We present long-term data for hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting in the 2 main rookeries in Brazil: 1) northern Bahia and Sergipe, where the estimated number of nests laid each year increased from 199 in the 1991–1992 nesting season to 1345 in the 2005–2006 season and 2) Rio Grande do Norte, where the estimated number of nests laid in the 2005–2006 season was around 185–475. Adding these results, we estimate that the number of hawksbill nests laid in the 2 main Brazilian nesting grounds in 2005–2006 was between 1530 and 1820 nests. Data on the percentage of hawksbill clutches kept in situ by season in each rookery are also presented. The apparent increasing trend in hawksbill nesting in northern Brazil is encouraging and seems to reflect a range of conservation measures implemented over the past 25 years.
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Chelonian Conservation and Biology
Vol. 6 • No. 2
December 2007
Vol. 6 • No. 2
December 2007
Brazil
Cheloniidae
conservation
Eretmochelys imbricata
nesting
reproduction
Reptilia