Tags: Environment, Marine Life
By Anna Valmero
TURTLE ISLANDS, TAWI-TAWI— Over 1.4 million eggs of the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) species were laid last year on Baguan Island, breaking the all time record high in the past 28 years, according to the Conservation International (CI) Philippines.
Baguan is a protected nesting site and part of Turtle Islands.
“This is an astounding number for a nesting beach that’s only a little over one kilometer in length. This definitely presents great hope for boosting green turtle populations,” said Romeo Trono, CI Philippines country executive director.
Based on the average 90-percent hatching success and one-percent survival rate when they reach sexual maturity, the new eggs at the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary will add 13,000 new members to the adult turtle population, according to Trono.
Some 14,220 green turtle nests were recorded in Baguan late last year, breaking the record of 12,311 nests in 1995. The 2011 figures translate to some 2,844 nesting green turtles and over 1.44 million turtle eggs laid.
“The increasing nest numbers show that when turtles are protected on their nesting beaches and in the water for long enough, they will recover,” said Trono.
Since 1995, nesting records in Baguan have been declining, even dropping to as low as 4,000 nests in 2003. Factors attributing to this include poaching by foreign fishermen, egg harvesting by local communities for food and trade, destruction of marine habitat and weak law enforcement.
The significant increase in the number of eggs laid here prove that conversation partnerships work, said Dr. Bryan Wallace, director of Science for the Marine Flagship Species Program at CI.
Since 2007, CI has been working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the local government in Tawi-tawi as well the Malaysian park management authority Sabah Parks to implement marine conservation strategies in the region.
These strategy included the set up of the protected area management board, formulation of a ten-year management plan and delineating 1,200 hectares around Baguan as strict protection zone or no take areas. The first nesting record in Baguan dates back to 1984.
“The Turtle Islands are a globally important area for green turtles, especially for the West Pacific population, because of the relatively high abundance present and because of increasing protection for turtles in the area,” noted Wallace.
Law enforcement in Baguan was also strengthened by providing trainings to park wardens, law enforcers and community volunteers and stepping up patrolling efforts. The enforcement team included officers from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Marines.
“Turtles nest throughout the entire area, regardless of political boundaries. That is also the approach we are using in managing these islands through productive partnerships,” said Dr. Mundita Lim, director of DENR’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.
Green turtles are classified as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The Sea Turtle Conservancy estimate there are only 88,520 nesting females of the population left in the wild.
Bold protection measures such as the establishment of Baguan no-take zone and the complete protection status of the Turtle Islands Park in Sabah had been instrumental in ensuring a safe haven for turtles while other beaches in the region were being lost to coastal development, said Dr. Nicolas Pilcher, director of Sabah-based Marine Research Foundation and co-chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group.
“The combined turtle stocks from the Philippine and Malaysian Turtle Islands, which share genetic similarities, is the single largest and most stable population of green turtles in all of Southeast Asia, and is of paramount importance in ensuring the long-term survival of the population,” Pilcher said.
An average of 30 to 35 green turtles nest on Baguan’s shores every night, with totals increasing to as many as 140 during the peak nesting season of July to September. With each nesting, a sea turtle lays around 100 eggs.
“The hatchlings that emerge from the Turtle Islands still face great risks as they journey through the ocean, but at least here in the Turtle Islands, we are determined to provide them with a good start,” Trono said.
Conservation initiatives in Baguan are partially supported by the Global Marine Division of Conservation International and the Coral Triangle Support Partnership funded by the United States Agency for International Development.
(Photos courtesy of AG Saño)
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