FWD: Help turtles before it’s too late

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This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/3/focus/10846679 & sec=focus

 

________________________

 

Tuesday May 3, 2005

Help turtles before it’s too late

 

 

THE proposed ban by the Fisheries Department on the sale and consumption of

turtle eggs in the country by 2010 is long overdue and action must be taken

fast,<a

href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2005\4\26 & file=/2005/\

4/26/nation/10784388 & sec=nation " > “Dept mulls ban on turtle egg trade”</a>, (The

Star, April 26).

 

The threats facing sea turtles are numerous and, for the most part, humans are

the problem.

 

Already the odds are stacked against the turtles – people are still collecting

turtle eggs for consumption. And there is poaching, sea pollution and

indiscriminate killing of turtles caught in fishing nets. It would be a matter

of time before they disappear.

 

The loss of the leatherback should be a lesson for everyone.

 

The problem of egg consumption needs to be addressed by the government,

fishermen, villagers and the local community.

 

Long-term protection of sea turtles also means developing solutions that can

reduce reliance on human involvement – such as moving nests or raising

hatchlings in captivity.

 

Feeding and nesting grounds must be protected, and public wildlife conservation

ethics must be fostered that can withstand gaps in government regulations,

pressure from private interests, and changes in the political climate.

 

The immediate goals for protecting sea turtles should be:

 

<li>PROTECTING nesting beaches by establishing parks and nesting sites, or

through regulations combined with public education initiatives;

 

<li>ELIMINATING disturbances at nesting beaches by decreasing artificial

lighting, halting development along beach fronts, and limiting the impact of

people on the beach;

 

<li>CONTINUED research and monitoring activities so that conservation efforts

can be focused where they are most needed;

 

<li>DECREASING turtle deaths caused by commercial fishing through the use of

turtle excluding device (TED) and gill net regulations;

 

<li>CRACKDOWN on illegal international trade in sea turtles and their products

by enforcing laws and agreements; and

 

<li>THE dumping of pollutants and solid waste into the ocean and near-shore

waters should be controlled through national and international laws.

 

If sea turtles cannot survive and reproduce on their own without help from

humans they are doomed.

 

 

 

S. M. MOHD IDRIS,

 

President

 

Sahabat Alam Malaysia,

 

Penang.

 

(via e-mail)

 

<p>

 

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