Threatened by loss of habitat, accidental fishing, pollution, human harvest and climate change, the beautiful hawksbill turtles are facing the danger of extinction.
These turtles which are older than dinosaurs have been declared critically endangered and are now included in the IUCN red list of endangered species. While they are becoming scarce around the world, the Gulf area and Oman Sea seems to remain a home for some of these marine ancients. However, even here, they are under a lot of pressure due to coastal development and accidental fishing, threatening their survival, and rendering them in dire need for conservation efforts. The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) has embarked on a region-wide marine turtle conservation project. Launched in April this year, the project has tagged 25 post-nesting female Hawksbill turtles throughout UAE, Oman, Qatar, Iran & Saudi Arabia. Each tagged turtle has been fitted with a satellite transmitter that will send signals of their whereabouts for the next 360 days or thereabouts. The project aims to tag and track at least 75 postnesting female Hawksbill turtles over a 3 year period. With the help of the Marine Research Foundation as a technical advisor, the project will identify the critical overseas migration routes and near-shore habitats favoured by the turtles. This will help identify the biological and developmental needs of turtle populations, which heavily depends on understanding the extent of habitat use and distribution. In turn, this will help governments and conservation authorities make the right decision to address coastal habitat and the marine environment issues.
Also, tracking cross-border migration routes will raise awareness and provide concrete linkages at a regional and international level on which these nations may develop concurrent conservation agendas. Only 3 months after tagging, initial data received from satellite mapping software has already uncovered interesting results. Surprisingly, all 5 of the turtles that were tagged in Iran had left the coral rich Iranian coasts, heading west and southwest towards Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Against all expectations, turtle #53003, one of 5 turtles tagged in the Sultanate of Oman, left the Omani coasts and travelled into the Gulf, moving into the same feeding ground preferred by the UAE-tagged turtles. This is the first recorded migration of a turtle from Oman to the Gulf, challenging a theory that has been standing for years. The journeys of these tagged turtles have been made public on the project’s website (www.gulfturtles.com). This website also hosts in depth information about marine turtles and the satellite tracking programme, creating an educational portal for whoever is interested in the issue. As the project is in its initial phase, funding and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Interested organisations can sponsor a turtle by providing its tagging cost, thus gaining the right to name it, as well as track its movement and migration pattern. Also, in the near future, symbolic adoption packs will be available to individuals that are looking for a way to contribute to the project. These packs will not only provide the necessary funds for the project, but they will help raise awareness about the importance of conserving these ancient species.
