Northwest Atlantic Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Regional Action Plan for the Wider Caribbean Region

The Regional Action Plan (RAP) for the NWA Leatherback Sea Turtle presented in this document results from this enhanced regional approach, in which key stakeholders throughout the region of interest provided input for the definition of priority actions and specific activities to address causal factors in the recorded decline of this subpopulation in recent decades. In this sense, the “region of interest” refers to the Wider Caribbean Region1, with focus on the Guianas and TT nesting populations, and identified foraging areas and migration routes. According to the Vision developed by the participants of the workshop (November 2021) for the development of the NWA Leatherback RAP, the Action Plan aims to create conditions to address the declining leatherback sea turtle population in the Northwest Atlantic region, with a focus on Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana and Trinidad & Tobago. It provides specific guidelines towards increasing community engagement and improved legislation at the local level, which combined with access to better scientific knowledge will support and enhance the positive impact of improved practices for the protection and management of critical habitats. In addition to this, the RAP drafts the required structure for governance and funding.