Turtle walk
A turtle walk or turtle patrol is a traverse of a beach to observe or conserve sea turtles.[1] Conservation activities include collection of turtle eggs to relocate them to a safer place and clearing plastic waste. When turtle hatchlings emerge, volunteers may assist them into the sea.[2] Using turtle talk volunteers to accompany tourists is said to decrease disturbance of sea turtles, their nests and hatchlings, while promoting ecotourism.[3]
Costa Rica
_(7087268043).jpg)
The beaches of Tortuguero are a major site for nesting turtles and are protected as a national park.[3][4]To conserve the turtles from threats such as over-harvesting, a programme of dispersal was tried but this was not successful. The strategy is now to promote ecotourism with the turtles as an attraction and local villagers are trained as guides. Walks to observe the nesting turtles require a certified guide and this controls and minimizes disturbance of the beaches. It also gives the locals a financial interest in conservation and the guides now defend the turtles from threats such as poaching.[4] Efforts in Costa Rica's Pacific Coast are facilitated by a non-profit organization, Sea Turtles Forever.[5] Thousands of people are involved in turtle walks, and substantial revenues accrue from the fees paid for the privilege.[6]
India
Romulus Whitaker's 'turtle walks' begun in the early 1970s,[7] with turtle monitoring and survey programme on the Chennai coast.[8] Ann Joseph,[7] working at the Madras Snake Park, helped with setting up World Wildlife Fund activities in Mumbai and then became involved with the turtle walk. Due to her efforts, the popularity of the walks grew and many college students joined in. Later Preston Ahimaz[7] the WWF coordinator and then Bhanumathi, continued the turtle walks for many years. The eggs that were collected in these walks were relocated in one of the Forest Department's hatcheries on the coast.[8] The ultimate turtle walker though was Satish Bhaskar. In a period of around 4 years in the 1970s, Satish walked over 4,000 km along the Indian coastline collecting information on sea turtles, their tracks and their nesting. Satish walked in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Odisha and most parts of the mainland coast.[8]
The turtle hatcheries in Chennai were operated first by the Madras Snake Park, followed by the CMFRI and Tamil Nadu Forest Department. By the late 1980s, the state hatcheries in Tamil Nadu were closed due to lack of funding and the programme returned to the NGOs.[8] Once the forest department closed down their hatcheries in the late 1980s, two ambitious youngsters formed a students' group in 1998 – the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN), which set up hatcheries and continued the turtle walks in Chennai. This volunteer group continues to patrol the beach every night and organises public turtle walks every weekend in the turtle season. The Tree Foundation also conducts public turtle walks during the season.[8]
United States
Volunteers in other places use vehicles such as beach buggies to look for turtle nests and hatching. In Florida, they are organised as the Turtle Patrol.[9]
Other Places
Turtle patrols and walks take place in
See also
- Sea turtle
References
- ↑ "If you go on a Turtle tour". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Deseret News (Salt Lake City). July 24, 2005. Retrieved November 26, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
- ↑ "Join the turtle walk". New Indian Express. Newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hummel, John (11 March 2011) [1994]. "Ecotourism development in protected areas of developing countries". World leisure & Recreation. Taylor & Francis. 36 (2): 17–23. doi:10.1080/10261133.1994.9673909. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Godfrey, David (1999), CCC Celebrates 40 Years of Sea Turtle Conservation, Sea Turtle Conservancy
- ↑ "Seaside Couple Protect Costa Rican Turtles". Eugene Register-Guard. March 26, 2005. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ↑ Troëng, Sebastian; Mangel, Jeff; Kélez, Sheleyla; Meyers, Andy; et al. (22 February 2000). "Report on the 1999 Green Turtle Program at Tortuguero, Cosa Rica" (PDF). Caribbean Conservation Corporation and the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica. pp. 11, 21–23, 29, 32.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Baskaran, S. Theodore (19 May 2002), "The ebb and flow of life", The Hindu
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Shanker, Kartik (2015). From Soup to Superstar. Uttar Pradesh, India: HarperCollins. pp. 17, 55–57, 200–201. ISBN 978-93-5177-232-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Gromling, Frank; Cavaliere, Mike (2010), Tracks in the Sand: Sea Turtles and Their Protectors, Flagler Beach, Florida: Ocean Publishing, ISBN 9780982694008
- ↑ Becker, Kathleen (2014), "On Turtle Patrol: the Bradt travel guide.", São Tomé and Príncipe, Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt Travel Guides, ISBN 9781841624860
- ↑ "Actors and activists fight for endangered green sea turtles' nesting site in Hong Kong", South China Morning Post, 26 June 2018
| Stub icon | This article about a turtle is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
