GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM OF THE SEA TURTLES IN VENEZUELA
Maria Elizabeth Barroeta-Hlusicka, Joaquin Buitrago, Veronica De los Llanos, Eneida Fajardo, Juan Ozejo
Last modified: 2008-09-13
Abstract
The marine research station of margarita has been developing a GIS with all the information available about sea turtles in Venezuela using the software Mapinfo?. The system is supported by the actual 1:100.000 cartography, elaborated from products of the "Instituto Geogr?fico de Venezuela Sim?n Bol?var", of the Direction of Cartography and Navigation as well as other sources, including original cartography from the sea turtles projects. This material has been digitalized, and vectorized, and is available at the web page www.edimar.org of the Marine Research Station of Margarita (EDIMAR) of La Salle Foundation of Natural Sciences. The GIS consist of 8 thematic modules, which include 35 basics layers, like coast line, bathymetry, besides the links to projects and to the bibliographic data base. Among the thematic modules is nesting sites, containing as well as all the modules of specialized layers. A layer shows the reported nesting beaches; those confirmed and the referential ones, for each species, based on the published information. Another layer shows the threads and pressures; contamination levels, light contamination of the coastal zone; also the territorial uses section shows, fishery zones, industrial exclusion areas, of security and defense, navigation channels; bottom type indicating the known marine habitats used by the various species of sea turtle for feeding. An important section with scarce available information is that of marine habitats in which sea turtles expend their juvenile, preadult and adult stages. The objective of this tool is to be a support to all researchers who wants to work with sea turtles in order to elevate the level of produced information, because this will be the feedback to this information system.