29 Aug
2006 - Bali, Indonesia Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and the Solomon Islands have agreed to
protect the endangered leatherback turtle in the
Pacific through joint conservation activities.
The tri-national partnership,
supported by WWF, will allow the three countries
to enhance conservation of leatherback turtles
through information sharing, data exchange and
cooperative research. It also plans to establish
a network of marine protected areas covering critical
leatherback habitats throughout parts of the western
Pacific Ocean.
The three governments have
showed their commitment to improving the livelihood
of their people through sustainable development
and conservation, said Michael Avosa, WWF's Country
Programme Manager in Papua New Guinea, at the
tri-national MOU signing event.
Although protected under various
national laws and international treaties, population
trends of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea)
show alarming rates of decline due to domestic
and commercial exploitation of eggs, development
and destruction of nesting beaches, accidental
capture and drowning in fisheries using long line
and purse seining methods, ocean pollution and
ingestion of plastic and other garbage.
We strongly support this partnership
for shared responsibility to protect such a migratory
species," said WWF-Indonesia Executive Director
Mubariq Ahmad.
"Sharing responsibility
regionally and internationally will safeguard
critical feeding areas, reproduction and nesting
habitats. We hope it will also lead to improved
fisheries management to reduce by-catch of these
magnificent animals.
END NOTES:
The tri-national leatherback conservation partnership
was signed by: HE Mr Christopher Siao Mero, Papua
New Guinea Ambassador to Indonesia; Hon Mr Job
Dudley Tausinga, Solomon Islands Minister of Forest,
Environment and Conservation; and Hon Mr HMS Kaban,
Indonesian Forestry Minister.
Stretching from the Vogelkop
(Doberai) Peninsula of Papua, Indonesia, across
the Admiralty and Bismarck archipelagos of Papua
New Guinea to Makira Island of the Solomon Islands,
the Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion covers approximately
2 million km2 of Pacific Ocean, and is home to
approximately 3 million people of which 80 per
cent rely on coastal resources for their livelihoods.
It is also home to numerous marine species, including
the leatherback turtle, as well as hawksbill,
green, olive ridley and loggerhead sea turtles,
and Blainville's beaked whales, dugongs, giant
clams and finless porpoises.
