César Paúl Ley-Quiñónez – Mexico (2023)

© César Paúl Ley-Quiñónez

Waste produced through agriculture, mining, urbanization, fisheries, and the oil industry often end up in coastal environments, affecting the health of ecosystems and sea turtles. These toxic contaminants pose an under-studied threat to critically endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles that nest in Rancho Nuevo Sanctuary, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

To address some of the unknowns surrounding this topic, César Paúl Ley-Quiñónez is quantifying the concentrations of trace elements, their effect on blood biochemistry, and analyzing the possible population health impacts on Kemp’s ridleys nesting in Ranch Nuevo.