Removing Raccoons to Protect Sea Turtle Nests: Are There Implications for Ecosystem Management?
Ratnaswamy MJ and Warren RJ. 1998. Removing Raccoons to Protect Sea Turtle Nests: Are There Implications for Ecosystem Management?. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 26(4):846-850
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are native predators on barrier beaches in the southeastern United States, and predation by raccoons on eggs and hatchlings of federally protected sea turtles can significantly decrease hatchling productivity. Managers of many sea turtle nesting beaches reduce raccoon populations to minimize nest depredation. However, it is unknown whether removal of raccoons may have additional ecological consequences in these habitats. In coastal ecosystems, raccoons may serve important ecological roles (e.g., seed dispersal, predation on invertebrates and vertebrates), without which unanticipated alterations in community diversity may occur. Protection of sea turtle nests is an integral component of sea turtle recovery plans, and we do not advocate less vigilance in these efforts. We recommend that resource managers concerned with preservation of sea turtles evaluate the ecological functions of raccoons in their ecosystems and the potential effects of raccoon removal on other components of the biological community.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Ratnaswamy, Mary; Warren, Robert
- Units
- GATE
- Keywords
- Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Ecosystem Management, Nest Predation, Predator Control, Predators, procyon lotor, Raccoons, sea turtle conservation