Effect of Tourism on Sea Turtles

Muhammad Usama Imran Biology Coursework

Candidate No. 0374 Centre No. 14737

Threats to Marine Turtle Survival

The Problems, Risks to Turtles and Examples

Today the seven species of marine turtle that swim our oceans are all included on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species [1]. Before human intervention, it was thought that only one in one thousand turtle eggs actually survived to become adults. With human as well as natural threats, it is estimated to be up to one in ten thousand [2].

Figure one clearly illustrates how the number of leatherback turtles nesting has fallen in Playa Grande and Ventanas, popular tourist destinations. There has been 95% decrease in the number of female leatherbacks between 1988 and 2002 and there are multiple reasons that have contributed to such a steep fall. This report will concentrate on tourism related threats.

Unfortunately human threats now add to threats posed by nature and if it was not difficult enough to survive before, turtles now have to contend with problems we create. Marine turtles breathe with lungs. This forces them to surface in order to inhale air. The heart (see figure 2) consists of two atriums but one ventricle and results in an incomplete double circulatory system. This allows them to bear high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Blood and muscle tissue can accumulate large quantities of oxygen. These features allow turtles to stay underwater and sleep for up to 6 hours [3]. Along with this, the turtles also like to bask lazily at the sea surface, for hours at a time. This makes them vulnerable to being hit speedboats and jet skis.

Turtles find jellyfish irresistible for their appetite. They often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and consume tar balls and chunks of polythene left by tourist. These items enter the digestive system (and sometimes the respiratory system) and block it. As they can tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in their blood they die a very slow but painful death.

Female turtles surface at night to lay their eggs near the back of sandy beaches. Turtles have one bone in the ear to conduct sound and are therefore especially sensitive to low frequency sounds like ground vibrations [4]. They are very nervous when laying eggs, and can be intimidated by any noise, movement or lights. Because turtles surface during our holiday season, most of the noise, movement and lighting come from bars, hotels and tourists on the beach. If a turtle is disturbed she will retreat back to the sea and if this is repeated, she will just dump her eggs in the ocean, where they will certainly perish.

Having buried the eggs into the sand, the turtle returns back to the sea. Being ecotherms, the eggs need to be incubated in the heat of the Sun. Very often the beaches where the eggs are laid are also tourist hotspots. Beach furniture placed above the nesting ground forms a shadow over it and without any heat to maintain body temperature, the hatchlings often die. Vehicles that drive across the nesting ground compact the sand and make it very difficult for the baby turtles to surface after they break through the egg.

When the hatchlings surface from the sand, they locate their way to sea by following lowest, brightest horizon which is created by the natural reflection of the moon on the sea. Unfortunately, there are other bright horizons such as hotels and bars. These buildings attract turtles inland, where can get crushed by people and cars.

Solutions, Benefits to Turtles and Examples

There are multiple solutions available to each threat presented by humans but with all being directly or indirectly linked to tourism; the resolutions have to be viable and feasible enough for tourist organisations and local governments to accept.

One ...

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Solutions, Benefits to Turtles and Examples

One of the solutions is to make the public more aware of the threat they pose as tourists on beaches which are also nesting grounds. The Travel Foundation was set up in 2003 to provide destination specific information on sustainable tourism and raise awareness for endangered species [5]. Since then it has worked with tourist organisations and major groups across the world, promoting conservation and sustainability of such species. Together with the Marine Conservation Society, they released a video which was aimed at educating tourists about the habits of turtles, how tourism threatens their survival, and what we can do as tourists (the advice given by The Travel Foundation is in Appendix A on page 5).

An alternative solution to raising awareness is to simply protect areas from any interference. On 6th January 2009, then American president, George Bush announced the creation of the world’s largest marine protection area, spanning 505,000 square kilometres [6]. Included amongst the “three marine monuments”, Rose Atoll, is a vital nesting ground for green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles [7] and this move was welcomed by environmentalists. If lobbyists manage to increase the protection zones from 50 to 200 miles, a size that cover all reefs, turtle populations will see healthy growth and some species may be removed from the list of endangered species.

Raising awareness will only make a limited difference and protecting areas will have huge economical implications. Another, more effective solution has to be found. There has to be solution which permits tourism but also permits a healthy growth of turtle numbers. Iztuzu beach in Dalyan, a 4.5km stretch of stunning golden sand, is the second most important site for endangered loggerhead turtles [8]. After a collective effort by conservationists, this popular tourist resort was saved from development (full story in Appendix B on page 6). In the day, the beach is open to public and a hugely used resort with up to 5000 visitors a day in peak season [9]. There are distinguished nesting zones, where digging, lying and using umbrellas are forbidden. There is a one mile exclusion zone for speedboats and jet skis. At night, helpers put metal cages (see figure 3) over the nests to prevent dogs and foxes digging them up. The minimal tourist facilities are made from wood and roofs from reeds. Waste is removed daily but there are recycling bins on either side of the beach. Officials patrol 24 hours a day, keeping everything in order [10]. This project has greatly benefited turtle populations because a monitoring programme taken on by university students’ shows that the population is stabilising and the number of nests are increasing slightly. If similar solutions are implemented in more places across the globe, then turtle numbers will be restored at a faster rate.

Implications

Social

International tourism almost always has a negative impact on the culture of the tourism dependent countries (if it is considerably different to other countries). It fuels social problems within local communities as young people leave their villages for work in tourist resorts, usually on the coasts. With a reduction of tourism, there will not be a major departure of young people from the villages and cultures and traditions will not be devalued (if they have not been majorly distorted already). This will help preserve the national identity of a country.

Economic

The governments of countries whose major income is provided by tourism will be affected negatively by such developments. Tourist numbers are likely to decrease because of policies such as those on Iztuzu beach. This will affect the economy of the country and tourist organisations, owners of clubs, bars and hotels, will all oppose this. In countries like Cyprus, there are no industries which provide the income and lifestyle that tourism does. This situation is identical in Egypt. With less money available, these countries will not be able to develop key sectors such as education and healthcare. This will have a knock-on effect as the inhabitants will migrate to more economically developed countries (i.e. Britain and America) in search of a better lifestyle and this will leave the government without people to buy goods, use services and keep the economy circulating.

Evaluation of References/Sources

Times Newspaper (Non web based source but online links have been provided)

- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/green_travel/article5225317.ece

- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5456232.ece

The Times is a compact newspaper (a broadsheet newspaper in a smaller format) and is generally perceived to be more intellectual in content than tabloid equivalents. It has a massive scope because it analyses stories in greater depths and present a more complete picture. The newspaper is less biased than others and tries, as much as it can, to present different views on a story. It relies on logical arguments rather than speculative ones for its evaluations of stories and the sources I have used were published quite recently, also making it quite reliable. It is not as valid because all of its writers have certain views and are politically influenced somehow – something which can be noted in articles. For example, Frank Pope has a degree in zoology and is a maritime archaeologist. These aspects will affect his objectivity and credibility. No matter how hard the press tries to be impartial, there is always a bias. The sources on the whole can be trusted as each newspaper has hundreds of correspondents across the world - their sources are therefore likely to be primary.

MEDASSET - Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (web based source)

- http://www.medasset.org/cms/index.php

MEDASSET is an association setup solely to protect turtles and conserve their habitats. With one aim, it is very likely to be biased on all matters regarding the welfare of turtles. Because of this influence, I have little confidence in the techniques used to gather data and was very cautious when reading about their projects and quoting their work. I do not know whether the basis for their arguments consults primary or secondary data and this affects the credibility of the information. With a small scope, only news which concerns itself with turtles will be presented and therefore information will be analysed differently.

Appendix A

Advice for tourists through awareness cartoon: Turtles in Trouble

Don’t drive speedboats or jet skis where there are turtles in the water. If you do use boats of jet skis, make sure you keep a lookout for turtles in the water. Always drive slowly and keep a safe distance from any turtles you see.
Always dispose of litter responsibly – never throw litter on the sea, leave it on the beach and never flush it down the toilet.
Don’t walk on turtle nesting beaches at night. Make sure there is absolutely no hotel or villa light shining on the beach and ask hotel managers to switch off any problem lights. Refuse to go to any bars and restaurants that refuse to turn off problem lights.
Don’t drive vehicles or ride horses on turtle nesting beaches. Avoid walking along the back of the beach. During the day, keep all beach furniture close to the sea.
Always make sure beach furniture is removed from nesting beaches before nightfall. Level off any sandcastles and fill in any holes that have been dug. Through these simple actions, you might make the difference between life and death for a turtle.

Appendix B

How Iztuzu Beach was Saved from Development

The story of how a handful of Turkish and European conservationists, galvanized by English 'Turtle Lady' June Haimoff, saved Iztuzu from development is remarkable.

For several summers Haimoff had lived in a wooden hut on the beach, alongside families from the town, and had watched the huge females digging their nests (even saving one from a knife-wielding local man who wanted its shell for a cradle) and had rescued hatchlings that were disorientated by the artificial lights and noise from the settlement.

Eventually the huts were dismantled but, unknown to the conservationists, permission was given for the much more damaging holiday complex instead. When bulldozers arrived on the beach Haimoff sent a frantic telegram to the WWF. Prince Philip, as president of the WWF, asked the Turkish Prime Minister to delay the project, to allow an environmental impact study to be carried out.

This was done, the Prime Minister acted, and in the summer of 1988 the beach, along with the area's red pine and sweet gum forests and marshlands, was given SPA (Special Environmental Protection Area) status and the building project cancelled.

Bibliography

Specific References

[1] Marine Conservation Society Website – Marine Turtles – Introduction

- http://www.mcsuk.org/media/turtle_flashvideo/index.html

[2] Caribbean Conservation Corporation – Marine Turtles – Introduction

- http://www.mcsuk.org/media/turtle_flashvideo/index.html

[3] Archelon – Sea Turtle Biology – Morphology – Ending

- http://www.archelon.gr/eng/biology.php?row=row7

[4] Archelon – Sea Turtle Biology – Morphology – Ending

- http://www.archelon.gr/eng/biology.php?row=row7

[5] Partnerships for Sustainable Development – Coordination and Implementation

- http://webapps01.un.org/dsd/partnerships/public/partnerships/245.html

[6] Coral Reef Alliance - Bush to establish world's largest marine protection area - Intro.

- http://www.coral.org/node/4047

[7] Times Newspaper - George W Bush turns green to save marine treasures - by Frank Pope et al.

[8] Times Newspaper – Green Spaces: Dalyan, Turkey – Introduction - by Annie Gatti

[9] Times Newspaper – Green Spaces: Dalyan, Turkey – Main body – by Annie Gatti

[10] Times Newspaper – Green Spaces: Dalyan, Turkey – Ending – by Annie Gatti

Figure References

Tracking Creatures Through The Trackless Sea Blog (courtesy of the sea turtle restoration project) - http://whyfiles.org/196ocean/
Southern Oregon Enterprises - http://www.soveinc.com/newpage11.htm
Sea Turtle Research Team – Dalyan Project – Photographs

- http://www.strt.hacettepe.edu.tr/english/dalyan_eng.htm#Development

Appendix References

Appendix A: Turtles in Trouble Cartoon – Only advice given has been recorded and typed

- http://www.mcsuk.org/media/turtle_flashvideo/index.html

Print screen - http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/turtles+and+tourism
Print screen - http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/turtles+and+tourism

Appendix B: Times Newspaper – Green Spaces: Dalyan, Turkey - by Annie Gatti

- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/green_travel/article5225317.ece

Figure B.1: Photo - http://www.villadalyan.co.uk/beach.htm

General References and Sources

Marine Conservation Society - http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/the+marine+turtles
Caribbean Conservation Corporation - http://www.cccturtle.org/sea-turtle-information.php
Archelon (The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece) - http://www.archelon.gr/eng/biology.php?row=row7
Times Newspaper Articles (Non web based source)

– Green Space: Dalyan, Turkey, by Annie Gatti

– George W Bush turns green to save marine treasures, by Frank Pope et al.