Team

In my Ph.D. project, I am working with two of the marine turtle species that nest in the Bijagós archipelago: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

My research is mostly about green turtles, being some of my objectives to describe juvenile diet and recruitment areas, status of breeding population and turtle nesting behavior and beach attendance patterns. Regarding the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles, I am trying to characterize Poilão’s breeding population status, genetics, and ecology.

So far, I have finished all my sampling and I am finishing the chapter about juvenile green turtle diet and recruitment, specifically in the area around the islands of Unhocomo and Unhocomozinho.

Sea turtles are susceptible to climate change throughout their life-cycle, however, they can potentially adapt to changes by having variable breeding/foraging strategies, or by choosing to breed in sites with higher reproductive output. Thus, I am studying the green turtle population from the Bijagós, Guinea-Bissau to assess its plasticity in foraging and breeding habitat selection and identify areas of high reproductive success.

My research combines the use of satellite transmitters to explore the connectivity between nesting sites, degree of site-fidelity and map foraging grounds; and stable isotope analysis, to estimate hatchling predation and contribution to the local coastal trophic web.

Results from my PhD will support sea turtle conservation by updating the management plans of marine protected areas and producing recommendations of impact mitigation at breeding areas.

I am a marine researcher and conservationist studying population genetics in sea turtles. Using genetic analysis, my research examines how sea turtles are connected across the oceans and how their migrations make them vulnerable to threats.

During an MSc in Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, I conducted a mitochondrial DNA assessment of the Ascension Island green turtle (Chelonia mydas) rookery. I characterised its genetic composition and performed Atlantic-wide population structure and connectivity analyses, using mixed stock analysis to assess the contribution of the Ascension population to Atlantic foraging aggregations. At MARE-ISPA, I am expanding on this work, investigating further populations to improve our knowledge of South Atlantic green turtle connectivity and inform the international collaboration necessary to conserve this incredible species.

Dr Julie Mestre, postdoctoral fellow at MARE Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre – ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Portugal.

“I am a postdoctoral researcher specialised in satellite telemetry and stable isotopes. Trained as a marine ecologist with an emphasis on the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems, I investigate the foraging ecology and habitat use of marine megafauna species to improve our knowledge of the ecology of those species and support conservation. I also aim to link species foraging behavior and breeding success in the context of a changing environment.

Presently, my research focuses on the inter-nesting habitat of green turtles in Guinea-Bissau. I am also carrying out a description of the environmental parameters within the foraging habitats of turtles in Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania, aiming to shed light on the processes affecting the nesting rate of this species.”