et al. 2006).Along the coastline, vantage points were positioned along the turtle nesting beaches and adjoining coastline where paths and trails already exist, allowing for relatively easy access. Vantage points were spaced 250m apart or as near to 250m as possible taking into account physical barriers and shade for observers to sit in. The distance, 250m, between vantage points was chosen as the areas to be surveyed have dense vegetation, limiting the field of view. Furthermore, 250m is far enough so individual birds will not fly between vantage points regularly and thus be recorded twice, while not so far as to waste survey time by walking between points. Vantage points were given a number A1-A12 (Figure 2) and marked with blue cloth in the field; a waypoint was also taken with a GPS. The GPS used was accurate to 4m. The trip odometer tool on the GPS was used to record the distance between vantage points. The distance between vantage points was recorded as the walking distance, not as a straight-line measurement due to the terrain being inaccessible in places. The distances between vantage points varied slightly, due to physical obstacles, the distance between vantage points can be found in Table 1.The distance between points A5 and A6 was large because the GVI base is situated between these points on the coastline, so the distance between points was extended to prevent disturbance to the survey caused by activities at the base. The mangroves are located between points A8 and A9, therefore the distance between these points is also larger than 250m. However, this distance is not recorded, as there was an additional and separate survey effort in the mangroves. Points A9-A12 were all situated on turtle nesting beaches (Anse Laraie, Anse Papaie and Grande Anse). Anse Laraie and Anse Papaie are shorter than 250m and the entire beach can be viewed from one point so only one vantage point was used on each beach. Grande Anse is approximately 360m long and is curved in shape, so one vantage point was not sufficient to survey the whole beach, therefore 2 points were placed on Grande Anse 200m apart.Permanent transects were already set up in the mangroves related to a separate plant study. There were 28 transects (B1,A1, A-Z), 10 m apart, with waypoints along each transect every 50m. The bird point count surveys used some of the same transects as the mangrove study. Vantage points were set up on transects that were 50m apart i.e. transects A,E,J,O,T,Y and counts carried out 100m apart along each transect. There were 3 vantage points on transects A, E, O and T and 2 vantage points on transects J and Y giving a total of 16 point count surveys in the mangroves. Vantage points were given a number M1-M16 (Figure 2) and marked with blue cloth in the field; a waypoint was also taken with a GPS. The smaller distance between vantage points in the mangroves versus the coastal vantage points was due to there being more dense vegetation in the mangroves. This restricts the field of view at each vantage point in the mangroves to a greater extent. Point counts were carried out once a week along the coastline and in the mangroves. To avoid bias the vantage points were surveyed on different days each week and at different times and in different orders on each day.Each survey team consisted of 3 individuals, 2 observers and a recorder. The recorder was solely responsible for filling out all fields in the data sheet and ensuring all data was recorded for each observation. The data recorded for each observation is illustrated in Table 2.

Before each observation began there was a 2 minute settling time to allow for any disturbance caused by the arrival of the survey team. A 10 minute observation period then immediately followed where observers recorded all individuals present. The distance from the point was recorded to allow species by species density estimation. To avoid pseudoreplication, observers were trained not to count the same bird as each other during the observation through good communication. In addition, observers were careful to avoid recounting the same individuals more than once. However, some pseudoreplication is unavoidable, as birds were not individually marked. ResultsThe data presented in this report was collected between 21/1/2013 and 29/3/2013. Data collection at coastal sights was undertaken throughout this time period, data collection in the mangroves began on 5/3/2013. Within this time period a total of 993 observations were recorded and 25 different species were encountered on Curieuse and over the ocean surrounding Curieuse (Table 3). A total of 22 species were found in both of the habitats surveyed, coastal and mangroves. Only 6 species were not found in both habitats. The 6 species that were not recorded in both habitats were Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel) and Little Egret (Egretta garzetta). The Bridled tern, Lesser Frigatebird and Common Sandpiper were only recorded along the coast and the Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Heron and Little Egret were only recorded in the mangroves. In addition to the 25 species recorded since the 21/1/2013 a further 6 species were observed on Curieuse prior to the start of the bird monitoring programme (Patrick Woods pers. obs.). These 6 species were Sanderling (Calidris alba), Crab Plover (Dromas ardeola), Greater Sandplover (Charadrius leschenaultia), Lesser Sandplover (Charadrius mongolus), Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) and Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). The most commonly recorded species on Curieuse was the Seychelles Sunbird, followed by the Common Myna and Madagascar Fody. The most commonly recorded shore bird was the Ruddy Turnstone and the most commonly recorded seabird was the Lesser Noddy (Figure 3). This pattern was repeated when only the coastal observations were considered. In the mangroves, the Seychelles Sunbird and Common Myna were also the most frequently recorded species. However, shore birds were observed much more commonly in the mangroves than in the coastal habitat (Figure 4). Of the 25 species recorded on Curieuse, 16 are known to be annual visitors to Curieuse, as described by SBRC, whereas only 2 species are endemic and 6 resident (Table 4). However, the most commonly observed category were residents, followed by annual visitors. In addition, endemics are comparatively common considering they are only represented by 2 species. An endemic species, as defined by SBRC, is a species confined to the Seychelles (Skerret & Disley 2011). A resident is a non-endemic species that breeds on Curieuse. An annual visitor is a migratory species that does not breed on Curieuse, but appears every year outside its normal breeding season. One vagrant species was identified and recorded, the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), the first observation was recorded on the 23/1/2013. A vagrant species is defined as one that on the basis of current knowledge is not known to occur each year on Curieuse (Skerret & Disley 2011). Two individuals were initially recorded and additional observations of 2 individuals were made on 30/1/2013 and 5/2/2013. A further 8 observations were recorded of just one individual between 11/2/2013 and 27/3/2013. This observation is of particular interest as the Little Egret, according to SBRC, has not previously been recorded on Curieuse and therefore is a new species to be observed on Curieuse. This record along with photo identification has been sent to SBRC for verification and official documentation in the Seychelles bird list and records. DiscussionIn line with the parameters of this report, the results described here only take into account the period between 21/1/2013 and 29/3/2013. The Curieuse bird-monitoring programme is a new addition to the GVI Terrestrial Expedition and was only established in January 2013. A large number of observations were recorded in this time period (993). However, the short time period over which the monitoring programme has been collecting data, limits any conclusions that can be made from the data. For example, a further 6 species had been observed on Curieuse prior to the start of the bird monitoring programme in January 2013 (Patrick Woods pers. obs.). Therefore, the number of species documented on Curieuse in this report (25) could be made more accurate and precise with further data collection over a longer period of time. This monitoring programme is designed to provide baseline data for future study and long term monitoring of population trends, neither of which can be demonstrated in this report due to the short time scale. As a result, the temporal data has not been analysed for this report but a basic summary of the data collected so far has been provided. Further, more detailed analysis of a larger data set will follow in the next GVI annual report, as well as in a separate scientific paper to be written in 2013.Species richness was used as a measure of alpha diversity to assess the diversity of birdlife on Curieuse. Both habitats surveyed, the mangroves and the coast, demonstrated the same species richness. This initially indicates that there is little difference between these 2 habitats in terms of diversity, however further monitoring over a longer time period is needed to accurately assess the differences between these habitats. Although, the species richness in the mangroves and in the coastal habitat is similar, the species composition between the habitats is different. Shore birds and waders were far more commonly observed in the mangroves, for example Whimbrel and Grey Plover. These species are annual visitors, migrating from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere. Their presence in the mangrove habitat indicates the mangroves to be an important wintering and feeding ground. In addition, a large proportion of all the species recorded on Curieuse were annual visitors, perhaps providing further evidence for the importance of Curieuse as a wintering ground. Comparison between the two habitats surveyed is difficult as surveying effort in the mangroves only began on 5/3/2013 and so the sample size is much smaller compared to the data collected from the coast.The addition of a new species, the Little Egret, to those previously identified on Curieuse is an important justification for the monitoring programme on Curieuse. Once accepted by SBRC this will bring the number of species officially recorded on Curieuse to 57. Only 2 of the species recorded on Curieuse are endemic to the Seychelles, the Seychelles Sunbird and the Seychelles Blue Pigeon and 4 out of 6 of the resident species are introduced, demonstrating the impact of man on Curieuse.ConclusionThe data collected so far has made a good start to the Curieuse monitoring programme, however continued data collection is needed to establish accurate and precise baseline data and to identify long term trends in populations. Additional point count surveys expanding the monitoring programme into further habitats, for example elevated areas and palm forest is to underway. This will give a more detailed picture of the state of birdlife over the whole of Curieuse and allow comparison of the different habitats.A key objective for the future of the bird monitoring on Curieuse will be to ensure that the monitoring continues with GVI staff changeover. This will require the programme to be streamlined as much as possible to ensure that the handover is simple and completed to a satisfactory standard. There is also potential, with the help of SNPA for further expansion into the marine park surrounding Ile Cocos. This marine park is also managed by SNPA and previous reports have shown evidence of breeding seabirds. Thus, Ile Cocos may provide an ideal opportunity for SNPA to contribute to the Seychelles Seabird Group (SSG) by establishing, with the help of GVI, a regular seabird census on Ile Cocos. This data when shared with the SSG will then contribute to the monitoring and conservation of seabirds across the whole of the Seychelles.

Coco de MerMeaning coconut of the sea, Coco de Mer (Lodicea maldivica) is an endemic palm carrying the largest seedpod in the world. It is classified as endangered according to IUCN criteria (Fleischer-Dogley et al. 2011). Taking 20-40 years to reach reproductive maturity, these palms, which can reach up to 30m high, have a slow reproductive rate (Edwards et al. 2003). The Coco de Mer forest on Curieuse is one of three remaining populations. Renowned as a flagship species for the Seychelles this palm provides revenue through conservation tourism, nut harvesting and sale.Coco de Mer nuts classically resemble the female form and take between 6-7 years to mature, weighing up to 20kgs and are popularly sold to tourists for between 150-400 from licensed sellers. In an attempt to deter poachers, it is illegal to collect unlicensed seeds. The Seychelles government is trying to protect the genetic heritage of the islands by keeping strict control of the trees. However, these nuts still have a high demand on the black market. Interestingly, protecting the Coco de Mer forest from thieves was the inspiration behind placing a leper colony on Curieuse Island. Between 1827 and 1833, government agent George Harrison suggested that the government purchase Curieuse Island in order to preserve the forest and that a leper settlement would help keep trespassers away (Fleischer-Dogley 2006).AimsA five-year census commenced in 2009 with the aim of harmonising data collection between the three wild populations as Coco de Mer trees on Curieuse show distinct differences to the two populations on Praslin. Coco de Mers have been the subject of many studies, however, a complete census on Curieuse has not previously been done. While historical records reference Curieuse as an island covered in Coco de Mer trees, current surveys show an island with sparse clusters most likely due to forest fires and subsequent soil erosion. Mapping the distribution of Coco de Mer trees will ensure the record of basic information. Mapping distribution may also help in understanding the dispersal of seedlings and pollination both characteristics, which are currently a mystery to scientists. An additional goal is to learn more about the population and plant structure as well as sex ratio and reproduction rates. MethodologyA population census of the Coco de Mer palms on Curieuse started in 2009 with an aim of completion within five years. Teams systematically hiked throughout the island and recorded data and GPS locations for all Coco de Mer trees. Once a palm was found it was identified as a juvenile, male or female and given an individual identifying code which was painted on the trunk or young leaf (when trunk had not yet formed) for future recognition.Juveniles were subdivided into seedling, juvenile and immature. Seedlings are trees that have produced three or fewer leaves; juveniles have more than three leaves but no trunk; whilst trees with a trunk but no sex (neither female nor male inflorescences) were classed as immature. These categories are used to analyse the development stage of life history.Adult Coco de Mer trees have reached reproductive age and display male or female inflorescences, which were also recorded. Male inflorescences are known as catkins and flower throughout the year. The number of flowering catkins on each male tree was recorded. The number of inflorescences, known as an infructescence once it bears fruit, along with the number of nuts on each female tree, was recorded. Additionally, the total number of primary, maturing, ripe, aborted and double nuts were noted. Primary nuts are small and have a white or yellow rim at the base. Maturing nuts are larger and lack a white or yellow rim at the base. Ripe nuts hang low on the tree and change colour to yellow/red/brown. Aborted nuts have long infructescences, which failed to develop into proper nuts. Double nuts include tri-lobed or quadri-lobed nuts are where the kernels have 3 or 4 lobes instead of the usual two.For every life stage, the number of green and dead leaves was recorded, as was the length of the longest leaf. For adult and immature trees the height and girth of the trunk at breast height (150 cm) was measured.In the results, N refers to the total number of observations used to determine the previous calculation.

ResultsDuring the past year 1,078 Coco de Mer palms were surveyed which brings the total number surveyed by GVI up to 2,663. Figure 5 shows a large increase in survey effort over the past two years, this is in part to the expedition transitioning from a mostly marine program to a terrestrial focused site.Dimensions for both male and female trees are very similar but on average, female trees have taller trunks (4.591m, N=355) than males (4.087m, N=363) (Figure 6). While males on average have slightly longer leaves (3.779m, N=365) than females (3.620m, N=352). The average number of nuts per female is 0.693 (N=351), but over half of the female trees had 0 nuts (N=240) (Figure 7). The sex ratios remain equal as stated in previous reports with 396 males and 405 females currently surveyed. Juveniles make up 53% (N=1552) of the population; the proportion of seedlings recorded is relatively low (7%, N=230) reflecting an unequal balance among life stages. The distribution of the Coco de Mer trees so far surveyed can be seen in Figure 9. A cluster of juvenile trees typically surrounds females while males are more commonly found away from other Coco de Mers. Although, by Anse Mandarin there are stand alone male and female trees but almost no juveniles. Northwest of Baie Laraie, Coco de Mers appear to be dense in line formations which mostly likely correspond to valleys. The north-facing slope is very populated by Coco de Mers of all age classes. The outer, northwest and northeast edges of the island have yet to be surveyed.DiscussionThe expansion of the GVI Curieuse island conservation project has increased the capacity of the fieldwork and taken the total of Coco de Mer palms surveyed so far up to 2663. This is a substantial sample size and can be used to begin to understand the Curieuse Island population further. A comparison of Curieuse data with the two Praslin populations, Fond Ferdinand (FF) and Vallee de Mai (VM) shows some distinct differences. From visual observations alone it is obvious that Curieuse palms are smaller than the FF and VM populations, a similar observation was made in 1864 by Mr Swinburne Ward, a Civil Commissioner who wrote the Coco de Mer trees on Curieuse never attain [the] size and perfection of the others [Praslin], (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). The Coco de Mer trees on Curieuse are also slower growing and produce fewer seeds (Fleischer-Dogley et al. 2011). As of now, no studies have been able to prove if the differences between populations are due to environmental or genetic differences. Coco de Mer trees on Praslin are, on average taller than the Curieuse population. A study done in 1997, by Fleischman et al. (2005) surveyed Coco de Mer trees using both trail transects and 20m x 20m plots in all three wild populations. In that study the tallest male tree found on Praslin was 40m high and the tallest female tree reached 29m (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). In contrast, the tallest tree recorded on Curieuse was a female at 12m. In our study, the tallest tree recorded was also a female at 12m. The average height of the male and female trees on Curieuse in the 1997 study is taller than our findings. This difference could be due to the fact that the trees surveyed in 1997 were near trails and in two 20m x 20m plots and not as accurate a representation of the whole population. One major difference between the wild populations of Coco de Mer trees is the average height of female and male trees. On Curieuse, the female trees are typically taller than the male trees, although only by 0.5m according to our current data. The opposite is true on Praslin, where the male trees are known to consistently tower over the female trees by up to 11m (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). In the study from 1997, by Fleischman et al. (2005) the mean heights of male trees at FF were 18.45m and in VM, 16.9m. The same study found the average height of male trees on Curieuse to be 6.47m, less than half of the other two populations. Meanwhile, female trees in FF measured 14.6m and in VM, 14.45m. The average height for female trees on Curieuse was 6.77m (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). This study is consistent with our findings that female trees on Curieuse are on average taller than the male trees.The average number of nuts seen on female trees on Curieuse (0.693, N=351) is low especially when compared with FF and VM populations. Over half of the female trees surveyed by GVI had 0 nuts (N=240). In the trail transect study from 1997, the average number of nuts found on female trees in VM was 6.38 and 8.86 at FF. Fleischer-Dogley (2006) didnt record the average number of nuts found on Curieuse but does write the mean number of nuts on female trees [on Curieuse] was far lower than at the Praslin site. Additionally, the study looked at the nut production rate for Praslin which is 1.2 nuts per year in FF which is much higher than the 0.3 nuts produced per year on Curieuse (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). The difference in number of nuts produced per year from Praslin populations to Curieuse populations is worthy of further study. The population structure of Curieuse shows the ratio of male to female trees is almost 1:1 with 396 males and 405 females recorded. Previous studies, which focused on the Praslin populations, showed Coco de Mer forests to have more male than female trees. In VM the ratio of males to females was 1:0.76 and in FF 1:0.63 (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). In a study by Savage & Ashton (1983) it was stated that male Coco de Mer palms grow taller than female trees and are more prominent in the population due to a difference in age and survival. A re-interpretation of this data by Silverton (1987) argues that the difference in average size may actually be a consequence of sexual dimorphism due to slower growth rates, a result of energy expended in seed growth, or that higher female mortality selects for smaller stature. Edwards et al. (2003) believe the earlier mortality of females may be an attempt to allow offspring to survive. The selection for reduced fecundity would mean that a female dies after producing enough seeds to occupy her area. Males, on the other hand would benefit from a long lifespan because, according to Edwards et al. (2003) the tallest trees probably disperse their pollen most effectively. However, all of these arguments only hold true for the Praslin populations and further study on Curieuse is worthwhile. The distribution of developmental stages of Coco de Mer trees is both under and over represented, which is most likely a reflection of human exploitation. According to our current survey only 5% (N=160) of the trees on Curieuse are immature. This is a small percentage of the population, which may not be able to fully replace the current reproductive male and female trees (Rist et al. 2010). A similar low level of recruitment most likely took place 70-80 years ago in VM as the immature trees there also account for a small portion of the total (Rist et al. 2010). The most predominate class are juveniles with 1552 recorded or 53% of the population. In recent surveys, juveniles have frequently been the dominant developmental stage. In a study done by Rist et al. (2010) 85.3% of the trees surveyed in VM were juveniles. In the 1997 trail transect and plot study by Fleischman et al. (2005) juveniles made up 79.6% and 76.6% of the VM and FF populations respectively. This indicates a trend in Coco de Mer populations where typically there are a large number of juveniles, which perhaps also face a high chance of mortality before reaching reproductive age (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). Alternatively, this trend could indicate a downturn in nut harvesting in the past (Rist et al. 2010). Seedlings accounted for 7% of the population with only 230 present. This is a relatively low number, showing low recruitment, high levels of nut harvesting or both. Some of these seedlings are marked with PVC pipe and are a product of an initiative by the World Bank to plant 500 seeds on Curieuse from 1996-1998. By 2002, success varied from 46.2% in Anse Badamier to 83.8% in one section of Baie Laraie, which was split into two sections for surveying purposes (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). The difference of success rates was linked to length of exposure to sunshine per day, although it is noted that resurvey efforts were dispersed over time and younger seedlings had a higher success rate (Fleischer-Dogley 2006).The distribution of Coco de Mer trees around Curieuse Island is of great interest. Coco de Mer populations have been exposed to human exploitation since the mid 1700s. Curieuse has been subjected to some human exploitation, but it has not been subjected to as much tree cutting, burning, planting and seed harvest as VM. Therefore, it has been suggested that the population on Curieuse is in a more natural state (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). However, Curieuse Island has been exposed to forest fires, deforestation and subsequent soil erosion, which means the Coco de Mer population, is more scattered and reduced than it once was (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). Historical accounts show that Coco de Mer trees used to inhabit the slopes, ridges and valleys on Curieuse. Now, valleys remain dense with Coco de Mer trees but slopes and ridges are dominated by introduced species (Blackmore et al. 2011). Figure 9 shows the location of female, male and juvenile trees around the island. It shows female trees to often be surrounded by juveniles, presumably the females offspring as the heavy nuts do not fall far from the mother tree unless on a steep incline. Male trees appear to be more separated from other Coco de Mers. Notably, there are many female and male trees near Anse Mandarin but few juveniles. There are on-going studies related to the genetics and pollination of Coco de Mer trees, which may show why these separations occur. As of now, these patterns cant be explained.ConclusionThe Coco de Mer Census on Curieuse was initially set up as a five-year plan. SNPA is working closely with GVI to finish surveying the island so the complete population can be mapped. The number of nuts present on the island along with a full representation of the population structure and developmental stage of trees should allow island authorities to determine how best to manage the population and establish a sustainable harvest of nuts. According to Rist et al. (2010) a scheme of replanting 20% of Coco de Mer nuts in VM is recommended, as it would ensure a stable population with a slowly increasing growth rate. The number of nuts seen on female trees on Curieuse (N=0.693) is low especially when compared with FF and VM populations. This low number should ideally be considered when deciding how many nuts could be sustainably collected for sale to tourists. Poaching remains a concern for all three populations and according to Rist et al. (2010) when infructescences are cut off female trees, it takes 3-5 years before they produce new inflorescences. The variation in size class distribution most likely reflects history in relation to societies interest in the trade of nuts. The current growth of so many juveniles which Fleischer-Dogley (2006) points out are not guaranteed to reach maturity is superficially a positive sign. The very low number of seedlings reflects a recent growth in the trade of nuts and most retrievable nuts on Praslin and Curieuse are reportedly removed from the state forest (Fleischer-Dogley 2006). Over-exploitation threatens the viability of the wild population, however, proper management and a sustainable nut harvest could secure the populations future.MangrovesSeven species of mangrove are present in the Seychelles, of which six have been seen on Curieuse (SNPA 2012). Mangrove systems play an important part in ensuring a high level of water quality and clarity, essential for corals to thrive in, by trapping sedimentation and land run-off. Mangroves are vital nurseries for fish, sharks and crustaceans and they are an important habitat for birds, algae and bryozoans. Mangroves supply essential nutrients for marine creatures such as fish and shrimp.Additionally, they are a crucial buffer zone for protecting inland areas from high wave action such as tsunamis (Lewis 2005, Yoshihiro et al. 2002).The mangrove forest on Curieuse is of particular interest. In 1910, a causeway was built at Baie Laraie in a failed endeavour to rear sea turtles. The wall had a lasting positive impact on the bay as it reduced wave intensity, providing a suitable environment for mangrove seedlings to settle and grow. In December 2004, a tsunami damaged the wall allowing bigger waves to enter the bay more frequently, causing an influx of sediment. This is altering the mangrove population structure by decreasing abundance and species richness (SNPA 2012). AimsMangrove monitoring in Baie Laraie continues in preparation to improve abundance and biodiversity through planting in an area where there are constant changes to the structure of the mangrove population. The main aim of the new surveys is to provide baseline data, which will help facilitate decision-making regarding the placement of mangrove nurseries in the near future. Mangroves are known to be difficult to rehabilitate and selecting the optimal site for planting each species is essential. Current surveys were developed in an effort to determine the mangrove distribution pattern in relation to hydrology and salinity. Mangrove nurseries are needed to rehabilitate the mangrove forest on Curieuse, as the population is currently decreasing in abundance and species richness.MethodologyIn February 2013, 28 permanent transects were placed in the mangroves and monthly data collection began in March 2013. Twenty-eight transects were placed 10m apart, spanning Bay Laraie in a north-westerly direction perpendicular to the coastline (Figure 10). Along each transect PVC pipes mark waypoints every 50m. A proposed total of 164 initial waypoints turned into 157 physical waypoints on permanent transects, as some waypoints were inaccessible due to mud ponds and large rocks. The placement of transects and marking of waypoints was completed by March 13, 2013. Salinity and inundation will be measured once a month in order to monitor changes over time. These measurements are collected monthly in order to allow all waypoints to be surveyed, a process that can take up to two weeks. To measure salinity, a 10cm hole was dug next to each waypoint. A soil sample from the bottom of the hole was placed in a syringe fitted with filter paper and the water was squeezed onto the slide of a refractometer to get a clear salinity reading. Inundation will be measured each month in the 30 minutes proceeding and following spring tide, the highest tide of the month, along 7 transects only. Teams went to each waypoint on transects C, F, I, L, N, P and R and measured from substrate level to the surface of the water. These transects were chosen specifically by SNPA in order to sample areas that covered all major mangrove species, as well as raised, bare areas of the mangrove forest. These transects should reveal the relationship between inundation, species and abundance of mangroves. Time constraints in relation to monitoring during the relatively small window of high tide lead to the decision to only monitor 7 transects for inundation.ResultsThe monitoring of mangrove distribution in relation to hydrology and salinity only started in March 2013 and will yield more accurate results with time. However, the data from the first month are interesting to review. The following results are far from conclusive, lacking in precision and accuracy due to the small data set.Preliminary results show salinity near the seaward side to be much higher than waypoints on the landward edge of the mangrove forest (Figure 11). The average salinity of the waypoint closest to the waters edge on each transect is 26.04%. The salinity dips 50m away from the seaward zone at waypoint 2 to 19.72% and increases again 50m further back to 21.72%. Then a steady decrease in salinity as waypoints are further from the ocean down to 0%. Figure 12 is a more graphic representation of the salinity results from March 2013 and demonstrates that the salinity of the substrate on each transect varies considerably between waypoints near the seaward side and waypoints furthest away from the seaward edge. Inundation measurements were collected on seven transects only including C, F, I, L, N, P and R during spring tide on March 28, 2013 when the high tide was 2.0m at 17:27. Results showed a correlation in water height during spring tide and areas of raised ground, which are typically colonized by palms, and mangrove associates (Figure 13). Water height at waypoint 1 on each inundation transect reached between 53 cm (transect C) to 106cm (transect N). Transect C experienced tidal flooding all the way to the landward edge where 36 cm of water reached waypoint 8. Transects F and I had no water reach the landward edge, while transects N, P and R had a 20, 20 and 22cm influx respectively.DiscussionIt is too early in data collection to understand the salinity and inundation patterns in relation to mangrove distribution. The relatively large standard deviation on waypoints 2 through 5 (Figure 11) is representative of a lack of a substantial data set. Figures 12 and 13 visually demonstrate the work that is currently being carried out each month. Notably, transects B and C have a relatively high salinity reading at the 5th waypoint back from the seaward edge, measuring over 10% more than any other transects waypoint 5. While most waypoints on the landward edges of the mangrove forest have a very low salinity, quite frequently 0%, transect Z maintains a high level of salinity despite being on the outward edge of the forest. The substrate at 16 waypoints located only 50m from the seaward edge was too dry to obtain a salinity reading. This may be due to raised ground or the tide at which readings were taken. Further data is needed. Regarding inundation, transect I seems to be located on patches of higher ground within the mangroves with no water present at high tide on waypoints 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Transect L is similar with waypoints 2, 3 and 4 above the water line. Meanwhile, transects N, P and R had seawater reach the back edge of the mangroves. This may explain why the salinity is higher at the landward edge by transects N, P and R, however more data is needed.Next year, this data should be more comprehensive in conjunction with two annual surveys that commenced in April 2013 regarding species presence in quadrats adjacent to each waypoint along with species growth rate. Combined, the data should give a clearer picture of mangrove species preference for site conditions. ConclusionCurrent mangrove monitoring is part of a long-term regeneration project aimed at maintaining the ecological function of the mangrove habitat. In Baie Laraie there has been an influx of sediment, which has covered root systems and altered the mangrove population, by decreasing abundance and species richness. Once enough data has been collected from current surveys a plan can be made regarding the placement of mangrove nurseries. Mangroves are reputably difficult to rehabilitate though not impossible (Lewis 2005). For Baie Laraie, creating a mangrove nursery and rehabilitating the area is the best option as simply allowing the mangroves to degrade after the causeways demise is not a viable option. The forest also plays an important part in helping to keep the sea grass beds and coral reefs healthy. The area is also heavily visited as most tourists walk through the mangroves on a path from the rangers station at Anse Laraie to the Doctors House at Anse Jose. There are educational signs along the boardwalk and many tour guides stop their groups in this area to point out flora and fauna of interest. The area is also used as an outdoor classroom for local school groups who visit Curieuse on field trips. Determining the mangrove distribution pattern in relation to hydrology and salinity, then deciding the placement of mangrove nurseries should increase the success rate of rehabilitation efforts.

Sea TurtlesThe Seychelles hosts globally important populations of marine turtles including one of the five largest nesting populations of the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) remaining in the world (Mortimer & Donnelly 2008). Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) also nest in the Seychelles with most of their nests laid in Aldabra and a few in the inner granitics. Other sea turtle species that can be found in Seychelles waters include the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea).The largest hawksbill populations remaining in the Western Indian Ocean occur in The Seychelles, where an estimated 12301740 females nested annually in the early 1980s (Mortimer 1984). Since then populations have suffered declines due to the nearly complete harvest of nesting females that occurred at most islands during the 30 years prior to 1994 (Mortimer 1998). A total ban on turtle harvesting was implemented in 1994. An exception to the downward trend has been recorded at Cousin Island, which has been well protected since 1970. The Cousin Island population is showing signs of increase (Mortimer & Bresson 1994; Mortimer 1995; Mortimer & Bresson 1999), but represents only 27% of the estimated total number of Hawksbills that nested in The Seychelles during the early 1980s (Mortimer 1984). The exploitation of Hawksbill turtles in The Seychelles became particularly intense after the mid-1960s with the advent of the mask and snorkel, spear guns, underwater lights, outboard engines, and the high prices paid for raw shell (Mortimer 1984). Mortimer (1984) estimated that 4771% of the total estimated annual nesting population in the granitic Seychelles Islands was killed during the 198082 nesting seasons. Destruction of breeding and foraging habitat, especially in the granitic Seychelles, is an increasingly serious problem (Mortimer 1998).In The Seychelles, there are also significant nesting populations of the endangered Green Turtle (Seminoff 2004). Green Turtles have been heavily exploited for their meat in the inner islands of The Seychelles since the 17thcentury and are a now very rare in the area (Mortimer 1984). Unfortunately, the few Green Turtles remaining in the inner islands are still intensely exploited and may well disappear completely if that trend is not reversed. Both Green and Hawksbill turtles are nationally protected in The Seychelles and were granted full legal protection in the 1994 Turtles Protection Regulations.The ocean surrounding Curieuse Island is home to both Green and Hawksbill turtles as the surrounding reefs and sea grass beds provide ample food sources. The beaches also provide a nesting habitat for both species, particularly the Hawksbills. This alone is enough to highlight the importance of the island. Current data collected by GVI suggests an increase in nesting activity on Curieuse for Hawksbills. It is paramount to continue studying the nesting population and uphold all conservation measures to protect this globally important species. Hawksbill Turtles in The Seychelles and along the East African coast nest primarily during daylight hours compared toHawksbill Turtle populations elsewhere,which tend to nest either strictly or primarily at night (Mortimer & Bresson 1999). Green Turtles, on the other hand, nest primarily at night (Mortimer 1984).Historical data gathered in The Seychelles shows that both Hawksbill and Green Turtles can nest during any month of the year. However, Hawksbill Turtles show a distinctpeak in nesting from October to February (Mortimer 1998).AimsCurieuse Island is an important sea turtle nesting rookery in the inner granitic islands of The Seychelles. Sea turtle patrols are carried out in an effort to identify the annual nesting female population. There were few estimates for the annual number of nesting sea turtles on Curieuse before GVI began beach patrols. Another objective of the sea turtle surveys is to gauge the hatchling success rate on each of the nesting beaches. Together, this information is relevant to other islands that share similar nesting sea turtle populations. GVI aims to continue to monitor nesting beaches and expand on current methodology.MethodologyIn The Seychelles, the Hawksbill sea turtle nesting season is at its height from October to February with some nesting occurring throughout the year. Beach patrols were conducted five days a week from October to February with weekly checks on all nesting beaches the rest of the year. Teams walked along the high tide line and documented any sea turtle tracks, placed a tag near nests, took photo id of any nesting females encountered and excavated sinkholes. For all nesting activity the date, time, recorder, beach and turtle species were recorded. Track width was estimated from the average of three measurements at the tracks widest point. Estimated emergence was recorded as 0, 1 or 2 where 0 identified the track as having been made within the past 12 hours; 1 equalled 12-24 hours old and 2 the turtle track had been present for longer than 24 hours. The time of an emergence can be estimated by looking at the clarity of the track in the sand, knowing tide tables and reviewing when the last patrol occurred. Each track was further classified as one of nine emergence types (Table 6). The number of attempts at nesting was also recorded. For instance, if a body pit or nest cavity was dug and then aborted and a subsequent nest was dug before the sea turtle returned to the sea then the number of attempts was recorded as 2. In January 2013, beach markers were set up along all nesting beaches 20m apart from one another. Marker one is located on Anse Caimen and marker 111 on Anse Badamier. Since set up, the beach marker closest to a turtle activity was also recorded.For all laid nests a GPS waypoint was taken and an identifying tag was placed in a nearby tree. Once a track had been recorded it was erased so that it could not be mistaken for a new track later on. Starting in January 2013, if a field team was nearby while the nest was being laid, then the team used triangulation to mark the exact location of the nest.When a nesting turtle was encountered on a beach patrol, expedition members were taught appropriate behaviour. They only approached the turtle from behind and remained low and out of her sight. The length of the over-the-curve carapace length (OCCL), also the longest point on the shell was measured three times and the average of the three measurements recorded. Tag numbers or evidence of a previous tag on its fin, evidence of disease/scarring/injuries or other distinguishing features were also recorded. Whilst the turtle was laying photographs, without a flash, of each cheek were taken as well as photos of any distinguishing features.

Hatchling SuccessHatchling success can be difficult to gauge since hatchlings mostly emerge at night. However, success rate can be determined by excavating recently hatched nests. When hatchlings emerge they leave behind a sinkhole, the result of the sand sinking down to fill the space the eggs had occupied. Teams monitored each nest around its due date and looked for the sinkhole.When teams excavated a nest, they recorded the number of eggs that hatched, any pipped hatchlings, live or dead hatchlings in the nest as well as the number of undeveloped eggs. Undeveloped eggs were broken open and recorded as either undeveloped, stage one, stage two or stage three. Definitions of each excavation category can be found in Table 7. Hatchling success rate is calculated by adding the hatched and live pipped eggs, subtracting the dead in nest, then dividing that number by the total eggs laid. Nest depth was measured before the contents were replaced and reburied.ResultsResults for the 2012-2013 nesting season show that both Hawksbill and Green turtles have nested on Curieuse. The total number of emergences recorded was 531 and of these 284 were recorded as lays or probable lays. The data shows a slight rise in activity from the previous nesting season. The nesting activity distribution from month to month for the 2012-2013 nesting season is similar to the previous years (Figure 14). November and December are consistently the peak months of the nesting season with the highest encounter rate. This past sea turtle season, GVI was able to expand patrols to Anse Badamier and Anse Mandarin which had previously not been surveyed. Six nests were found on Anse Badamier and 7 on Anse Mandarin. Grand Anse remains the most popular nesting beach hosting 74.5% (N=396) of all sea turtle activity (Figure 15).There is insufficient data to determine how many clutches the average Curieuse Hawksbill lays per nesting season but by basing our estimate on the average clutch data of 3.6, acquired on Cousin Island (Mortimer & Bresson 1994), we can estimate that approximately 75 females laid 271 nests during the 2012-2013 nesting season.Green turtles nest at night throughout the year. During the 2012-2013 nesting season, 7 green tracks were encountered on Grand Anse. One of those emergences was recorded as a lay, however a sinkhole was not encountered.The 2012-2013 Hawksbill nesting season is the second year in which hatchling data has been collected. Mean clutch size was obtained in two ways; firstly a mean clutch size was obtained from personal observation of nesting turtles and secondly by the excavation of hatched nests. The mean clutch sizes were 147.8 (N=24) and 145.1 (N=71) respectively. Four nests were encountered at the initial lay and excavated post hatching (Table 7). Nest 941 has a discrepancy between egg counts with 84 eggs missing at excavation. Nest 1053 had 3 extra eggs counted during the excavation, while Nest 1061 had an extra 25 eggs counted during excavation. Nest 1090 had 146 eggs laid by the female and 132 eggs counted during excavation. Overall hatchling success, recorded as the percentage of hatchlings that left the nest, was 87.9% (St Dev 0.02). Anse Mandarin had the highest success rate with 98.1% of hatchlings leaving the nest. Anse Jose had the lowest and no nests were laid on Anse Laraie. The most popular nesting beach, Grand Anse, had an 88.9% success rate (Figure 16). Further study is required in this area. The mean nest depth was 52.08 cm (N=63, StDev=1.35).Beach suitability can be measured by calculating the number of times each female emerges in order to lay one clutch of eggs. The lower the number of emergences per clutch the more suitable the beach is, reflecting a lower amount of aborted attempts. The least suitable beach for laying is Anse Cimitier & Caiman and the most suitable beaches are Grande Anse, Anse Badamier and Anse Mandarin (Figure 17). Nesting Hawksbill IdentificatioSince October 2010, 38 females have been encountered with metal tags located in their front flippers. The tag information recorded shows that the majority of tagged turtles have only been encountered once so far (N=31), however, 7 tagged females were re-encountered (Table 8). The time between encounters varies but the most commonly encountered female (SEY9431/9432) had 18 and 14-day intervals between encounters. Another female (SEY7598/upsidedowntag) was encountered three times within four days from December 3 December 6, 2012. On each occasion she dug nests (1, 6 and 3 attempts respectively) but aborted all nests and was not seen to lay. While 16 turtles were tagged on Curieuse others have migrated from St Anne, Mahe, Cousin, Cousine and Aldabra.Photo ID commenced in 2010. Currently, 107 individual nesting females have been identified using left and right cheek shots (Table 9). In the 2012-2013 nesting season an additional 54 turtles were identified, doubling the previous total. CURHB 20 and CURHB 50 were both seen during the 2010-2011 season and again in the 2012-2013 nesting season. Photo ID comparisons through the past three nesting seasons have revealed 23 re-encountered females. This number is much higher than re-encountered metal-tagged females. DiscussionThe importance of Curieuse Island as a nesting rookery for Hawksbill turtles was highlighted in the GVI 114 report. It was estimated that 50 individual hawksbills nested on Curieuse during the 2011-2012 season while 2012-2013 season showed an estimated 75 nesting females. This years estimate may be more accurate as two nesting beaches were included in patrols that were not surveyed the previous year. However, some sea turtles are known to nest on more than one island during a nesting season and inter-island nesting habits were not accounted for in the equation (Mortimer & Bresson 1999). Additionally, the average clutch estimate of 3.6 is based on data from Cousin Island due to insufficient data regarding Curieuse turtles. As patrols increase, and more individuals are re-encountered on Curieuse Island, the average clutch estimate can increase in accuracy using data derived from Curieuse turtles. There is a marked increase in Hawksbill nesting activity since the previous (2010-2011, 2011-2012) nesting seasons but inter-seasonal fluctuations in nesting activity are known to occur based on the turtle nesting interval of two or more years (Mortimer & Bresson 1999). The increase in nesting activity on Curieuse could also be accounted for by increased surveying effort in the past year with two additional beaches surveyed (Anse Badamier and Anse Mandarin), an increase in time spent in the field and more observation days. Fluctuations of 70+ nests have been recorded at Bird Island (Mortimer 2004) from one nesting season to the next. Fewer Green turtle emergences were found in the 2012-2013 nesting season (N=7) than in the previous season (N=20). Similarly, one nest was found this nesting season in comparison to the 5 nests the previous season. The decrease in activity could be due to inter-seasonal fluctuations. A study from the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 nesting population on Curieuse estimated that 1-2 Greens nest on Curieuse annually (Mortimer 2004). GVIs data reflects that approximation. Grande Anse continues to be the most popular nesting beach and results of nesting attempts and hatchling success show it is a place for hawksbills to nest with the least amount of effort. On average, nesting females emerge 1.872 times to lay one clutch of eggs on Grand Anse. Anse Mandarin has a similar suitability rating of 1.875 while Anse Badamier has a slightly better beach suitability with females emerging 1.66 times. These three beaches are less accessible to tourists than other beaches on Curieuse and human disturbance may be related to beach suitability but further studies are needed. A study of hatchling success was carried out on Curieuse for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 nesting seasons for a selection of nests (N=65) overall the hatchling success (hatched eggs) was approximately 60% (Mortimer 2004). This differs somewhat from the current approximation although excavation categories also differ slightly. The overall hatchling success rate of 87.9% for the 2012-2013 nesting season seems to be high when compared with past data and other islands. A study by Hitchens et al. (2004) carried out on Cousine Island recorded a hatchling success rate of 70.9% (over three nesting seasons). The high success rate on Curieuse may be attributed to excavations that occurred too many days after hatching. Nine nests were recorded as having 100% success rate, more than likely those excavations occurred after unsuccessful eggs either decayed or were carried away by predators. Hatchling success data and mean clutch size can be improved by counting nests both at lay and after hatching. The mean clutch size according to excavated nests is on average 2.7 eggs lower than the mean clutch size calculated by observers counting eggs as they are laid. Recording clutch size by nest excavation is inhibited by the removal of eggs from the nest by crabs during the incubation period. This season, four nests were counted both at lay and excavated post hatching (Table 7). The sinkhole for nest 941 was encountered 20 days after it was due to hatch and the excavation team made notes regarding signs of predation and old, yellow eggs. This may account for the 84 eggs missing at excavation. During nesting, eggs are laid in quick succession and may be missed by observers. Improper counting during nesting may account for the 3 extra eggs counted during excavation for Nest 1053 and the 25 extra eggs encountered in nest 1061. Nest 1090 had a loss of 14 eggs between excavation and the clutch size counted at lay. It was excavated 5 days after it was expected to hatch and some predation is likely. The discrepancy in counts for this nest is expected and shows results that will most likely be mimicked in nests next year with better attention directed towards tagging nests and excavating sink holes in a timely manner. The accuracy of the initial clutch count can be improved by asking staff to wear a plastic glove and count eggs as they fall into their hands since eggs fall in quick succession during laying, which can make them difficult to count. Similarly, the same nest can be re-visited for an excavation more easily by triangulating the nest. Some nests were triangulated toward the end of the nesting season when few females were seen. The triangulation tags, along with other nest tags, were occasionally placed on movable tree limbs and shrubbery, which made re-finding the nest difficult. Next years results with more nests triangulated on sturdier trees and counted both when laid and after hatching should give a better data set. Nest depth has been linked, albeit weakly, to predation and hatchling success rates (Mortimer 1990, Kramer et al. 2009). Curieuse has large crab and rat populations and possibly a few cats. As excavations improve, it might be worth looking into correlations between nest depth and hatchling success rates on Curieuse. Photo ID seems to be a successful method for identifying individual females, as 23 individuals have been re-encountered. The CUR HB ID system, however, is limited as information is only relevant to this island and based on metal flipper tag information, turtles clearly move between islands. For the 2013-2014 nesting season on Curieuse untagged nesting females will be tagged with metal tags when encountered during nesting. The Photo ID system will continue in order to compare newly tagged females with previously identified individuals. Once all Photo id individuals are given metal tags, photo ID can either discontinue or supplement flipper tag numbers as a backup system. Using metal tags will streamline data collection and analysis.Conclusion Protection at the nesting beaches may be the most critical component of any sea turtle conservation program (Mortimer 2000). The knowledge that Curieuse may be used by 75 or more female Hawksbills annually shows that it is essential to monitor this population and maintain high standards of conservation. The nesting population estimation for 2012-2013 is a baseline value but by no means represents what occurs yearly. It is possible that large-scale fluctuations occur in the number of females arriving at nest sites (Limpus & Nicholls, 1988) and therefore long-term monitoring is essential to document true population change (Meylan & Donnelly, 1999). With this in mind the following recommendations are made: 1) The nesting beaches continue to be monitored on a regular and consistent basis by both GVI and SNPA rangers to enable more turtles to be encountered for tag and photo identification. This will provide vital information on island fidelity and the number of clutches laid per female. Where possible beach patrols should continue to include Anse Badamier and Anse Mandarin to gain a more accurate idea of annual nesting population for Curieuse.2) On the nesting beaches accessible to tourists there should be information boards detailing what is the least intrusive way of viewing nesting turtles and personnel available to enforce these guidelines.3) Enforcement of rules with regards to tourist access onto the busiest nesting beaches. Currently at low tide tourists can and do walk around to find a private beach - a constant presence by Curieuse Park rangers would further mitigate this issue.4) During peak nesting season Curieuse should be marketed as a vital nesting habitat in order to educate tourists and create revenue. It would be beneficial to do a turtle presentation once daily at either the Doctors House or the rangers station. The sale of Curieuse Island t-shirts and other merchandise as well as guided (small scale) tours on to the private nesting beaches (with experienced personnel) would provide vital revenue for the island and justify the increased focus and resources on protecting the nesting Hawksbills.5) Cleaning of beaches, removing debris so as to provide a clear pathway for emerging turtles and encouraging turtles to nest further in-land, away from the high water mark.6) A study on erosion and rate of degradation of beaches would be beneficial; to improve the understanding of nest losses and give an idea of potential future issues. Beach profiling and beach accessibility surveys should be carried out to establish a baseline.

ReferencesBlackmore S, Chin S, Chong Seng L, Christie F, Inches F, Utami P W, Watherston N and Wortley A H 2011 Observations on the morphology, pollination and cultivation of Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica (J F Gmel.) Pers., Palmae) Journal of Botony Burger A E and Lawrence A D 2003 Seabird monitoring handbook for Seychelles 2nd Edition. Nature Seychelles, MaheEdwards P J, Kollmann J and Fleischmann K 2003 Life history evolution in Lodoicea maldivica (Arecaceae). Nord. J. Bot. 22:227-237. CopenhagenFleischmann K, Edwards P J, Ramseier D and Kollman J 2005 Stand structure, species diversity and regeneration of an endemic palm forest on the Seychelles. African Journal of Ecology. 43:291-301Fleischer-Dogley F 2006 Towards sustainable management of Lodoicea maldivica (Gmelin) Persoon. Phd Thesis. University of Reading UKFleischer-Dogley F, Huber M J & Ismail S 2011 Lodoicea maldivica. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 29 May 2013Gregory R D, Gibbons D W & Donald P F 2006 Bird survey and census techniques. In: Sutherland WJ (ed) Ecological census techniques: A Handbook. Cambridge University Press, pp 17-55Hill M J 2002 Biodiversity surveys and conservation potential of inner Seychelles islands. Atoll research bulletin No 495. Issued by National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution. Washington D.C.Hitchins P M, Bourquin O and Hitchins S 2004 Nesting success of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) on Cousine Island, Seychelles. J. Zool., Lond. 264:383389Leighton P A, Horrocks J A and Kramer D L 2009 How depth alters detection and capture of buried prey: exploitation of sea turtle eggs by mongooses. Behavioural Ecology 20(6):1299-1306Lewis R R 2005 Ecological engineering for successful management and restoration of mangrove forests. Ecological Engineering 24:403-418Limpus C J, and Nicholls N 1988 The Southern Oscillation regulates the annual numbers of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) breeding around northern Australia. Aust. J. Wildl. Res. 15:157-161Meylan A B and Donnelly M 1999 Status Justification for Listing the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) as Critically Endangered on the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 3(2):200224Mortimer J A 1984Marine Turtles in theRepublicofSeychelles: Status and Management.Publication of the IUCN Conservation Library: Gland, SwitzerlandMortimer J A 1990 The influence of beach sand characteristics on the nesting behaviour and clutch survival of Green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Copia. 3:802-817Mortimer J A 1995 Status of the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata. 1. Status in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and a historical perspective on global patterns of human utilization. Paper presented at The International Workshop on the Management of Marine Turtles 95, 8-10 March 1995, Tokyo, JapanMortimer J A 1998 Turtle & Tortoise Conservation. Project J1: Environmental Management Plan of the Seychelles. Final report to the Ministry of Environment Republic of Seychelles and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Volume 1 (82pp) and Volume 2 (Appendices 1-50)Mortimer J A 2004 Seychelles Marine Ecosystem Management Project (SEYMEMP): Turtle Component. GEF Final Report, Vol 1: 243 pp. Vol 2: Appendix 1-11, 158 ppMortimer J A and Bresson R 1994 The hawksbill nesting population at Cousin Island, Republic of Seychelles: 1971-72 to 1991-92. Pp. 115-118, in Schroeder, B.A. & Witherington, B.E. (compilers). Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-341Mortimer J A and Bresson R 1999 Temporal distribution and periodicity in hawksbill turtles(Eretmochelys imbricata)nesting at Cousin Island, Republic of Seychelles, 1971- 1997. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3(2): 292-298Mortimer J A and Donnelly M (IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group) 2008 Eretmochelys imbricate. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 30 May 2013Obura D and Abdulla A 2005 Assessment of tsunami impacts on the marine environment of the Seychelles . Seychelles Ministry of Environment

Rist L, Kaiser-Bunbury C N, Fleischer-Dogley F, Edwards P, Bunbury N, and Ghazoul J 2010 Sustainable harvesting of coco de mer, Lodoicea maldivica, in the Vallee de Mai, Seychelles. Forest Ecology and Management 260:2224-2231Rocamora G & Skerrett A 2001 Important bird areas in Africa and associated islands Seychelles. Bird Life International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/IBAs/AfricaCntryPDFs/Seychelles.pdf. Accessed 15th January 2013Savage A J P & Ashton P S 1983 The population structure of the double coconut and some other palms. Biotropica 15:15-25Seminoff J (Southwest Fisheries Science Center U S) 2004 Chelonia mydas In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 30 May 2013Silverton J 1987 Possible sexual dimorphism in the Double Coconut: Reinterpretation of the data of Savage and Ashton. Biotropical 19: 282-283Skerret A and Disley T 2011 Birds of Seychelles. Christopher Helm. London.Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA) 2012 Curieuse mangroves a manual for field study . Seychelles. PrintYoshihiro M, Michimasa M, Hitonori Nanao, Motohiko K, Toyohiko M, Nobuyuki K and Daijiro K 2002 Coastal erosion due to long-term human impact on mangrove forests. Wetlands Ecology and Management 10:1-9Appendices Appendix A. Birds

Figure 2. Curieuse Island, with vantage points for bird survey point counts. Points A1-A12 are situated along low lying coastal plateau, points B1-B24 are situated inland or in elevated areas and points M1-M16 are situated within mangroves.

Figure 3. The total number of times each species was observed on Curieuse while undertaking a bird monitoring programme between 21/1/2013 and 29/3/2013. N=993.

Figure 4. The total number of times each species was observed in 2 different habitats on Curieuse while undertaking a bird monitoring programme between 21/1/2013 and 29/3/2013. The black bars show the number of times each species was observed in a coastal habitat and the white bars show observations in the mangrove habitat. N=993.

Table 1. The distances between vantage points along the coastal point count transect.Vantage PointDistance between points

A1-A2245m

A2-A3240m

A3-A4240m

A4-A5242m

A5-A6397m

A6-A7250m

Table 2. The categories to be completed in the field by the recorder for each observation.CategoryDescription

Weather and TideBrief weather description, tide height checked before leaving base.

Survey Area E.g. Mangroves, name of the beach

Point NumberE.g. A1-A12, M1-22

Start Time/End TimeTime 10 minutes of observations starts and ends

TimeTime of each observation

SpeciesSpecies name ideally, family if unsure e.g. tern

NumberNumber of individuals of that species

Distance From PointDistance of individual from observers

Observation TypeIdentified using sight or sound

BehaviourResting, foraging, fly over, social interaction or escaping

PhotoTo be encouraged if unsure of identification

CommentsAny Additional information

Table 3. The species recorded on Curieuse Island during the monitoring programme between 21/2/2013 and 29/3/2013. The common names and scientific names are given. The status of the species on Curieuse is also given. Endemic is a species confined to The Seychelles. Resident is a non-endemic species that breeds on Curieuse. Annual visitor is a migratory species that does not breed on Curieuse, but appears every year outside its normal breeding season. A vagrant is a species that on the basis of current knowledge is not known to occur each year on Curieuse.

Common NameScientific NameStatus on Curieuse

White Tailed TropicbirdPhaethon lepturusAnnual Visitor

Great FrigatebirdFregata minorAnnual Visitor

Lesser FrigatebirdFregata arielAnnual Visitor

Green Backed (Striated) HeronButorides striataResident

Little EgretEgretta garzettaVagrant

Grey HeronArdea cinereaAnnual Visitor

Common MoorhenGallinula chloropusResident

Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaAnnual Visitor

Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresAnnual Visitor

WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusAnnual Visitor

Common GreenshankTringa nebulariaAnnual Visitor

Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosAnnual Visitor

Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaAnnual Visitor

Greater Crested TernSterna bergiiAnnual Visitor

Lesser Crested TernSterna bengalensisAnnual Visitor

Common TernSterna hirundoAnnual Visitor

Bridled TernSterna anaethetusAnnual Visitor

Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostrisAnnual Visitor

White TernGygis albaAnnual Visitor

Madagascan Turtle DoveStreptopelia picturataResident

Barred Ground DoveGeopelia striataResident

Seychelles Blue PigeonAlectroenas pulcherrimaEndemic

Seychelles SunbirdCinnyris dussumieriEndemic

Common MynaAcridotheres tristisResident

Madagascar FodyFoudia madagascariensisResident

Table 4. The status of the species observed on Curieuse, as described by the Seychelles Bird Records Committee and the number of species observed that fall into each category. The total number of times annual visitors, residents, endemics and vagrants were observed during the monitoring programme is also shown.

Status on CurieuseNumber of SpeciesNumber of Observations

Annual Visitors16331

Residents6354

Endemics 2296

Vagrants111

Appendix B. Coco de MerFigure 5. The number of Coco de Mer palms surveyed each year between 2009 and 2013. Only trees surveyed between January and April are included for 2013.

Figure 6. The average trunk height in metres for male, female and immature Coco de Mers, with error bars showing the standard error. Female trees have taller trunks (4.591m, N=355) than males (4.087m, N=363).

Figure 7. The number of nuts observed on each female tree surveyed. The average number of nuts per female is 0.693 (N=351). Over half of the female trees had 0 nuts (N=240) while two trees had 13 nuts.

Figure 8. The sex ratio and breakdown of age classes for the Coco de Mer population on Curieuse Island. Juveniles make up 53% (N=1552) of the population, while the number of male and female trees remain even (N=396, N=405 respectively). 7% of the population surveyed are seedlings (N=230) showing a low level of rejuvenation.

Figure 9. The areas of Curieuse Island which have been surveyed for Coco de Mer. Females trees are shown in red (N=236) and are typically surrounded by juvenile trees (N=1356) seen in green. It is more common for males trees (N=219) to be solitary, represented by blue dots. Appendix C. Mangroves

Figure 10. Twenty-eight transects, placed 10 m apart, span Bay Laraie in a north westerly direction perpendicular to the coastline.

Figure 11. Preliminary results show salinity near the seaward edge (waypoints 1-3) to be much higher than at the landward edge of the mangrove forest (waypoints 6-8). The average salinity at waypoint 1 on each transect, also the waypoint closest to the water is 26.04%. The salinity dips 50m away from the seaward zone at waypoint 2 to 19.72% and increases again 50m further back to 21.72%. There is a steady decrease in salinity as waypoints are further from the ocean. Transects vary in length and as such have a differing number of waypoints.

Figure 12. A graphic representation of the salinity results from March 2013. Darker shades of blue reflect a higher percentage of salinity and white dots represent no salinity. Yellow dots are areas where the ground was too dry to get any reading.

Figure 13. Waypoint inundation measurements overlaid on a satellite image of the mangroves to demonstrate a correlation in water height during spring tide and areas of raised ground, which are typically colonized by palms, and mangrove associates. Spring tide was on March 28, 2013 at 17:27. All measurements were taken 30 minutes prior to and after high tide time.

Appendix D. Sea Turtles

Figure 14. The sea turtle nesting activity encounter rate through the previous three nesting seasons. November and December are consistently the peak nesting period for turtles on Curieuse Island.

sFigure 15. The beach specific number of successful lays for the 2010-2011 season in blue, the 2011-2012 season in red and the 2012-2013 nesting season in green. Grand Anse continues to be the most prolific nesting beach. Anse Badamier and Anse Mandarin were not patrolled during the 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 nesting seasons.

Figure 16. The beach specific hatchling success rate expressed as a percentage of hatchlings that emerged from the nest alive. Grand Anse is the most prolific nesting beach and had a mean success rate of 88.9% (N=206). Anse Mandarin had the highest success rate while Anse St. Jose had the lowest. There were no nests laid on Anse Laraie.

Figure 17. The beach specific mean number of emergences per female per clutch.

Table 5. Nine categories of sea turtle emergence types.

Half Moon A. Wandering but no digging

B. U-shaped crawl to the high tide line

ESBO. Emergence stopped by obstacle

Did Not LayC. Considerable disturbance, evidence of digging (body pit & egg chamber) no covering.

D. Evidence of digging, no covering.

LaidE. Considerable disturbance, evidence of digging and covering.

Variations F. Prob DNL. Probably Did Not Lay

G. Prob Laid. Probably Laid

?. Cannot tell if laid or not

Table 6. Nest excavation categories and definitions.

HatchedEgg cases or empty eggshells.

Live pippedHatchling has broken through eggshell but not entirely emerged.

Dead pippedAs above, though hatchling is no longer living.

UndevelopedNo discernable embryo.

Stage oneDiscernable embryo; eyes, spine, blood development but mostly yolk.

Stage twoPartially developed embryo. Yolk sac is larger than the turtle fetus.

Stage threeMostly developed embryo. Turtle fetus is larger than yolk sac.

PredatedEgg obviously consumed by crabs or dogs.

Predated beyond recognitionMaggot and/or bacteria predation beyond stage recognition.

*When a small amount of maggots, bacteria or fungus is within an egg and the stage is still recognizable, the number of eggs with predation are accounted for in [ ].

Example:

Stage one: 5 [2]

*5 is the total number of eggs within the stage one category

*2 of those eggs contained maggots, fungus and/or bacteria

Table 7. Four nests were counted both at the initial lay and post hatching. Discrepancies between counts could be attributed to miscounts during initial lay, excavating too many days after hatchling emergence and/or predation.

NestClutch total at layClutch total excavatedDate laidExpected hatch dateDate excavated

9411526822.11.1216.01.132.4.13

10531221254.12.1228.01.136.2.13

10611291545.12.1229.12.132.19.13

10901461326.12.1230.12.134.2.13

Table 8. Nesting females encountered on Curieuse with metal ID tags on their front flipper. Since October 2010, 38 females have been encountered with metal tags. Most tagged turtles have only been encountered once so far, however, on seven occasions we have re-encountered tagged females, those tag number are in bold.

Tag numbersDate(s) EncounteredTag Origin

0129/013027.10.10Curieuse 1992

3056.11.10?

477011.11.10Mahe 1999

630519.10.10?

7509/750818.10.10Curieuse 2004

3.11.10

7545/754012.11.10Curieuse 2004

E1876/18772.10.2012Curieuse 1995

E188622.11.12Curieuse 1995

E1887/18894.12.2012Curieuse 1995

E18976.12.10Curieuse 1995

E262127.11.12Curieuse 2001

E2626/262717.10.11Curieuse? No record. 2001

16.11.11

E2631/263016.11.10Curieuse 2004

E2634/26355.12.11Curieuse 2007

SCA27531.10.12Aldabra 2007

SCA1121/11208.11.2012Cousin 2011

SCA3739/37387.11.2012?

22.11.12

SCA3776/37771.2.2013?

SCA4944/494314.11.12?

SEY494418.2.11Curieuse 2002

SEY497027.11.12Curieuse 2002

SEY611522.11.12Cousin 2002

SEY630220.11.11Curieuse 2002

SEY63045.12.11Curieuse 2004

SEY6329/63281.11.2012Curieuse 2002?

SEY6332/633329.11.12Curieuse? No record. 2002

SEY63723.11.2012Curieuse? No record. 2003

SEY6956/695518.1.11Cousine 2004

3.12.2012

SEY 695918.1.11Cousine 2004

SEY6989/699028.11.12Cousine 2004

15.12.12

SEY7466/74671.11.2012Bird 2004

SEY750529.11.12Curieuse? No record. 2004

SEY75105.12.11Curieuse 2004

SEY7598/upside down tag3.12.12Curieuse 2004

5.12.12

6.12.2012

SEY872718.01.13Cousine 2005

SEY9431/943224.10.11St Anne 2006

9.11.11

23.11.11

SEY 9495/949618.11.12St. Anne 2006

SEY958025.10.11Curieuse 2006

Table 9. The allocated code for each photo identified nesting female from October 2010 to March 2013. Photo ID pictures began being taken in 2010. Currently, 107 individual nesting females have been identified. In the 2012-2013 nesting season, 54 turtles were newly identified, with 2 additional turtles re-encountered from the 2010-2011 nesting season in bold.

Photo ID NumberDate/s EncounteredBeach/