Economic aspects of the use of olive ridley eggs Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829): from conservation quotas towards sustainability

Abstract

In Guatemala, olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) eggs are harvested. The conservation scheme is based on a quota system, which requires that 20% of the collected eggs be delivered to a registered turtle nursery. It is estimated that approximately 673,304 eggs are laid annually on the Pacific coast, with an approximate beach value of Q1,124,869.00. In Guatemala, the harvesting of turtle eggs serves as a key buffer in the economies of coastal communities. In recent years, the purchase of eggs by turtle nurseries has increased. These nurseries, in addition to receiving the conservation fee, buy the rest of the load of eggs from the nest. As a result, the number of planted nests in nurseries has also increased. However, this has also led to a larger market for turtle eggs. The sale of eggs. The sale of eggs has become a highly successful source of income, with fewer risks and costs than fishing. This has led some artisanal fishermen to switch to egg collection as their main activity. This analysis provides useful infromation for identifying the quality of incentives, in order to reform or elinate inefficient or perverse incentives, so that scarce conservation resource will allow for the identification of the quality of the incentives, aiming to reform or eliminate inefficient or perverse incentives so that scarce conservation resources can be invested in the most effective way.