Available nesting grounds for sea turtles have been dwindling in recent years due to erosion on Guyana’s coastal protected area, Shell Beach.
Site Coordinator at the Protected Areas Commission, Samuel Benn, on Tuesday noted that this has negatively impacted nesting activity within 2015 and 2018. As at last year, there was a small deposition in these figures.

The topic came under light during a ‘Sea Turtle Conservation’ webinar in commemoration of World Sea Turtle Day on June 16.
The nesting data summary shows there is a decreasing trend, from 353 in 2015 to a significant drop of 151 in 2018.
“Some of the challenges that sea turtles face are accidental capture in fishing nets, poaching of eggs, and the slaughtering of an adult female for consumption. The main challenge is beach loss due to erosion…The summary is showing a decreasing trend from 2015 to 2018. All of this is coupled because of the loss of nesting beach,” he outlined.
Because of this, the Commission is tasked with conducting a survey at the start of every nesting season to select suitable areas where these exotic creatures can continue their species.
Shell Beach is one of five protected area systems, namely Iwokrama, Kaieteur, Kanuku and Konashen Amerindian settlement. It is Guyana’s only coastal protected area, spanning some 123,055 hectares with 120 kilometres of beach and mudflats.
