‘Shellebrating’ the Turtle Day

Every year, May 23 is celebrated as World Turtle Day to recognise the value of these species and raise awareness about helping them survive and thrive in their natural habitat.

Founded in the year 1990 by an American husband and wife team Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, an animal rescue organisation based American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), World Turtle Day this year has the theme “Shellebrate” and urges “Everyone to Love and Save Turtles.”

The objective is also to educate people about the things that they can do to protect the habitats of turtles as well as tortoises, which reportedly, belong to one of the oldest reptile groups across the globe.

People celebrate World Turtle Day all over the world in different ways. People organise various events and activities for the preservation of turtles. Some people also try to rescue and return them to their natural habitats on this day.

In the Sultanate of Oman, the celebrations for World Turtle Day, which is home to five species of turtles, World Turtle Day is of special importance to the country and it comes just a day after World Biodiversity Day, which falls on May 22 each year.

These include the Green Turtle, found on most Omani beaches and plentiful in Ras Al Hadd, Ras Al Jinz, Masirah Island and Daymaniyat Islands, and the Loggerhead Turtle that nest on Masirah Island, the shores of Dhofar and Daymaniyat Islands.

In Oman, with its pristine beaches and balmy waters, it offers the ideal home for sea turtles. The species include the Green Turtle, found on most Omani beaches and plentiful in Ras Al Hadd, Ras Al Jinz, Masirah Island and Daymaniyat Islands, and the Loggerhead Turtle that nest on Masirah Island, the shores of Dhofar and Daymaniyat Islands.

As part of Oman’s celebration of World Turtle Day, the Environment Authority has underscored the great attention accorded to marine life and noted that Omani beaches serve as a safe haven for sea turtles, particularly the species of Rimani, Al Hamsa and Al Sharfaf.

The Authority, which is entrusted with the task of setting policies and procedures directed at conserving the natural resources in the country, has signed an agreement with Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the United States Federal Government, to draft a strategy for the conservation and protection of sea turtles in Oman.

Oman took keen interest in surveying and enumerating the types of turtles nesting on its beaches, and it drafted a long-term plan for protecting sea turtles. Following the agreement, the species will be studied and tracked by satellite, within the context of a five-year plan to group Al Rimani turtles in the Wilayat of Masirah.

Still pollution and climate change are negatively impacting the sea turtles habitat and ecosystem. Each of the four species found in Oman now listed as threatened with either vulnerable or in some cases critically endangered, on the IUCN Red List.

Both land-based disturbances like coastal development and beach driving, and sea-based disturbances such as turtles being caught in fishing nets by mistake (by catch), ghost fishing, plastic pollution and climate change, cause major threats that impact both the habitat and population numbers.

In 2020, researchers published the disheartening finding that there has been a 79 per cent decline in the nesting population of Loggerhead turtles on the island of Masirah, a traditional stronghold over the past few decades.

The Environment Society of Oman in collaboration with the Environment Authority has spearheaded a range of activities including dedicated net clean-ups, awareness videos, community outreach programmes and several publications.

Among its efforts to protect sea turtles is an annual net removal campaign, which take place ahead of turtle nesting seasons to mitigate the threat of entanglement and ingestion during nesting and hatching seasons.

@samkuttyvp