The world's largest nesting population of leatherback sea
turtles has been identified in Africa, it was announced today.
Land and aerial surveys indicate
a population of between 15,730 and 41,373
female turtles use the nesting beaches in
Gabon, West
Africa.
Leatherbacks are of intense conservation concern around the
world after populations in the Indo-Pacific crashed by more than 90 percent in the 1980s
and 1990s. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists
leatherback turtles as critically
endangered globally, but detailed population assessments in much of
the Atlantic, especially Africa, are lacking.
The research was led by the University of
Exeter working in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which spearheads the
Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership, a network of
organizations concerned with the protection of marine turtles in
Gabon
About leatherback turtles
Aerial surveys
During three nesting seasons between 2002 and 2007, the team's
members carried out a comprehensive survey of marine turtles in
Gabon. This involved aerial surveys along Gabon's 372 mile (600
kilometer) coast, using video to capture footage for evaluation,
and detailed ground-based monitoring.
By covering the entire coastline, the team was not only able to
estimate the number of nests and nesting females, but also to
identify the key sites for leatherback nesting, data which are
crucial to developing
conservation management plans for the
species. Leatherbacks were first described nesting in Gabon in
1984.
The new finding on the turtle population was published in the
May issue of the journal Biological Conservation.
"We knew that Gabon was an important nesting site for
leatherback turtles but until now had little idea of the size of
the population or its global ranking, said Matthew Witt of the
University of Exeter, lead author of the
research paper. "We are now focusing our efforts on working with
local agencies to coordinate conservation efforts to ensure this
population is protected against the threats from illegal fisheries,
nest poaching, pollution and habitat disturbance, and climate change."
Protected areas are key
The study also revealed that around 79 percent of the turtles'
nesting occurs within National Parks and other protected areas.
"These findings show the critical importance of protected areas
to maintain populations of sea turtles," said Angela Formia of the
Wildlife Conservation Society, a co-author of the
paper. "Gabon should be commended for creating a network of
National Parks in 2002 that have provided a sanctuary for this
endangered species as well as other rare
wildlife."
The study was made possible through funding by the Natural Environment Research Council, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (U.S Department of the
Interior).
To see turtles currently being tracked from Gabon see:
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=340.
