Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Toro-Farmer, Gerardo
Area of Concentration
Environmental Studies
Abstract
For a very long time, leatherback sea turtles have been harmed in many ways by ecological damage caused by humans, especially their nests. Despite this, it is also humans who have been trying their best to undo these wrongs by working to protect the environment around the areas they have constructed. This thesis serves as a reflection that will provide information on what leatherback sea turtles are and the many things that are harming them worldwide, as well as the information that the hotels of Puerto Rico have collected to help further the study surrounding the many effects that people have on leatherback sea turtle populations in the island. Previous research has shown that the main problem that hotels bring when it comes to turtles is tourism, bringing in garbage and waste to the beaches. Other problems include the disruption of nests and the overcrowding of the beaches, which leaves the areas in a large amount of environmental disarray. Findings on this thesis consist of photographs that give a bigger picture of what sort of points of interest were found in the beach areas, as well as maps to give a bigger idea of the surrounding location. What these maps, graphs, and pictures indicate is that while there are still many turtles that nest in these areas, there are also a number of hazards still around that disrupt the leatherback turtle spawn from reaching the ocean. This reflection is not meant to criticize the hotels as a business, since the hotel visited for this study has taken many steps to protect the ecosystem around it, but is instead meant to evaluate what sort of actions have been taken by the Hotel Wyndham can do to provide a better ecosystem for leatherback turtle nests. This can also be used to give other hotels a better perspective on how they interact with the environment and why protecting it matters.
Recommended Citation
Thillet, Christopher, "Puerto Rico’s Grand Wyndham Hotel Río Mar, the Methods They Use to Protect Leatherback Sea Turtle Nests, and My Own Findings on these Nests" (2025). Theses & ETDs. 6723.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6723