Discover the world's largest leatherback turtle population

A group of scientists recently found a hidden population of leatherback turtles in Gabon, West Africa and the largest turtle population in the world. The study is published in the May issue of Biological Conservation, which includes national and terrestrial surveys. The study estimates that populations of about 15,730 to 41,373 female turtles are making a beach nest.

The study underscores the importance of conservation to maintain key sites as well as protected areas in Gabon.

Leatherback turtles have gained a great deal of attention worldwide after the populations of turtles in the Indian and Pacific oceans have decreased by more than 90% in the 1980s and 1990s. The International Commission for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ) has introduced the lizard turtle to the list of globally threatened species, but accurate estimates of the populations of turtles in the Atlantic Ocean, especially in Africa, are still lacking.

The study was conducted by the University of Exeter in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Commission (WCS) to direct the Gabon Sea Turtle Association - a network of organizations interested in preserving marine turtles. in Gabon. During three nesting seasons from 2002 to 2007, members of the research team conducted the most comprehensive surveys of sea turtles in Gabon. Among them included aerial surveys along Gabon's 600-kilometer coastline, using video footage for evaluation, and also detailed ground tests. By tracking the entire coastline, the researchers not only estimated the number of eggs and the number of females laying eggs, but could also identify key locations where turtles often dig. This information is very important in developing conservation and development management plans for turtles. Leatherback turtles were the first species discovered to lay eggs in Gabon in 1984.

The main author of the study, Dr. Matthew Witt of the University of Exeter, said: 'We know that Gabon is an important spawning site for leatherback turtles, but so far we only know very little about the size. populations as well as its global rankings. We are currently focusing our efforts on local agencies, focusing our efforts on ensuring that this population of turtles is protected from threats from illegal fishing, egg nest poaching and pollution. , impacts affecting the living environment, as well as climate change ' .

The study also revealed that about 79% of the nest is located inside National Parks and other protected areas. This gives a new hope that Gabon may continue to be one of the most important countries in the world for these rare creatures.

Sea lizard turtle. (Photo: NOAA)

Dr. Angela Formia of the Wildlife Conservation Society and co-author of the study said: 'These findings suggest the irreplaceable importance of conservation areas in maintaining these populations of leatherback turtles. Gabon needs to be praised for its efforts to establish a network of National Parks in 2002, which have provided refuge for this threatened animal as well as precious wildlife. Other rare '.

The study was conducted by the University of Exeter, Association of Wildlife Conservation, Florence University, IUCN - France, PROTOMAC (Gabon), CNDIO - Gabon, IBONGA - ACPE (Gabon), Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux ( Gabon), Gabon Environment Agency, Aventures Sans Frontières (Gabon) and WWF-Gabon.

The study is possible thanks to the support of the Natural Environment Research Council (UK), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (US), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - Central African Regional Environment Program (CARPE). The team also received £ 300,000 (about $ 450,000) from Darwin funds for a three-year project, working with local organizations to improve marine biodiversity management in Gabon.

About sea turtle

Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtles, reaching 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length and 540 kg (1190 pounds). Unlike other sea turtles, leatherbacks don't have a hard shell. Its shell is made up of small bones surrounded by solid rubber-like skin with longitudinal ridges. Leatherbacks are one of the most widely distributed sea turtles, and are also found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, especially in tropical waters. Leatherbacks are also the deepest diving species among sea turtles. Their deepest recorded dive is 1.2 km (3/4 mile), which is slightly larger than the largest depth a sperm whale attains. Like other reptiles, the sex of the lizard turtle is determined by the temperature of the eggs during hatching. With leatherback turtles, temperatures above 29 degrees C (84 degrees F) will cause eggs to hatch female turtles. Leatherback turtles are healthy swimmers, they cross the basins of the sea and swim through thousands of kilometers to find food sources of jellyfish.

Refer
Matthew J. Witt, Bruno Baert, Annette C. Broderick, Angela Formia, Jacques Fretey, Alain Gibudi, Carine Moussounda, Gil Avery Mounguengui Mounguengui, Solange Ngouessono, Richard J. Parnell, Dominique Roumet, Guy-Philippe Sounguet, Bas Verhage, Alex Zogo, Brendan J. Godley.Aerial surveying of the world largest leatherback turtle rookery: A more effective method for large-scale monitoring.Biological Conservation, 2009;DOI: 10.1016 / j.biocon.2009.03.009