Posted on April, 13 2000

Gland, Switzerland - Despite decades of conservation efforts, six of the world's seven species of marine turtle are still in danger of extinction, WWF, the conservation organization, warned in a new publication issued today.

'Wanted Alive! Marine Turtles in the Wild' emphasizes that threats such as over-use mean that no population of marine turtle can be considered completely safe, even when currently stable as a result of long term conservation and management. Despite the precarious state of the species, Cuba and Dominica have proposed that the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reopen the international trade in tortoiseshell coming almost exclusively from the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle. WWF is opposed to this proposal.

"We shouldn't be reopening the trade because controls in the main importing country, Japan, are inadequate, the status of the turtle populations in the Caribbean is unclear, and regional management is patchy," said Elizabeth Kemf, Species Information Manager at WWF, and co-author of the report. "Hawksbills, like other marine turtles are facing ever growing numbers of threats."

Turtles all around the globe are hunted for their shells which are used in jewelry, and their hides which are cured for leather. Though trade in turtles is banned under CITES, they are still stuffed, varnished, mounted and sold openly as tourist curios in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. The high yield of good quality meat from a turtle, combined with the ease with which they can be caught, has made them particularly desirable food in coastal communities around the world. Turtle eggs are also sought after - not merely because many communities consider them to be an aphrodisiac, but also because of their high nutritious value.

Up to 300,000 turtles are killed each year as 'bycatch' in trawling nets, shrimp nets and longlines for tuna and swordfish. In general the turtles drown when the nets prevent them from reaching the surface. Though Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) can be used by commercial fishermen to prevent turtles becoming entangled in nets, international opposition to their use is strong, especially in Asia.

Tourism is also a major threat to turtles. The construction of seawalls, hotels, marinas and the entire infrastructure associated with coastal tourism and commerce have destroyed large areas of turtle nesting beaches around the world.

"Local extinctions of marine turtles have occurred in all ocean basins, and no population, not even those that are stable as a result of long term conservation and management, is completely safe," added Elizabeth Kemf. "That is why it is critically important for nations to establish comprehensive regional management programmes that can ensure the long-term survival of the species, that have lived on the Earth for hundreds of millions of years."

For further information:

Elizabeth Kemf: +41 22 364 9424, email: ekemf@wwfnet.org

Olivier van Bogaert: +41 22 364 9554, email: ovanbogaert@wwfnet.org