Posted on 28 July 2009
- The maps are the first to bring together
the different life cycle movements, migration
routes, foraging grounds, and nesting sites
of green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles.
The maps were produced
with the help of satellite tracking, and
allow the identification and targeting of
areas in urgent need of protection. They
also highlight the inter-connectedness of
marine habitats making a strong case for
cooperation among Coral Triangle countries
for the protection of shared marine resources
in the region.
“We now have a better
picture and more comprehensive understanding
of where marine turtles feed, breed, and
nest around the waters of the Coral Triangle,”
says Matheus Halim, WWF Coral Triangle Turtle
Strategy Leader.
Marine turtles play
a crucial role in the delicate web of ocean
life by maintaining the health of seagrass
beds and coral reefs, which are home to
other marine species such as shrimp, lobster,
sharks, dugongs and innumerable reef fish.
The maps serve as a
guideline for where to establish Marine
Protected Areas. “The maps clearly identify
which areas in this region need protection”,
added Halim. “WWF is calling for the establishment
of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
that encompass these locations as part of
the new six nations Coral Triangle Initiative
(CTI) and for turtles to be made a priority
under The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).”
Apart from showing life
cycle movements, the maps also give valuable
information about locations with the high
incidence of turtle bycatch in the region,
helping to identify where fishing methods
require modification.
The Coral Triangle,
home to six of the seven known species of
marine turtles in the world, stretches across
six countries in Southeast Asia and the
Pacific, covering the seas of Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.
Marine turtles are listed
on the World Conservation Union’s Red List
of Threatened Species as either ‘Endangered’
or ‘Critically Endangered.’ This means they
are among the most threatened animals on
the planet and face the real risk of extinction.
The loss of nesting
beaches and feeding habitats due to pollution
and coastal development, the illegal trade
and consumption of turtle eggs, meat, and
other derivatives for commercial purposes,
and the accidental catch (or ‘bycatch’)
of turtles in fishing gears are just some
of the many threats facing marine turtles.
Marine habitats in the
Coral Triangle important to commercially-valuable
fish species are being lost or degraded
at an unprecedented rate. The last decade
alone has seen a drastic decline in fish
stocks due to inadequate fisheries management
and widespread overuse of marine and coastal
resources.
Establishing a network
of MPAs can help alleviate the stress on
marine and coastal resources and help build
the marine environment’s resilience against
other threats such as coral bleaching, caused
by climate change.
“MPAs offer a range
of benefits for fisheries, people, and the
marine environment by providing safe havens
for endangered species to thrive and for
depleted fish stocks to recover,” says Dr
Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme
Leader. “MPAs provide services to local
communities who depend on the sea and its
resources. Protecting these critical marine
habitats means protecting the food and livelihood
of millions people in the Coral Triangle
region and beyond.”
The maps were produced
by WWF in collaboration with the Indonesian
Ministry of Forestry, Directorate General
of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation
and other regional partners.
