Introduction:

This study pretends to determine the vulnerability of sea turtle nesting areas in the western Cuban archipelago due to climate change and other threats.

The objectives of this paper are: to estimate the sex ratio in every season from the temperature and the incubation period for the beaches analyzed, to evaluate the influence of the vegetation in the distribution of the nests and the embryonic development, to correlate the geomorphologic changes due to tropical storms in the Guanahacabibes peninsula with the reproductive success of the sea turtles and to document the impact generated by the accumulation of sargassum in the conduct and the reproductive success of the sea turtles.

Methods:

They were analyzed 21 sea turtle nesting seasons in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula.

Results:

It was observed an annual variation in the number of emergencies and nests per female with a well-defined biennial cycle. It was recorded a reduction in clutch size, incubation period and hatchling size. It was also estimated a higher production of females, as a consequence of the high incubation temperatures. In addition, they were monitored the dynamics of the beaches, finding important changes in the distribution and characteristics of the coastal vegetation as a result of meteorological events. They were determined areas vulnerable to coastal flooding and the impact of massive sargassum bursts. Conclusions: the evidence collected constitutes an alert for protected area managers in order to take measures aimed at mitigating the effects on the successful reproduction of sea turtles of high temperatures, meteorological events and other natural phenomena, such as sargassum bursts in the Cuban archipelago. Likewise, these results are an experience for other nesting areas in the Greater Caribbean region where they are exposed to similar threats.

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