2nd ASEAN Symposium and Workshop on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. Click here

World’s first Trans-Boundary Marine Park between Sabah, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Introduction to the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA)

History in the Development Of The Sabah - Philippines TIHPA

Management Objectives of the TIHPA

Institutional arrangements

Key Initiatives

Educational Goals Initiative Marked For Critical Funding

Research Objectives and Strategies

Economic Opportunities

Expected Deliverables

News Around the Region

Sharp decline in Turtle population

Turning to a Turtle Haven

2nd ASEAN Symposium and Workshop on 
Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation

SESSION 1: Management and Conservation

ABSTRACTS

 

In Pakistan sea turtle conservation has been carried out since 1979 by Sindh Wildlife Organization along the beaches of Karachi. Hawkes Bay and Sandspit- the major turtle nesting grounds in the world, located at 24º 50/ N and 66º 55/ E along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea. All sea turtle species have been declared "Protected" under Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance Promulgated in 1972 and renamed as Sindh Wildlife Protection Act 1993. Among eight species of sea turtles found in the world, two have identified and observed nesting, egg laying and hatching successfully along these beaches, The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). Both of these species are world famous but due to heavy commercial exploitation of their products for export and high predation of eggs by feral dogs and population was going to be extinct in the past twenty years. Considering their endangered status Sindh Wildlife Department started a pilot project in 1980 for conservation and research of marine turtles in collaboration with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature Natural Resources) and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) International.

Turtles, their eggs and hatchlings have been protected from poachers and predators. Eggs are collected from the wild and incubated in the enclosures for hatching. The hatchlings after emergence have been escorted and released to the sea. Up till now more than 400,000 hatchlings have been protected and released. Scientific data to record the number of eggs, hatchlings, incubation period, tagging, tag recoveries, nesting frequency and behaviour, compiled and tabulated for obtaining significant results. Captive breeding is also introduced on experimental basis as an additional activity to raise the size of hatchlings in order to save themselves in their natural environment and also to reduce the rate of mortality.

Education of masses for public awareness is an important aspect of the project which has been carried out through various electronic and print media. Turtles are long lived reptiles and scientific study needs a long time to get successful results in future.