Ecological Vulnerability of Adult Female Marine Turtles as Indicators of Opportunities for Regional Socioecosystem Management in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

Planning for marine ecosystems management demands spatially explicit information about structural and functional components, in a tradeoff between including the most taxa and keeping it functional. Sentinel, umbrella, and surrogate taxa are strategic for developing indexes that account for other associated species and contribute to a sustainable administration of our seas. Marine turtles feature the former species descriptions, and the knowledge on their ecology contributes to design conservation and restoration strategies in regions they occupy, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Several administrative tools exist to govern marine territories for biodiversity conservation, and assessing how these tools interact with the ecological vulnerability of endangered species is crucial for improving public policies. We assessed the spatial interactions among ecological sensitivity, vulnerability, and the potential impacts on four marine turtle species in the southern Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean Sea with territorial management tools (natural protected areas, marine priority sites, and ecoregions). A small percentage of the most vulnerable areas is inside natural protected areas, while marine priority sites include a higher percentage. We identified spatial covering gaps that need to be addressed to ensure the conservation and recovery of these endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico and proposed key regions for maximizing territorial conservation.