BBC AND MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY TRACK SRI LANKAN TURTLES

[Guest guest]

*http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items06/201006-9.html* *SRI LANKA'S

ENDANGERED TURTLES HEAD STRAIGHT FOR ASIA'S FIRST MARINE PARK* *MARINE

CONSERVATION SOCIETY (MCS) PRESS RELEASE

19th October 2006 – Immediate release *

 

In a ground-breaking project with the BBC, the Marine Conservation Society

(MCS) has for the first time satellite tracked the migrations of endangered

nesting green turtles from a wildlife sanctuary on the south coast of Sri

Lanka to Asia's first marine protected area off Tamil Nadu, India.

 

MCS and local partners the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) and the

Department of Wildlife Conservation fitted satellite tags to six female

turtles after they nested at Rekawa Turtle Sanctuary on the south coast of

Sri Lanka in August this year. The Sanctuary was declared in May 2006 as the

country's first Wildlife Sanctuary for marine turtles. The first turtle to

be tagged, Helen, began her migration immediately after she was released and

swam about 500km to the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve where she has since

remained. The Biosphere Reserve was declared as South and South East Asia's

first marine protected area in 1989, and since Helen arrived there in August

she has been joined by 2 of the other tagged turtles. Another turtle,

Sayuri-Emerald has just started her migration and is now crossing the seas

between Sri Lanka and India.

 

" The Turtle Conservation Project has been protecting Rekawa's nesting green

turtles for the last 10 years and we have always wanted to know where they

go once they leave the nesting beach, " said Peter Richardson, MCS Species

Policy Officer, " We were very reassured when three turtles revealed to us

that their home is in another protected area 500km away. We can't wait to

see where the other three turtles will go. "

 

The project, known as Turtle Track Sri Lanka, was filmed for the BBC

flagship series Saving Planet Earth to be broadcast in 2007, and will

feature celebrity Saira Khan who accompanied the tagging expedition. Thanks

to technical support from project partners the University of Exeter and

Seaturtle.org, anyone with internet access can for the first time ever

follow, on a daily basis, the long distance migrations of Sri Lanka's

nesting green turtles via updated maps at

www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/trackturtle/

 

Turtle Track Sri Lanka is supported by The Deep aquarium in Hull, travel

company Hurtigruten and the Department for Environment Food and Rural

Affairs (Defra) as a contribution to the Indian Ocean - South-East Asia Year

of the Turtle 2006 celebrations.

 

Said UK Minister for Biodiversity Barry Gardiner, MP " The UK Government is

very pleased to support this project, which has so far revealed the

importance of marine protected areas for the conservation of our valuable

marine resources and wildlife. " Ends

 

For further information, and photographs contact:

 

Peter Richardson, Species Policy Officer, Marine Conservation Society (MCS)

 

Tel: 01989 566017, 07793 118383, E-mail: peter Web: www.mcsuk.org

 

Editor's notes:

 

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the

protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. MCS campaigns for clean seas

and beaches, sustainable fisheries, protection of marine life and their

habitats, and the sensitive use of our marine resources for future

generations. Through education, community involvement and collaboration, MCS

raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes

individual, industry and government action to protect the marine

environment. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine

conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (

www.goodbeachguide.co.uk), the Good Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org on

sustainable seafood, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer

projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark

Watch. See www.mcsuk.org

 

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are listed by the World Conservation Union

(IUCN) as endangered. They are largely herbivorous as adults and can grow to

up to 1.5m long and weigh up to 230kg. They reach sexual maturity at between

20 and 50 years. For more information see www.mcsuk.org

 

Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) is a Sri Lankan NGO established in 1994 by

Project leader Thushan Kapurusinghe and a MCS's Peter Richardson and Sue

Ranger. The TCP runs community-based conservation projects at several sites

along the west and south coast of Sri Lanka, focusing on the protection of

marine wildlife and coastal habitats. For more information see

www.tcpsrilanka.org

 

Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is the Sri Lankan Government

agency with primary responsibility for wildlife protection. The DWC granted

permission for this project to go ahead and provided officers to assist with

tag attachment. It was the DWC, along with the TCP, who successfully lobbied

for the Wildlife Sanctuary status of Rekawa beach. To find out more about

the DWC see http://www.dwlc.lk/

 

Satellite tags are able to track the long distance migration of various

species of wildlife, including marine turtles. They are fixed to the

turtles' shell with epoxy resin and are powered by batteries that last, on

average 10 months. They transmit a signal to orbiting satellites every time

the turtle surfaces to breathe. The satellites then calculate the global

position of the tag and relay the information to researchers on the ground –

for more information see www.seaturtle.org/tagging/satellite.shtml

 

Rekawa Turtle Sanctuary is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka,

approximately 10km east of Tangalle. Five species of marine turtle are known

to nest at Rekawa with the green turtle being the most commonly encountered.

Former village egg collectors have been working with the TCP for over 10

years and have now established a turtle-friendly Turtle watch scheme whereby

tourists from nearby resorts can buy a ticket to be guided onto the beach at

night to watch nesting turtles and emerging hatchlings. The beach was

declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in May 2006 and one the satellite tagged

turtles, Manike, was released by two Sri Lanka Government Ministers in early

July to mark the declaration of the Sanctuary. For more information see

www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/trackturtle/

 

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve was South and South East Asia's first

marine protected area and was declared by the Indian Government and the

State of Tamil Nadu in 1989. It is renowned for it's extensive sea grass

beds, marine algae communities and coral reefs and is home to five species

of marine turtle and the critically endangered dugong. For more information

see www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/trackturtle/

 

BBC Saving Planet Earth is a new flagship BBC wildlife conservation series

currently in production to be broadcast on BBC1 in 2007. For more

information see www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/trackturtle

 

University of Exeter: The Centre for Ecology and Conservation, based at the

University of Exeter, is home to the Marine Turtle Research Group (MTRG),

one of the world's leading marine turtle research institutions, specializing

in satellite telemetry and coordinating projects all around the world. Dr

Brendan Godley and Dr Annette Broderick lead the group and are donating

their time to assist with the data analysis of this project. For more

information see

www.uec.ac.uk/biology/research/biodiversity-research-pages/index.shtml

 

Seaturtle.org is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to providing

online resources and solutions in support of sea turtle conservation and

research. Their pioneering Satellite Tracking And Analysis (STAT) research

tool is a vital component of this project and provides all the maps and data

analysis for the project. For more information see www.seaturtle.org

 

The Deep, a Millennium Commission lottery project is dedicated to increasing

people's enjoyment and understanding of the world's oceans. It first opened

its doors in March 2002 and so far has welcomed over 2.5 million visitors

from the UK and abroad. To find out more about The Deep see

www.thedeep.co.uk

 

Hurtigruten is a Norwegian travel company that specialises in sea cruises.

To find out more about Hurtigruten see www.hurtigruten.co.uk

 

Defra is responsible for delivering the UK Government's sustainable

development objectives, including wildlife conservation and management.

Defra supported this project via the Indian Ocean and South East Asia (IOSEA

Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding Secretariat as a contribution to

the IOSEA Year of the Turtle 2006. To find out more about Defra see

www.defra.gov.uk

 

The IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding promotes collaboration

among nearly 25 Governments and partner organisations across the Indian

Ocean and South-East Asia region. Its Bangkok-based Secretariat is

coordinating a region-wide 'Year of the Turtle' campaign in 2006 aimed at

increasing awareness of the need to conserve sea turtles. To find out more

see www.ioseaturtles.org