ISTS Symposium43 Program/Agenda

To curb increased poaching, the late Korschens joined hands with the Shella community in 1992 and established Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (LaMCoT), a not-for-profit organization with the aim of ensuring effective conservation and protection of sea turtles around the island. LaMCoT has since then helped raise awareness of the importance of sea turtles and helped the community patrol the beaches to curb the poaching menace. Transformed poachers, who really understood the importance of conserving these species were employed. They have been patrolling for over 30 years, yielding a lot of insights on turtle conservation. The project also involved tagging sea turtle by-catch and releasing them back to the ocean. As of 2024, LaMCoT has rescued and released more than 1265 sea turtles, 95.8% of them being the Endangered Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and 4% the Critically Endangered Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). 903 nests have successfully hatched under our supervision, with an overall average incubation period of 51.29 days. 100,093 hatchlings have been released. Despite the efforts on patrolling and monitoring the nests, there has been sevral unsuccessful nests especially in 2021 and 2022. This has led to the organization to collaborate with other partners to figure out the reason behind it. Mohamed is a potential phD candidate on the sea turtle ecology. This link with academia will open up more doors to the organization.

Renatura Congo is a Congolese association founded in the Republic of Congo in 2005. For 20 years, it has been working on sea turtle conservation through nesting monitoring and bycatch release with local fishermen. In an environment where marine science was virtually absent, the data collected over the years have highlighted key areas for sea turtles along the coast. While stretches of sandy beaches are home to important nesting grounds for olive ridley and leatherback turtles, several rocky reefs serve as strategic foraging zones for green and hawksbill turtles. These species are good indicators of the presence of the habitats they need to thrive. As it turns out, these rocky reefs are key areas for marine biodiversity in general. The presence of sea turtles led Renatura to conduct further scientific studies on these habitats to better understand the ecosystems they support and to increase the scope and impact of conservation efforts.

In the 2010s, Renatura began advocating for the creation of marine protected areas in Congo, particularly in the Bay of Loango, home to crucial marine and coastal habitats and numerous sea turtles. The data collected by the association on sea turtles led to the designation of Loango Bay and Mvassa Bay as priority sites for the creation of the country's first marine protected areas, through WCS’s marine spatial diagnosis. In 2017, the government of Congo launched a national project for the creation of the Marine Community Reserve of Loango. From 2020 to 2023, Renatura supported this project through baseline studies, consultations with communities, and facilitation of the legal and administrative processes. This resulted in the official creation decree being signed in December 2023. The general objective of the marine reserve is to ensure the conservation and sustainable management of natural and fishery resources through the participatory protection of marine turtle habitats. Since then, Renatura has been preparing for the operationalization of the reserve through community capacity-building, work on community governance, rules, and sustainable fishing plans with locals, and the drafting of a management plan.

Since the early 2000s, sea turtles have served as a flagship for the development of marine conservation in Congo. Renatura’s work on conservation has led to more scientific studies on other marine life components and has drawn the attention of the public and the government to the importance of preserving marine and coastal ecosystems. As of the end of 2024, the Congo is about to organize the management of its first marine protected areas. Although much work remains to be done to get them up and running, this is a great achievement and a significant milestone after 20 years of sea turtle conservation efforts in the area.

Sri Lanka is an island nation situated at the Southern point of India, separated from the mainland by the shallow seas of the Gulf of Mannar. The island has a 1,585 Km coastline and is 353 km from north to south and 183 Km at its widest point, covering a land area of 65,610 Km². Five species of sea turtles (Green, Olive ridley, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Loggerhead) are found nesting in Sri Lanka. Green turtle is the most common nesting turtle species in Sri Lanka. Although the nestings are reported throughout the year, peak nesting season is between March and June. Key nesting sites are located at Benthota, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Rekawa, Kalametiya and Bundala (Kapurusinghe, 2006). Olive ridley is the second common nesting turtle in Sri Lanka based on TCP beach surveys and long-term nesting data. Nesting season is between December and April and the main nesting sites are located at Benthota, Induruwa, Kosgoda and Panama areas. The Leatherback is the third common nesting turtle species found in Sri Lanka. Peak nesting season is between April and July. Ussangoda-godawaya, Rekawa, Tangalle and Bundala are the main nesting sites for leatherbacks. The Hawksbill turtle is not a common nesting turtle species in Sri Lanka. Benthota, Induruwa and Kosgoda are the key nesting sites. The species Loggerhead is probably the rarest of all marine turtle species found in Sri Lanka. Although the loggerhead turtles are quite common and widely distributed in the global context, morphological differences (mainly the colouration) suggest that the Sri Lankan loggerhead population can be a distinct and unique population that must be considered as a separate management unit.

Despite the legal protection, marine turtles in Sri Lanka are still being exploited for their eggs and meat. In addition, turtle nesting beaches are being disturbed by tourism development activities and foraging habitats, such as sea grass beds and coral reefs are being destroyed by destructive harvesting practices and marine pollution. Thousands of marine turtles are accidentally caught and drowned in fishing gear around the island and this can be considered as the most negatively affecting threat for the survival of marine turtles in Sri Lanka. Although the nesting turtles are protected in National Parks (NP) such as Yala NP, Kumana NP, Wilpattu NP etc., natural predators such as wild boars, jackals, water monitors and land monitors consume the eggs and hatchlings in National Parks. In addition, dogs have been reported attacking nesting turtles and eating turtle eggs and hatchlings.

In-situ sea turtle conservation programme is conducted at Rekawa turtle sanctuary by TCP, NFR and the department of Wildlife Conservation as a collaborative project. Educational programmes are being conducted enhancing the community knowledge on sea turtles. Ex-situ conservation practices are implemented by the turtle hatcheries which are mainly located along the southern coastal areas. NARA, Wildlife department and the Coast Guard department are the key government institutions in Sri Lanka which carry out turtle research and conservation activities. TCP and NFR are the main NGOs involved in turtle conservation activities.

Sea turtles serve as flagship species for marine conservation, playing a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem stability. In 1993, the sea turtle population in the South China Sea was estimated at 16,800-46,300 individuals. However, long-term overexploitation, illegal trade, and human disturbances have led to drastic decline in their numbers, posing a severe threat to their survival. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is the primary species that breeds in Chinese waters, with the Xisha Islands hosting the largest nesting site. Over the past five years, an average of 250 nests per year have been recorded in the Xisha Islands. A successful recovery of this species in the region could significantly contribute to the restoration of other sea turtle populations and enhance marine biodiversity throughout the China Sea. To ensure the survival of Chinese sea turtles, comprehensive conservation efforts are required. Firstly, reducing human exploitation is a critical strategy for restoring green sea turtle populations. This includes enforcing stricter measures against hunting, egg collection and illegal trade, minimizing bycatch, and rigorously reviewing captive breeding and exhibition licenses. Such licenses should only be granted following thorough professional evaluations by the relevant authorities. Furthermore, all forms of captive breeding and exhibition should be minimized, as our research indicates that captive green turtles have a Chelonid Herpesvirus 5 (ChHCV5) detection rate of 31.1%. Consequently, artificial breeding is not a viable approach for population restoration. Secondly, improving habitat conditions is essential for population recovery and broader marine biodiversity conservation. Plastic and microplastic pollution is prevalent in sea turtle nesting grounds in the Xisha Islands, with debris even found at the bottom of turtle nests, posing a direct threat to hatchlings. It is therefore imperative to reduce waste discharge and pollution, limit fishing activities, and curb coastal zone encroachment and transformation. The establishment of marine national parks, coupled with comprehensive and strictly enforced protection measures, is strongly recommended. Third, enhanced international cooperation is essential for effective conservation. Joint law enforcement efforts, stricter regulation of pollutant emissions, and increased academic collaboration can bolster conservation initiatives.

Sea turtles have been a conservation priority in Indonesia since 1978. Despite numerous regulations at national, regional, and local levels, their populations and habitats continue to decline. Effective management is often hindered by gaps and overlap in regulatory frameworks, which can lead to unclear jurisdiction, conflicting policies, and inefficiencies in enforcement. These challenges create barriers to coordinated conservation efforts, making it difficult to implement consistent and effective protection measures for sea turtles. This study assessed current national and provincial (Aceh) regulations for sea turtles using text mining and extensive review to identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and overlap. Subsequently, the local customary laws (Hukum Adat Laot) from Aceh were included as a case study to compare their approaches with constitutional laws in protecting sea turtles and their habitats. Analysis of 96 constitutional documents with 47 terms related to species, habitat, management, and protection revealed that six institutions have been appointed to oversee sea turtle conservation since 1978. Furthermore, significant regulatory and institutional overlap was also identified in almost all aspects of sea turtle conservation, with no single institution clearly mandated to manage and protect sea turtles. National and provincial regulations primarily emphasise management, which received the highest recognition across both levels of legislation (50.19% in Aceh laws and 43.03% in national laws), while largely neglecting critical aspects such as life-history stages and broader ecological needs. In contrast, Hukum Adat Laot demonstrated greater comprehensiveness, scoring 85% across species, habitat, management, and protection categories. While it provides detailed species and habitat protections, it also permits the use of eggs under strict conditions, including limited egg poaching for local consumption, highlighting the need for a balanced approach when integrating customary and constitutional conservation measures. Despite existing measures, regulatory fragmentation persists, leading to uncoordinated conservation efforts. We discuss the need for specific regulations that address life-history stages, assign clear institutional responsibilities, and incorporate customary law principles to create a cohesive and effective conservation framework.