The Green Sea Turtle is the second largest species of marine turtle family after the Leatherback turtle. It can grow upto 3.5 feet in carapace size and as heavy as 180 Kg. It is found throughout the world in all tropical and sub-tropical oceans. The prominent nesting beaches of Green Turtle include U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida Bay, Mexican Islands, Costa Rica, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Philippine, Malaysia and Australia.
Green Turtles breed in different countries in different season generally from July to November. In Pakistan, Green Turtle nests for eggs on Sandspit and Hawksbay beaches throughout the year with a remarkable apex from September to January. A breeding female nests three to four times during the season. Every year, an average of 800 nests have been observed at beaches of Karachi. Coastal areas of Balochistan are also believed to support a large number of Green Turtles.
The Green Turtle species is facing various challenges in order to last in marine world. The threats to its populations include several factors from its low growth rate to other environmental constraints. The rate of successful hatching from eggs in an ideal situation and habitat is just 55 percent. The eggs buried in sand are also foraged by crabs, crows, eagle and stray dogs etc. The survival rate of hatchlings in sea is as low as 0.1 percent, since a large number of baby turtles are eaten by fish and other under water creatures. Many large and small turtles are also trapped in nets of fish-trawlers.
There is another perilous fact about newly born turtles that they start crawling towards light. Those who have been hatched in night hours will move toward any hut with lights, instead of going into the sea. There is a risk of being consumed by dogs as well as quashing by any vehicle for those little turtles.
The Green Turtle species is facing various challenges in order to last in marine world. The threats to its populations include several factors from its low growth rate to other environmental constraints. The rate of successful hatching from eggs in an ideal situation and habitat is just 55 percent. The eggs buried in sand are also foraged by crabs, crows, eagle and stray dogs etc. The survival rate of hatchlings in sea is as low as 0.1 percent, since a large number of baby turtles are eaten by fish and other under water creatures. Many large and small turtles are also trapped in nets of fish-trawlers.
There is another perilous fact about newly born turtles that they start crawling towards light. Those who have been hatched in night hours will move toward any hut with lights, instead of going into the sea. There is a risk of being consumed by dogs as well as quashing by any vehicle for those little turtles.
Human intrusion is another key factor to the destruction of its population. The meat of Green Turtle is being eaten in many countries therefore it is netted largely. The eggs of Green Turtle are also taken away by people since they are believed to cure various ailments. Commercial and industrial expansion on beaches like construction of private huts, hotels, resorts, recreational clubs and hydropower plants etc. caused a sever destruction to turtle’s nesting grounds in many parts of the world. Presently, the status of green turtle in endangered on all of its locales. A numerous projects are running in many countries in order to protect Green Turtles from total extinction.
“Marine Turtle Conservation Project”, run by Sindh Wildlife Department is one of them. The project team works round the clock at Turtle Nursing Centers, two of them at Sandspit and one at Hawksbay. The team consists of 1 Officer, 5 guards and few volunteers who live nearby. They are providing protection both to the Green Turtles and its laid eggs by guarding them from predators. They start tracking along the beach soon after dark and mark the places where turtles are sighted on course of laying eggs.
Soon after the turtle completes laying eggs and returns to sea, the workers dig the pit, collect eggs and transplant them in netted enclosures inside the hatcheries. The collected eggs are incubated under the sand in safe enclosures and the hatchlings are produced in 40 to 60 days.
The workers are also responsible for checking each enclosure for new hatchlings every hour. As soon they find any baby turtle out from the egg, they immediately carry it to the shore and release it safely into the sea. The project team is also maintaining a proper record of each egg and the hatchling since the project was started. Approximately 2.2 millions eggs have been transplanted from open area to the safe enclosures and more than 0.6 millions hatchlings have been released into the sea since 1980.
Breeding females are also tagged with number-plates on their front flippers. These tags help in determining the movement of Green Turtles across oceans since they have long migration tendency. In 1995, a female turtle was tagged and released in sea by Marine Turtle Project team at Hawksbay. The same turtle was recaptured from Beraisole Village, North East Africa exactly after 365 days. The distance negotiated by this turtle was about 3,240 km with an average of 8.9 km per day. Some other turtles tagged at Hawksbay have also been caught in Iran and India.
A remarkable decline has been observed in Turtle’s visitation and nesting at beaches of Karachi in last decade despite the day and night efforts of an overly dedicated team for long. There are many complex problems and are increasing day by day in order to provide a healthier and safer environment to turtles at our beaches. Inadequate research facilities, lack of cooperation among environmental organizations and above all the shortage of funds are the key problems.
Marine Turtle Project is the last hope for the survival of Green Turtles in this region. Though, the population of turtles has not been increased so far, however it has been sustained to an extent that the Green Turtle can still be seen nesting at the beaches of Karachi. If the project was not there, we would have been unable to explain to our next generation how the Green Turtle looked like.
Public awareness and cooperation is essential in order to achieve the best of the turtle protection project. People who visit Sandspit and Hawksbay beaches for picnic, should realize that these beaches are the crucial abodes with no choice for turtles to multiply their population, in other words to continue their existence in this region. A few little deeds from people can make the turtle survive in marine world and to keep playing its veiled and vital role in sustaining the ecological equilibrium.
Besides providing protection to turtles, Sindh Wildlife Department also arranges Turtle Watching Tours for foreign visitors, schools, companies, private groups and individuals during nesting season at Sandspit beach. The tour includes a visit to Turtle Hatchery where one can watch the eggs of turtle and newly hatched baby turtles, followed by a Turtle-watching trip at beach where the visitors can watch a female turtle coming out from the sea, digging a pit for the nest and laying eggs. Finally, the visitors are given a chance to release turtle hatchlings into the sea themselves. It is really a worth going to see Turtles and their breeding phenomenon at our beaches.
