Turtles brave the odds but remain endangered

Dubai - Nesting sites in the UAE have enabled safe hatching of hundreds of turtles, yet the species are not free from threats.

Braving the odds of urbanisation, foxes, and man-made threats, close to at least 1,000 turtles have hatched this year across various nesting sites in UAE.
Earlier this week, 80 hawksbill sea turtles were born on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Though it is a perfectly natural development - April to July being the nesting season, and a critical period, as the turtles are at their most vulnerable - it's a big deal, and great news, because only one in a 1,000 turtle hatchlings, it is estimated, makes it to adulthood. It is also a big deal as every baby turtle born trumps a fair few odds.
These little creatures aren't spoilt for choice when it comes to nesting sites. Construction, development, urbanisation, and man-made threats (littering, pollution, the 2,60,000 discarded fish traps) have made safe nesting sites a rarity for these creatures; 40 per cent of the Arabian coastline, according to Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF), has been modified. Naturally this doesn't bode well for marine life, not just for the hawksbill sea turtles, but the endangered green and loggerhead turtles, and also the over 40 species of sharks in Arabian waters.
Understandably, there is - and has been - an ongoing hue and cry in green circles about the endangered status of these turtles, whose babies, if you've seen them up close you know, fit in the palm of your hand. Nesting season is a critical time for these vulnerable turtles, as they are prone to venturing into shallow waters and then onto the sand to lay their eggs.
Hawksbills, like many sea turtles, are endangered due to the trade of tortoise-shell jewellery, watches, eye wear frames, that fetch a great deal of money. Due to the trade of its carapace, 80 per cent of hawksbills have declined in the last century. It is no wonder that the hawksbill turtles are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
In fact the hash tag #wheresthatturtle had apparently made it to over 82,000 mentions on Twitter.
Safe hatchings
Dr Nathalie Staelens, head of environmental services at Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) had said, "We are very happy that the eggs ... have hatched safely. The annual return of the endangered turtles. ensure they are able to nest safely while more hotel developments are taking place along the beach line".
The hawksbill turtles nest is adjacent to the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas on Saadiyat Beach. TDIC, like other organisations such as EWS-WWF are doing a lot of work for turtle conservation.
TDIC has established the Saadiyat Dune Protection Zone. And they've restricted resort development on Saadiyat Beach to at least 60 metres back from the seaward edge of the coastal dunes.
Last month, The Environment and Protected Areas Authority of the Government of Sharjah announced that Sharjah's Sir Bu Na'air Island, a tropical habitat and nesting place for hawksbill sea turtles, signed the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia region Marine Turtle memorandum of understanding. Sir Bu Na'air Island is home each year to more than 300 hawksbill turtle nests.
According to EWS-WWF, two out of the seven species of marine turtles, the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), occur in Gulf waters. The organisation wrapped up their Marine Turtle Conservation Project in November last year. They started the initiative in 2010 in partnership with other organisations dedicated to the cause. Supposedly the largest initiative in the region to understand marine turtle behaviour and conservation needs in the Arabian Gulf, the project involved collecting data from 75 hawksbill turtles that were tagged with satellite transmitters, that then sent a signal every time they surfaced to breathe.
Long way to go
But with so much being done to save the turtles, are we any closer to actually saving them?
A passionate voice when it comes to marine life, Major Ali Saqar Sultan Al Suwaidi, founder and president of the Emirates Marine Environment Group, says, no.
"We've got a long way to go before the turtles are in the safe, not-about-to-go-extinct anytime zone. However, in Ghantoot this year, in the approximately 35-37 nests we have, over 500 turtles have hatched."
A testament to how much is being done to protect these beings from the attack of the foxes and building developers.
Hawksbill turtle nesting areas in Dubai occur along the 12km-long stretch of beach between Jebel Ali and Ghantoot. Since 2006, various studies have been done on hawksbill behaviour patterns - how they nest, when they nest, what they eat (mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish), how they forage, what temperature of water they like best, how often they return to shore, and sand conditions preferred by lady turtles for their long 60-day nesting periods.
"At Sir Bu Na'air Island 377 have hatched so far this year," Major Ali says. "But if you're asking me are the turtles still endangered? Yes, very much so."- nivriti@khaleejtimes.com

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