UAE-PAKISTAN SEA TURTLE PROJECT

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UAE helps track marine turtles in Pakistan using satellite transmitters

In line with its belief in strengthening nation-wide partnerships and

sharing of technologies for the benefit of environmental conservation, the

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), in cooperation with WWF - Pakistan,

the country's largest conservation NGO, and the Sindh Wildlife Department,

recently installed a satellite transmitter on a marine turtle at the

Sandspit, Karachi coast.

 

- Tuesday, September 26 - 2006 at 09:10

 

[image: Turtle finds its way to the sea after the attachment of the

satellite transmitter.] Turtle finds its way to the sea after the attachment

of the satellite transmitter.

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Mr. Majid Al-Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD, witnessed the release,

which was the second cooperation of its kind, with the first release in

Pakistan being organized in 2001. A second transmitter is planned to be

installed on another turtle later this week.

 

The main objective is to monitor the movement patterns of the marine turtle,

which is declared an as an endangered species by the World Conservation

Union (IUCN).

 

Prior to the release, Ali Hassan Habib, Director General of WWF-Pakistan,

delivered a key note address. It was followed by a presentation about the

NGO's conservation initiatives. Thabit Zahran Al Abdessalaam, Director of

EAD's Marine Environment Research Center (MERC), presented an overview of

Abu Dhabi's marine programmes. Also present during the release was Brigadier

(Retd.) Mukhtar Ahmed Vice President Emeritus WWF- Pakistan.

 

Are We Tracking this Turtle?The transmitter, installed on the turtle's

exterior, will help in collecting information about post-nesting migration

patterns of the turtles, their foraging area, the time spent for foraging

and the resting and distance covered per day. It will also help in

collecting information about their biological characteristics and general

behavior. These data will help determine what conservation measures need to

be implemented to protect marine turtles. Both transmitters were provided by

EAD, which also trained WWF - Pakistan's staff on satellite telemetry of

marine turtles. In 2001, the data collected showed that the tagged turtles

returned back to the nesting habitat to re-nest.

 

About Marine Turtles In the UAEHere in the UAE, EAD has been conducting a

sea turtle survey project of nesting habitats in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. The

green and hawksbill turtles are the focus of this project, as they are

regularly observed in UAE waters. However, the hawksbill is the only species

that nests. The survey, which extended from Abu Dhabi City to Al Sila and

the offshore islands of the Emirate, has helped EAD develop a strategy for

conserving the species.

 

Hawksbill turtles nest from mid-March to mid-June. The hawksbill turtle,

which have so far been recorded to nest only on the islands, will not nest

in areas containing heavy debris and litter, on rocky shores, near mangroves

or exposed tidal flats. They require clean, sandy beaches to nest.

 

In PakistanTwo species nest in Pakistan, they are: Green Turtle and Olive

Ridley. Normally, the nesting season of marine turtles along the Pakistan

coast begins every year from August until January.