Bangkok, 7 August 2006 -- A new report sheds light on the plight of the endangered leatherback turtle in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia region, raising concern that these pre-historic creatures of the sea are in decline.  These deep-diving animals, which can grow to 700 kg or more, are already considered to be critically endangered in the Pacific Ocean.

The 166-page report, prepared for the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia -- IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU, for short -- found that the main threats to leatherback turtles include mortality in fisheries, human egg harvest, depredation of eggs by pigs and dogs, and loss of critical habitat - especially beaches needed for nesting.

The study confirmed that there are four main areas within the wider Indian Ocean region where these gentle animals still come ashore to nest.  In South Africa, thanks to decades of persistent conservation efforts, the number of female turtles nesting each year on a key stretch of beach grew from just 10-20 in the 1960s to 100 in the 1990s.  However, over the past four years the annual number of nesters has declined to 20-40 animals.  “It’s far too soon to say whether this is a long term downward trend, or simply a natural fluctuation in the population size.  But the turtles don’t appear to have moved elsewhere, as numbers of leatherbacks in neighbouring Mozambique haven’t increased,” said Dr George Hughes, one of the report’s authors.

Leatherback turtles are also known to nest in larger numbers in parts of the northeastern Indian Ocean.  Sri Lanka, which is about to declare its first marine turtle sanctuary, is thought to host about 100-200 nesting females. The remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India were thought to harbour as many as 400-600 nesting turtles.  However, the December 2004 tsumani struck the islands during peak nesting season and is thought to have seriously disrupted turtle nesting that year. 

Malaysia offers one of the most dramatic, best-documented examples of decline in a nesting population of marine turtles.  Whereas leatherback turtle nests along the Terengganu coastline used to number in the thousands in the 1960s, in recent years only a handful of infertile nests have been laid.  That population is effectively extinct, depriving Malaysia of one of its most charismatic tourist attractions.

The situation in the Western Pacific nesting beaches seems brighter.  Recent survey data suggest that there are perhaps 1,000 nesting females in a population that is shared by West Papua - Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.  Satellite transmitters affixed to some of these turtles show them migrating long distances in both the northern and southern Pacific Ocean.

Still, the report found that efforts to conserve leatherback turtles are hindered by a lack of basic information about their oceanic life – including areas where they feed and corridors they may possibly  follow on migration.  On land, gaps in knowledge about the success of nesting make it difficult to get a sense of whether the turtle populations are increasing or declining.

Change in global climate is also expected to affect leatherbacks and other marine turtle species, because the temperature at which turtle eggs incubate determines their sex.  According to Dr. Mark Hamann, who coordinated the leatherback report, “Rising beach temperatures associated with global warming can be expected to alter population sex ratios and affect incubation success of leatherback turtle eggs. Few countries have adequate monitoring systems in place to help guide management practice in response to climate change.”

The assessment of leatherback conservation status was released alongside a companion report that investigated the impact of the December 2004 tsunami on marine turtles and their habitats.  The second report found that the tsunami caused localized damage to turtle habitats in eleven countries, with short-term impacts ranging from minor to severe.  India, Thailand and Sri Lanka were the worst affected, with some nesting beaches having been completely destroyed.  Longer-term impacts are more difficult to predict, but leatherback turtle populations appear to have been resilient in the face of similar calamities over past millenia.

On the other hand, marine turtle conservation projects in these countries suffered significant damage from the tsunami, including the loss of lives of conservation staff.  The local communities with which they worked suffered immense social, economic and personal losses.  Fortunately, strong community bonds remain and shared adversity has brought communities and turtle project staff together, and may even offer new opportunities for collaboration.

Note to Editors:

The IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding, is an intergovernmental agreement concluded under the auspices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The agreement provides a framework for States of the region, and other partners, to work together to conserve marine turtles and their habitats.  There are presently nearly 25 Signatory States stretching from Australia to Jordan, and South Africa to the Philippines. For more information, visit: www.ioseaturtles.org.

The Assessment of the conservation status of the leatherback turtle in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia is the first of a series of species assessments that will be produced in the coming years.  Apart from being the most comprehensive and recent assessment of the status of the leatherback turtle in the region, the report contains constructive recommendations that require serious consideration and follow-up by governments. 

The related Assessment of the impact of the December 2004 tsunami on marine turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia is a useful synthesis of available information on this tragic event in relation to marine turtles.  Both reports can be downloaded from:
http://www.ioseaturtles.org//Features/Leatherback_Assessment-Full_Report-3107.pdf
http://www.ioseaturtles.org//Features/Tsunami_Assessment-3107.pdf

The IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU is currently celebrating a region-wide Year of the Turtle campaign, with events and activities taking place in many countries across the Indian Ocean – South-East Asia region.  For more information on the Year of the Turtle, visit the dedicated web page: www.ioseaturtles.org/yot2006/.

For more information:

Dr. Mark Hamann, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.  Tel  + (61 7) 4781 4491
E-mail: mark.hamann@jcu.edu.au

Mr. Douglas Hykle, IOSEA MoU Coordinator/CMS Senior Advisor, Bangkok
Tel: +66 16 288 472 (Mobile) or + (66 2) 288 1471; E-mail: iosea@un.org

Ms. Satwant Kaur, UNEP Regional Information Officer, Bangkok
Tel: + (66 2) 288 2127; E-mail: kaur@un.org

UNEP ROAP News Release 06/04