The IBAP and its international scientific partners are committed to find out more about the ecology and the threats to sea turtles in Guinea-Bissau, and to communicate research results to the local stakeholders, general public and decision-makers.

Current studies by MARE - ISPA, University of Exeter and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon address the migratory behavior of sea turtles, their origins and recruitment to coastal areas, the prevalence of fibropapillomatosis, the impacts of climate change on nesting beaches, the factors that influence nesting the success, among others.

See below a list of scientific outputs related to sea turtles of Guinea-Bissau.

Green turtle with SPOT tag from Wildlife Computers

Example of green turtle migrations

Green turtle with arribada_i tag

Peer-reviewed articles

Beal, M., Catry, P., Regalla, A., Barbosa, C., Pires, A.J., Mestre, J., Senhoury, C., Sidina, E. and Patrício A.R. (2022) Satellite tracking reveals sex-specific migration distance in green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Biology Letters, 18: 20220325.

Madeira, F.M., Rebelo, R., Catry, P., Neiva, J., Barbosa, C., Regalla, A. and Patrício, A.R. (2022). Fine-scale foraging segregation in a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) feeding ground in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea Bissau. Frontiers in Marine Science, p.1581.

Díaz-Abad, L., Bacco-Mannina, N., Madeira, F.M., Serrao, E.A., Regalla, A., Patrício, A.R. and Frade, P.R., (2022) Red, Gold and Green: Microbial Contribution of Rhodophyta and Other Algae to Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Gut Microbiome Microorganisms, In Press

Patrício, A.R., Beal, M., Barbosa, C., Diouck, D., Godley, B.J., Madeira, F.M., Regalla, A., Traore, M.S., Senhoury, C., Sidina, E. and Catry, P. (2022) Green Turtles Highlight Connectivity Across a Regional Marine Protected Area Network in West Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, p.812144.

Díaz-Abad, L., Bacco-Mannina, N., Madeira, F.M., Neiva, J., Aires, T., Serrao, E.A., Regalla, A., Patrício, A.R. and Frade, P.R., (2022) eDNA metabarcoding for diet analyses of green sea turtles (Chelonia myda s). Marine Biology, 169(1), pp.1-12.

Patrício, A.R., Barbosa, C., Catry, P. and Regalla, A. (2021). Ecology and conservation of green turtles in Guinea-Bissau. Testudo. Vol. 9 No. 3

Monteiro, J., Duarte, M., Amadou, K., Barbosa, C., El Bar, N., Madeira, F.M., Regalla, A., Duarte, A., Tavares, L. and Patrício, A.R. (2021) Fibropapillomatosis and the Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 in Green Turtles from West Africa. EcoHealth, pp.1-12.

Madeira FM, Patrício AR, Indjai B, Barbosa C, Regalla A, Catry P, Rebelo R (2020) High Number of Healthy Albino Green Turtles from Africa’s Largest Population. Marine Turtle Newsletter 160: 19-22

Patrício AR, Varela MR, Barbosa C, Broderick AC, Catry P, Hawkes LA, Regalla A, Godley, BJ (2019) Climate change resilience of a globally important sea turtle nesting population. Global Change Biology 25: 2

Patrício AR, Varela MR, Barbosa C, Broderick AC, Airaud MBF, Godley BJ, Regalla A, Tilley D, Catry P (2018) Nest site selection repeatability of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, and consequences for offspring. Animal Behaviour 139: 91-102

Patrício AR, Marques A, Barbosa C, Broderick AC, Godley BJ, Hawkes L, Rebelo R, Regala A, Catry P (2017) Balanced primary sex ratios and resilience to climate change in major marine turtle population. Marine Ecology Progress Series 577: 189-203

Patrício AR, Formia A, Barbosa C, Broderick AC, Bruford M, Carreras C, Catry P, Ciofi C, Regala A, Godley BJ (2017) Dispersal of green turtles from Africa’s largest rookery assessed through genetic markers. Marine Ecology Progress Series 569: 215–225

Rebelo R, Barbosa C, Granadeiro J, Indjai B, Novais B, Rosa G, Catry P (2011) Can leftovers from predators be reliably used to monitor marine turtle hatchling sex-ratios? The implications of prey selection by ghost crabs. Mar Biol 159: 613−620

Godley BJ, Barbosa C, Bruford M, Broderick AC, Catry P, Coyne MS, Formia A, Hays GC, Witt MJ (2010) Unravelling migratory connectivity in marine turtles using multiple methods. Journal of Applied Ecology 47: 769-778

Catry P, Barbosa C, Paris B, Indjai B, Almeida A (2009) Status, ecology, and conservation of sea turtles in Guinea‐Bissau. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 8: 150–160

Catry P, Barbosa C, Indjai B, Almeida A, Godley BJ, Vié JC (2002) First census of the green turtle at Poilão, Bijagós Archipelago,Guinea‐Bissau: The most important nesting colony on the Atlantic coast of Africa. Oryx 36: 400–403

Barbosa C, Broderick A, Catry P (1998) Marine turtles in the Orango National Park (Bijagós Archipelago - Guinea-Bissau). Marine Turtle Newsletter 81: 6-7.

Research Thesis

Mercedes Monteiro Mandim (2021) Métodos de monitorização e tendências numéricas de tartarugas-verdes em Poilão, o local de reprodução mais importante de África. MSc Thesis, ISPA. Supervisors: Paulo Catry, Ana Rita Patrício

Lucia Diaz Abad (2021) Investigating green sea turtle diet and digestive microbiome using DNA metabarcoding. MSc Thesis, IMBRSea, CCMAR, UALG. Supervisors: Pedro Frade, Ana Rita Patrício.

Garcia Bamba T (2020) Aspectos da migração, do nicho isotópico e do sucesso reprodutor da tartaruga-verde (Chelonia mydas) no arquipélago dos Bijagós. MSc Thesis, ISPA. Supervisors: Paulo Catry, Ana Rita Patrício

Monteiro JC (2019) Fibropapillomatosis and the associated Chelonid Herpesvirus 5 in green turtles from West Africa. MSc Thesis, University of Lisbon. Supervisors: Ana Duarte, Ana Rita Patrício

Manuel Sampaio (2018) Green turtles on the Island of Cavalos (Guinea-Bissau). Abundance, nest success and experimental nest protection. MsC Thesis, University of Lisbon. Supervisors: Rui Rebelo, Paulo Catry

Patrício AR (2017) Ecology of the green sea Turtle Chelonia mydas in a changing world. PhD Thesis, University of Exeter. Supervisors: Brendan Godley, Paulo Catry, Annette Broderick

Marques A (2014) Que influência tem a localização do ninho na proporção de sexos da espécie tartaruga-verde (Chelonia mydas), na ilha de Poilão, Guiné-Bissau? MsC Thesis, University of Lisbon. Supervisores: Rui Rebelo, Paulo Catry

Maria Betânia Martins da Silva Ferreira (2012) Nesting habitat preferences and nest predation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea Bissau. MsC Thesis, University of Lisbon. Supervisors: Rui Rebelo, Paulo Catry

Bruno Miguel da Conceição Novais (2010) Monitorização de tartarugas com sex-ratio dependente da temperatura num mundo em aquecimento: poderão os predadores ajudar-nos? MsC Thesis, University of Lisbon. Supervisors: Rui Rebelo, Paulo Catry

Books and book chapters

Barbosa C, Patrício AR, Ferreira Airaud MB, Sampaio M, Catry P (2018) Tartarugas Marinhas, in Catry P, Regalla A (Eds). Parque Nacional Marinho João Vieira e Poilão: Biodiversidade e Conservação. IBAP – Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas.

Catry P, Regalla A (Eds). 2018. Parque Nacional Marinho João Vieira e Poilão: Biodiversidade e Conservação. IBAP – Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas, Bissau.

Catry P, Barbosa C, Indjai B (2010) Tartarugas Marinhas da Guiné-Bissau. Estatuto, Biologia e Conservação. Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas, Bissau.