• Today is World Turtle Day 

Today (23) is World Turtle Day, aimed at raising awareness and promoting the conservation and protection of turtles and tortoises around the world.

Here in Sri Lanka, it is all the more important to observe this day and encourage people to take action to protect these vulnerable species and their habitats, considering that of the seven species of sea turtles identified in the world, five of them lay eggs on our shores.

Of these gentle ambassadors of the ocean, the five that make Sri Lanka their nesting place are the Leatherback Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Green Turtle, and the Olive Ridley Turtle. Species not found in Sri Lanka are the Flatback Turtle and Kemp’s Ridley Turtle.

Easy prey

With a lifespan of some 150 years, turtles come to land to lay eggs, laying around 100 eggs in a hole that they dig and then cover for protection before going back to sea. 

It takes 50 days or so for the eggs to hatch, after which the baby turtles dig their way out and make their way down to the water – all the while being easy prey for birds, fish, and humans. Only a very small percentage survive into adulthood.

Breaking the law

According to Section 30(1) of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of 1972, it is a punishable offence to capture, injure, kill, possess, or transport sea turtles and their eggs. 

Despite this, people still collect sea turtle eggs to eat or to sell to hatcheries. 

The collection of eggs is rife in the western and southern coastal belts, which are well known nesting beaches, and has resulted in many hatchlings being lost to egg poachers.

While some people drink the eggs raw, boil them, or make omelettes with them, they are also prepared as a ‘bite’ to be consumed with alcohol.

As for the hatcheries, which some are conservation centres aimed at tackling this issue, others are purely money-making operations, which don’t take the necessary steps to protect these vulnerable species.

A host of threats

Turtles also face a threat from the fisheries industry, with many getting entangled in fishing nets. The turtle by-catch is quite high in Sri Lanka and injured turtles washing ashore has become a common sight in many areas. 

Meanwhile, beach erosion, especially due to rough seas, has resulted in the loss of many nesting beaches. 

The destruction of Sri Lanka’s coral reefs due to global warming and alarming rise of the temperature in the sea have also increased the danger to marine turtles. Just a one degree change can result in the death of coral reels, which provide foraging grounds for sea turtles. 

The destroyal of lagoons and mangroves due to pollution, shrimp farming, coastal tourism development activities, and the clearing of beach vegetation also destroy the habitats of marine turtles. 

Beach vegetation is essential for nesting as turtle nests are incubated by sunlight, which should be filtered through the leaves and branches of beach vegetation.

Other threats to marine turtles are the slaughter of nesting female turtles at rookeries, unsustainable exploitation of marine turtle habitats, uncontrolled environmentally insensitive development of industries close to marine turtle habitats which result in indirect as well as direct effects to marine turtle populations, nocturnal disturbances at rookeries, and contamination by agricultural and industrial pollutants. 

Protecting marine turtles

All of us can play a part in protecting marine turtles, ensuring that they keep visiting their natural habitats for generations to come. 

Here are a few ways to do this:

Learn about sea turtle biology, conservation, and management

Make sure not to use bright lights towards the sea, which attracts the hatchlings, who, instead of heading to the sea straight away, go towards the light. If there is traffic, the babies go towards the traffic instead of going to the sea

If you find an injured turtle, call the Wildlife Department

Encourage researchers to conduct research in Sri Lanka into the lifecycle of the turtle

Help spread the conservation message – every single person can become an effective ambassador for these gentle ambassadors of the ocean