OUR CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
SEA TURTLES
In the Maldives, critically endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were once widely harvested for their meat for human consumption. Additionally, sea turtle eggs were collected from nests as a food source. Critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) were often harvested to fuel tourism-driven demand for tortoiseshell - the polished carapace of hawksbill turtles often fashioned into jewellery and other decorative items. In 1995, amid concerns of the sustainability of harvest rates, a nationwide ban was placed on turtle harvests. This was followed in 2005 and 2016 with the implementation of egg harvesting bans. Despite this legislation, illegal poaching of turtles and their eggs still occurs throughout the Maldives.
SEA TURTLE
NESTING
Olhuveli- the island on which Six Senses Laamu is based - is fortunate to have high turtle nesting activity. The island has played host to 142 turtle nests between the years 2011-2021, with 26 nests in 2021 alone. There is no true nesting season identified at Six Senses Laamu, and nesting happens unpredictably.
Olive Ridley Project (ORP) staff monitor each and every nest on the island to determine nest success - i.e., the proportion of eggs that hatch and the number of hatchlings that emerge. ORP is also recording sand temperature data during incubation period, as the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the developing embryos, with higher temperatures being corelated with a higher percentage of females. It is our aim to also conduct genetic sampling of hatchlings to understand the nesting population of Laamu and collect first information on the genetic diversity of green turtles in the Maldives in general.
ORP furthermore monitors nesting frequency on Gaadhoo, a nearby uninhabited island reported to be one of the most important green turtle nesting beaches in the Maldives. In December 2021, Gaadhoo’s nesting beach was designated a Marine Protected Area, and ORP is currently working with the government and other stakeholders towards the creation of effective management strategies for the area. Sadly, illegal poaching on this island is still observed very often and measures to enforce current and upcoming legislation is needed. , and so ORP are currently working to better protect Gaadhoo.
PHOTO
IDENTIFICATION
Securing the protection of Laamu’s turtle population first requires greater understanding of the population itself, and the pressures which threaten it. Olive Ridley Project aims to better understand population dynamics in Laamu and maintains a database of identified turtles. Individual turtles possess unique facial scales which allow for reidentification over time without the application of invasive capture-mark-recapture methods. This helps to infer the size of the wider Laamu turtle population. ORP’s Laamu database currently contains more than 670 individuals and is fourth largest database by atoll in the Maldives. The database is growing consistently year after year with the help of trained staff as well as enthusiastic citizen scientists. We still do not know the true size of Laamu’s turtle population, as we are constantly identifying new individuals. Guests at Six Senses Laamu, and on passing liveaboards, can contribute to ORP's database by submitting ID photographs of turtles encountered in Laamu to laamu@oliveridleyproject.org.
ABOUT
THE OLIVE RIDLEY PROJECT
ORP has been working in the Maldives since 2013, with the goal to protect sea turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean.
One of the most critical aspects of ORP’s work is the collection of data on lost, abandoned or discarded fishing gear (ghost gear) found drifting in Maldivian waters. Each year, ghost gear entangles hundreds of sea turtles, many of whom suffer horrendous injuries, often obtained whilst struggling to free themselves. ORP recovers ghost gear and collects data which can be used to track its origin. This information can determine the types of net most often lost or discarded, and the types of net most likely to entangle turtles. ORP can then work with the relevant manufacturers and fishers in the wider Indian Ocean to help reduce the ghost net problem. Here in Laamu, we do not find entangled turtles as often as in atolls further north, however ORP have rescued 12 sea turtles since partnering with Six Senses Laamu in April 2018.
