SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— As a result of a petition filed by conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that nesting habitat for leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in Puerto Rico may warrant protection as designated critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. The revised habitat would protect three important leatherback nesting beaches in Puerto Rico and may also include several other beaches on the island.

Friday’s decision, known as a 90-day finding, is the first procedural step toward protecting leatherback nesting beaches on Puerto Rico’s California Beach, Maunabo; Tres Hermanos Beach, Añasco; and Grande Beach, Arecibo. The Fish and Wildlife Service must now conduct a thorough review of the best available science before determining whether to increase habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas, Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration, Yo Amo el Tinglar and the Center for Biological Diversity submitted the petition in February 2024.

“After 25 years of hard work and community collaboration to protect leatherback turtles and the California beach in Maunabo, we are proud that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the importance of this beach for the species. We are deeply grateful to all the volunteers who have worked with us over the years — this achievement belongs to all of you. Special thanks to the Center for Biological Diversity, Mr. Carlos Diez from Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and Dr. Jessica Castro for their invaluable support,” said Luis Crespo, president of Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas and Puerto Rico WIDECAST country coordinator.

“We are excited to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognize the significance of our local nesting beaches for leatherback sea turtles. This consideration for nesting critical habitat is crucial for the protection of these endangered turtles in Añasco and the other areas,” Mariela Muñoz, director of Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration at the University of Puerto Rico. “We are dedicated to enhancing our conservation efforts and collaborating with the community to ensure these vital habitats are preserved for future generations.”

“We are very grateful for this advancement in the process and truly believe it will play an important role in ensuring the safety and protection of the beaches involved,” said Myrna Concepción, project leader from Comité Arecibeño por la Conservacion de las Tortugas Marinas, known as “Yo Amo el Tinglar.” “For over 10 years Yo Amo el Tinglar has been collecting data across multiple nesting beaches, with Playa Grande consistently documented as the most used nesting site by leatherbacks, yet it remains the most vulnerable to habitat loss due to the sale of adjacent lands and habitat destruction. For this reason, we deeply value the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to launch a biological status review and consider the revision of critical habitat. We also recognize the importance of providing supplementary information during this process and will gladly contribute any relevant data to support the agency’s efforts.”

"We are glad the U.S. federal government recognizes the importance of these nesting beaches for leatherback sea turtles and is willing to provide additional protection by considering them as part of the 'nesting critical habitat,'” said Carlos E. Diez, Sea Turtle Project coordinator at the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and member of the IUCN Sea Turtle Specialist Group. “This action encourages us to continue our management and conservation efforts to help recover this endangered species.”

“Designating the most important nesting beaches for leatherbacks in Puerto Rico as critical habitats would be a key step toward the recovery of this endangered species,” said Jessica Castro, Ph.D., former Caribbean Conservation Coordinator at the National Wildlife Refuge Association, a contributor to the petition.

“I’m encouraged that the Service will consider protecting more nesting beaches for leatherbacks in the Caribbean,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “To secure a future for these massive turtles, their most vital habitat in Puerto Rico must be protected.”

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world and existed at the same time as dinosaurs. They are highly migratory, travelling thousands of miles a year, and they can dive to great depths — nearly 4,000 feet.

Leatherbacks have been federally protected as endangered since 1970. They are threatened by fishing gear bycatch, direct harvest, habitat destruction, ocean pollution, vessel strikes and climate change. A recent federal review of leatherback sea turtle science concluded that all seven distinct populations of leatherback sea turtles worldwide remain endangered.

The leatherback sea turtle currently has terrestrial critical habitat on just one stretch of beach at Sandy Point, St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and marine critical habitat in waters off Sandy Point in the North Atlantic Ocean, and off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Ocean.

Puerto Rico, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands host the most important nesting beaches for leatherback sea turtles under U.S. jurisdiction.

Species with federally protected critical habitat are more than twice as likely to recover as species without it. The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure any activities they authorize do not destroy or damage areas essential for the survival of endangered animals and plants.