Half century of protection pays off for sea turtles

Date:
March 9, 2022
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
Green turtle numbers continue to rise on a group of islands where
the species has now been protected for more than 50 years, new
research shows.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Green turtle numbers continue to rise on a group of islands where the
species has now been protected for more than 50 years, new research shows.


========================================================================== Turtles were hunted at Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles until a ban
in 1968.

The population has been tracked by estimating how many clutches of eggs
are laid -- and that figure has risen from 2,000-3,000 per year in the
late 1960s to more than 15,000 per year in the latest data (2014-19).

The study was carried outby a team of researchers from the Seychelles
Islands Foundation with analytical support from the University of Exeter.

"Green turtles have suffered massive historical population declines due to intensive harvesting of nesting females," said lead author Adam Pritchard,
from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus
in Cornwall.

"Aldabra Atoll was the first green turtle nesting site to be protected
in the Western Indian Ocean, with a ban on turtle capture in 1968,
followed by continued long-term monitoring by Seychelles Islands
Foundation researchers." Professor Brendan Godley, who helped supervise
the research, added: "It's been an honour to support the analysis of
the decades of work by the Seychelles team.



==========================================================================
"The ongoing population increase of Aldabra's green turtles is testament
to long-term protection, and offers some clear evidence of the fact
that we can be optimistic about marine conservation, well enacted."
The study's results reveal that green turtle clutches have increased at
Aldabra by 2.6% per year overall, with the greatest increase at Settlement Beach on Picard, where exploitation of nesting females was historically
the most intense.

Co-author Cheryl Sanchez, who is currently doing a PhD on Aldabra's
turtles, said: "This study demonstrates the importance of long-term
monitoring, which is often seen as less glamorous and valuable than
targeted research.

"It has taken decades of tireless commitment to collect the data to
confirm this increase, and the foresight to protect the nesting population before it was too late.

"Aldabra's green turtles should continue to be an incredible conservation success story that we can follow for decades to come." The study's
figures confirm Aldabra as the second-largest monitored green turtle
rookery in the region.

The research also shows the considerable contribution of Aldabra to
regional green turtle numbers and clearly demonstrates the benefits of long-term protection and monitoring.

Furthermore, with Aldabra's turtle population still being well below
estimated pre-exploitation population numbers, the increase is likely
to continue.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. AM Pritchard, CL Sanchez, N Bunbury, AJ Burt, JC Currie, N Doak, F
Fleischer-Dogley, K Metcalfe, JA Mortimer, H Richards, J van de
Crommenacker, BJ Godley. Green turtle population recovery at
Aldabra Atoll continues after 50 yr of protection. Endangered
Species Research, 2022; 47: 205 DOI: 10.3354/esr01174 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309104449.htm

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