Progressive re-colonization of monk seal resting and reproduction habitats as the result of strict protection

Pablo Fernández de Larrinoa, Hamdi M’Barek, Moulaye Haye, Miguel Ángel Cedenilla, Mercedes Muñoz, Ana Maroto and Luis Mariano González

CBD-Habitat Foundation

The birth of a newborn pup this October on an open beach of the Coast of the Seals, the first of its kind in centuries, is a symbolic but important event that we hope will prove auspicious for the ongoing recovery of the Cabo Blanco monk seal colony.

	The first recorded monk seal born on an open beach since the 15th century. Monk seal pup ‘Sofia’, suckling from her mother, among other individuals nearby.

Since the implementation of the Monk Seal Recovery Action Plan in the Eastern Atlantic (CMS/UNEP) in 2000, the first objective was to recover this important monk seal population, which in 1997 had just suffered a severe mass mortality event dramatically cutting its numbers by two thirds.

The first and most important action undertaken was the protection of the two single breeding caves that seals were using at that time. As a direct consequence of breeding in these caves, a high pup mortality rate occurred during years with severe sea conditions.

Therefore, the Coast of the Seals Marine Reserve was created to protect them and the vicinity [Conservation actions on the Cabo Blanco peninsula – a new approach, TMG 5 (2): November 2002]. With the successful model that had been developed in Madeira’s Desertas Islands in mind, the objective was to eliminate disturbance in the area, mainly caused by goose barnacle pickers, fishing pirogues and even ourselves during research and monitoring activities, with the objective of promoting the use of open beaches by the seals.

After 5 years of strict surveillance and of non-invasive monitoring and research methodologies, during which the reserve was progressively enlarged to reach its current size of 6.2km along the coast, the first results became evident in the form of solitary adult monk seals beginning to use open beaches of the reserve as haul out sites. This behaviour had not been observed since the 1940s, when the colony was discovered. Progressively, year by year, growing numbers of adult seals were hauling out on open beaches, while at the same time, the number of open beaches the animals were using also increased.

	Groups of monk seals resting on open beaches in the Coast of Seals Reserve.

After a couple of years, we also began to observe animals from other morphological groups, mainly subadult males and females.

During this period, use of open beaches by small groups of 2-3 individuals began to be observed more frequently. The best example of this progressive evolution was the use in 2007 of Halcon beach, renamed Luc's beach in honour of one of the project donors, Dr. Luc Hoffmann. This beach, located south of one of the breeding caves, rapidly began to be used by concentrations of animals, some of them acting as effective lures to others. Larger groups of up to 11 seals began to use this beach, and in 2008 a mother even moved her pup there to raise it [Lactation on an open beach in Cabo Blanco, TMG 11 (2): November 2008].

While re-colonization of hauling out habitat appeared to be impressive and ongoing, we were still expecting another fundamental step forward in terms of conservation of the monk seal. Still missing was a birth on an open beach, that would reinforce the re-colonization of this kind of habitat by becoming a reproductive one. This landmark event occurred this year. In September, a previously unidentified young reproductive female gave birth to a female pup on Luc’s beach. The CBD-Habitat surveillance and monitoring team promptly detected the birth and determined that the mother-pup pair were in good health. We named the newborn Sofia, in honour of the Spanish Queen who has always showed interest and devotion for monk seals and for the progress of the project.

Sofia is today around one and a half months old; she is beginning to moult and in a couple of months, when she begins her first long excursions into the open sea, she will be the first monk seal ambassador in the eastern Atlantic to announce open beaches as reproductive habitat to be recolonized – all to the hopeful future of her species.

Copyright © 2009 Pablo Fernández de Larrinoa, Hamdi M’Barek, Moulaye Haye, Miguel Ángel Cedenilla, Mercedes Muñoz, Ana Maroto, Luis Mariano González, The Monachus Guardian. All Rights Reserved