Page 18 - AB

Tuesday 20 december 2022 locAl
A10

Sea turtle conservation by Turtugaruba Foundation

• Hawksbill Sea Turtle - Karetsch- tainable solution there must be less
ildpad - Caret (June – Decem- light visible on the beaches and
ber) a strict regulation of it. Sea turtles
• Green Turtle - Soepschildpad simply need dark nesting beaches
- Turtuga Blanco (July-Novem- for their survival. It is clear that even
ber) more coastal development would
not make the situation better for
There also came a better under- the sea turtles. Again, more hotel
standing and overview of the big- rooms? And even busier beach-
gest threats to the sea turtles ex- es? These are choices Aruba has
istence in Aruba and how these to make. Do we want to leave a
problems should be tackled. De- place for the sea turtles? Not only
spite hard work, all those years, Aruba, but the entire world needs
most problems have not really sea turtles! Sea turtles play a vital
gone away, but luckily and thanks role in keeping our oceans healthy.
to the enormous efforts from the
volunteers, the sea turtles are still The Green Turtle, for example,
here. On Aruba the sea turtles keeps the sea grasses on the bot-
are threatened with extinction by tom of the sea short and therefore
pollution, driving on dunes and a healthy place for many fish to de-
beaches with quads and 4x4’s and posit their eggs. The Leatherback,
the loss of nesting beaches due to the largest turtle of the world, eats
coastal development on behalf of mainly jellyfish and helps main-
ORANJESTAD ― Turtugaruba was name Widecast Aruba and today tourism. Because coastal devel- tain the balance between jellyfish
founded on September 3rd, 2003 there are still a few of them ac- opment comes with artificial light and plankton. Despite the threats
by a group of enthusiastic volun- tive. They first started protecting and artificial light is a mayor issue that exist on Aruba, the turtles still
teers. Ten years earlier, in 1993, a the Leatherback Sea Turtle nests for sea turtles, mother turtle usu- keep coming. That’s why today
Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan on Palm Beach and Eagle Beach. ally comes on shore at night look- Turtugaruba is especially proud of
(STRAP) was introduced in Aruba This group also investigated which ing for a dark beach to make her the volunteers and the many peo-
and the rest of the Caribbean as other species of sea turtles use nest. However… a dark beach is ple and organizations of our com-
an initiative of the United Nations Aruba as their nesting habitat and hard to find here nowadays. Light munity that carry a warm place
Environment Program (UNEP). Tom which beaches are used by them. causes stress and can result in her in their hearts for the sea turtles.
Barmes, who was working at DLVV For a period of 25 years a study has returning to the sea without laying All four species are active now,
(Deptartment of Agriculture, Hus- been conducted in which every her eggs. Artificial light causes dis- which means all hands on deck
bandry and Fishery) was one of early morning the beach was be- orientation for the baby sea turtles in the field for us, the volunteers.
the writers of the STRAP for Aruba, ing monitored in which now there is (hatchlings). We strive to keep the sea turtles,
together with Karen Eckert, direc- a good overview of sea turtle nest- our oldest ‘repeat guests’, always
tor of WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean ing activities. They crawl towards artificial light coming back to Aruba and get the
Sea Turtle Conservation Network). sources (like streetlights, hotel chance to reproduce here.
This is how sea turtle conservation There are 4 different sea turtle spe- lights, etc.) and then they don’t
started on the island following a cies that visit Aruba to lay their find the sea. In the 90’s it was still What you can do to protect the sea
plan that is still complied with to- eggs, each with their own specific a common occurrence to find a turtles
day. season: complete nest of about 70 hatch- • Lights out for sea turtles.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle - Led- lings on the streets, dead, as cars • Do not drive on beaches.
Tom formed a group of volun- erschildpad - Driekiel (March – drove over them. Thanks to their • Do not litter. Do not leave any
teers around him, because na- September) protection methods and a lot of plastic cups, straws or bags on
ture does not know office hours, • Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Dik- time and effort, the volunteers of the beach.
like an organization such as DLVV. kopschildpad - Cawama (May Turtugaruba have managed to • Remove obstacles from the
This group of volunteers used the – September) get this under control. But for a sus- beach.
• Do not disturb a nesting sea
turtle. Do not attempt to touch
the turtle but stay at a respect-
ful distance (at least 10 meters).
• Do call Turtugaruba (24 hour
Turtle Hotline: (297) 5929393).

For more information visit the face-
book page Turtugaruba Founda-
tion. q