Software for improved field surveys of nesting marine turtles

R Anastácio,M J Pereira,J M Gonzalez,K Slater

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11245-6

R Anastácio, M J Pereira + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-11245-6

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Sep 7, 2017
Citations: 2	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Aveiro, Operation Wallacea

Abstract

Field data are still recorded on paper in many worldwide beach surveys of nesting marine turtles. The data must be subsequently transferred into an electronic database, and this can introduce errors in the dataset. To minimize such errors, the “Turtles” software was developed and piloted to record field data by one software user accompanying one Tortuguero in Akumal beaches, Quintana Roo, Mexico, from June 1st to July 31st during the night patrols. Comparisons were made between exported data from the software with the paper forms entered into a database (henceforth traditional). Preliminary assessment indicated that the software user tended to record a greater amount of metrics (i.e., an average of 18.3 fields ± 5.4 sd vs. 8.6 fields ± 2.1 sd recorded by the traditional method). The traditional method introduce three types of “errors” into a dataset: missing values in relevant fields (40.1%), different answers for the same value (9.8%), and inconsistent data (0.9%). Only 5.8% of these (missing values) were found with the software methodology. Although only tested by a single user, the software may suggest increased efficacy and warrants further examination to accurately assess the merit of replacing traditional methods of data recording for beach monitoring programmes.

Highlights

Field data are still recorded on paper in many worldwide beach surveys of nesting marine turtles
Marine turtles have been the target of numerous conservation projects that require monitoring and data collection to understand population dynamics and trends[8,9,10]
This in turn requires a large amount of data and several years of monitoring, for long-lived species such as marine turtles[9]

Summary

Introduction

Field data are still recorded on paper in many worldwide beach surveys of nesting marine turtles. Marine turtles have been the target of numerous conservation projects that require monitoring and data collection to understand population dynamics and trends[8,9,10]. Adult males do not visit beaches during the nesting season[17, 18], and distinguishing between male and female hatchlings requires invasive techniques (e.g., a histological analysis)[17] Such complexities have required the development of a range of monitoring strategies, such as capture-mark-recapture using metal or plastic tags[19], or more advanced technology, such as PIT tags[19], satellite and molecular tracking[16], and molecular techniques[20]. SWOT intends to build an improved data collection by relying on a global network of data providers for all aspects of sea turtle biogeography[9]

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Conclusion