Endangered Species: TURTLE !

Common Name: Marine turtles
Scientific Name: Cheloniidae / Dermochelyidae families

Habitat:

Open and coastal waters, sandy beaches and islands.

· Natuna Island, Indonesia

· Bugsuk Island, Philippines

· Pulau Redang, Terengganu

· Kuala Penyu, Sabah

· Rantau Abang, Terengganu

Status :

Endangered - Olive ridley & Green turtles
Critically endangered - Hawksbill & Leatherback turtles

Population:

· Leatherback turtles - declined by more than 99%

· Olive ridley turtles - declined by more than 95%

· Green turtles - Some populations in Malaysia appear to be stable currently. However compared to population numbers prior to 1970, large populations in Terengganu & Sarawak have decreased significantly (more than two folds)

· Hawksbill turtles - Large populations remain only in Sabah & Malacca. Both populations appear to be stabilising. However it should be noted that historical nesting data in Malacca extended to 1990, which is quite recent and too short term to surmise on population trend.

Background
Malaysia is fortunate to host four species of marine turtles: Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, and Olive ridley turtles. These gentle reptiles of the sea swim great distances and come on land only to nest. They are known for their longevity among local cultures. Sadly, the number of marine turtles in most places has plummeted and some populations are on the brink of extinction.

Odds stacked against survival
Female turtles lay hundreds of eggs each nesting season. But relatively few young survive into their first year. Crabs, monitor lizards and birds eat the eggs or prey on hatchlings as they make their way out to sea. In the shallows, many more hatchlings are taken by fish. When humans harvest turtle eggs, disturb or degrade nesting beaches, the young turtles’ chances for survival slide further.

They are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, excessive egg-collection, fishery-related mortality (for example, accidental mortality in the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets), pollution, and coastal development. Turtles that survive take decades to reach maturity and start breeding. But escalating mortality means fewer turtles are living long enough to reproduce. Effective conservation means protecting turtles at all stages of their life cycle.

Reasons for Endangerment

The erosion of beaches is also wiping out the population of the turtles. Erosion is the sand on the beach sliding over top of the eggs so it either crushes or buries the whole nest of eggs. Since the Leatherback has such a large size, it is caught in most all nets or the pollution that it encounters at sea. The biggest issue in the endangerment of the Sea Turtle is propably the pollution that it encounters. A few sea turtles that have washed up on the beach, and have been reported to have swallowed plastics and other pollution they mistake for jellyfish.

There are many places in the world where the population of the Leatherback has barely declined, and some places where it has declined drastically. Most of the population has declined around Malasia, India, Shri Lanka, Thailand, and even Tobago. In some places, the population of the Leatherback Sea Turtle has gone up a lot. One of these places is Surinam.