The world's most threatened and healthiest sea turtle populations revealed
03/10/2011 14:17:16
AT RISK: The hawksbill turtle have declined worldwide in large part because of their beautiful shells used in handicrafts and jewellery.Picture: Jeff Yonover
Turtles under serious threat in Indian Ocean - Nearly half of the world's most endangered turtles found in northern Indian Ocean
September 2011: Almost half - 45 per cent - of the world's most threatened sea turtle populations are found in the northern Indian Ocean, according to a new study.
The team of top turtle experts also determined that the most significant threats across all of the threatened populations of sea turtles are fisheries bycatch, accidental catches of sea turtles by fishermen targeting other species, and the direct harvest of turtles or their eggs for food or turtle shell material for commercial use.
The recent report, produced by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) and supported by Conservation International (CI) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), is the first comprehensive status assessment of global sea turtle populations. The study evaluated the state of individual populations of sea turtles and determined the 11 most threatened populations, as well as the 12 healthiest ones.
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Leatherbacks are threatened in Central
America, but thriving in Gabon.
Photo credit Matthew Bame. |
Turtles struggling in waters of India and Sri Lanka
Five of the world's most threatened species of sea turtles are found in the northern Indian Ocean, specifically threatened populations of both Loggerhead turtles and Olive Ridley turtles are found in the northern Indian Ocean in waters and on nesting beaches within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
See a map of the most threatened populations, and the healthiest populations of sea turtles - or scroll down.
Other areas that proved to be the most dangerous places for sea turtles were the East Pacific Ocean (from the USA to South America) and East Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of Western Africa ).
‘The report confirms that India is a home to many of the most threatened sea turtles in the world,' said Dr. B. C. Choudhury, head of the Department of Endangered Species Management at the Wildlife Institute of India and a contributor to the study. ‘This paper is a wake-up call for the authorities to do more to protect India's sea turtles and their habitats to ensure that they survive.'
12 healthiest sea turtle populations
The study also highlighted the 12 healthiest sea turtle populations in the world, which are large and currently populations facing relatively low threats. Five species, such as the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle have populations among these dozen thriving habitats which include nesting sites and feeding areas in Australia, Mexico and Brazil. Other areas that harbour healthy turtle populations include the Southwest Indian Ocean, Micronesia and French Polynesia.
‘Before we conducted this study, the best we could say about sea turtles was that six of the seven sea turtle species are threatened with extinction globally,' said Dr Bryan Wallace, Director of Science for the marine flagship species programme at CI, and lead author for the paper.
‘But this wasn't very helpful for conservation because it didn't help us set priorities for different populations in different regions. Sea turtles everywhere are conservation-dependent, but this framework will help us effectively target our conservation efforts around the world.'
THE 11 MOST THREATENED SEA TURTLE POPULATIONS ARE:- Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the West Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: India and Oman
- Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar - Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arribada population in the Northeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: India - Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: India and Sri Lanka - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the East Atlantic Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Congo and Sao Tome et Principe - Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Cape Verde
- Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the East Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: El Salvador, Nicaragua; Ecuador
- Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the East Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica - Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Japan - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the West Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines
| THE 12 HEALTHIEST SEA TURTLE POPULATIONS ARE:- Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Indian Ocean
o Key nesting site: Oman - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Southeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting site: Australia - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Southeast Indian Ocean
o Key nesting site: Australia - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Southwest Indian Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Seychelles, French and British Overseas Territories - Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Southeast Atlantic Ocean
o Key nesting site: Gabon - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean
o Key nesting site: Brazil - Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Trinidad; Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the East Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and Mexico - Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arribada population in the East Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the South Central Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting sites: French Polynesia - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Southwest Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting site: Australia - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Southwest Pacific Ocean
o Key nesting site: Australia
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