Turtles teach life-changing values like patience
By Leti Boniol
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Filed Under: Tourism, Environmental Issues, Animals
TURTLE ISLANDS, Philippines—It takes a mother turtle at least 30 minutes to crawl up the beach from the sea, two hours to look for, and dig a nest, an hour to lay 50 to 100 eggs and another half-hour to crawl back to the water. And it does this all by itself on Turtle Islands, a group of six islands found in Sulu Sea, south of the Philippines.
Looking for nesters at 7 p.m., a group of turtle watchers stop walking when they spot a turtle moving slowly on the beach. Park wardens have warned them that a turtle will head back to sea the moment it sees and feels any movement.
Sensing no obstacles, a turtle, carrying more than 50 kg of carapace on its back, will look for a place to lay its eggs, usually under the trees, taking a rest every minute or so to catch its breath.
When it finds a suitable site, it starts digging a pit with its flippers, about a meter-deep, and lays 50 to 100 eggs. At this stage, the warden says, the turtle is in such a trance, nothing can disturb it from its nesting activity.
After laying its eggs, the turtle will fill the nest with sand and return to the sea. It will meet other turtles, slowly making their way to the beach to do the same thing. Between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., most of the turtles will return to the sea.
The eggs will hatch only after seven to 12 weeks.
On Baguan Island, some 60 to 80 turtles crawl out of the water every night from April to August, the peak season for nesting that occurs year-round on the protected island.
Turtle lessons
Turtle watching teaches one the virtue of patience. You follow a newly hatched turtle slowly make its way to the sea, where it will chew on planktons and small fish until it grows and live up to 200 years.
It also teaches the importance of caring for the turtles’ habitat. You see the little ones leave the nest, only to be eaten by natural predators such as crabs, birds, big fish, alligators, sharks, and dogs.
Out of 100 hatchlings, only one turtle will return, 25 to 30 years later, to its natal nest, according to members of Conservation International-Philippines (CI-Philippines), an environmental nonprofit organization that has been doing research on turtles in the last two decades. It also teaches the Tausug and the Jama Mapun population how to care for this unique gift of nature.
It is rare for Filipinos to visit the Turtle Islands as it is accessible only to people who are doing research. Visitors have to fly in through Kota Kinabalu, then Sandakan in Sabah, and cross the border to the Philippines via a 45-minute speedboat ride.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) gives permits to special visitors who travel to Turtle Islands.
Ecotourism plan
Environmentalists and local officials in charge of the area have been pushing turtle watching as part of an ecotourism plan which they hope will spur economic development and conserve marine life in the area.
Romy Trono, CI-Philippines country executive director, says the national government has scant resources to improve the lives of the people in this fifth class municipality of Tawi-Tawi, much less enforce environmental protection laws. Nature-based tourism can salvage the so-called “frontline of conservation” in this part of the world.
Until a successful economic development plan is in place, the situation in the area can deteriorate, says Trono, who has been studying turtles for the past 28 years of his life, first with the DENR, later with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and now with the CI-Philippines.
Wildlife sanctuary
Turtle Islands is made up of six small islands, namely, Taganak, Baguan, Langaan, Lihiman, Boan and Great Bakkungan.
With a total population of 6,000, these islands are located within a 138,354-hectare marine sanctuary in the Sulu Sea, called the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS). The area was declared protected in 1999 under the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992.
The six islands and three others from Sabah, Malaysia, comprise the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area established in 1996 through a bilateral agreement between the Philippines and Malaysia. Together with a group of islands in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, these islands are said to be “the most important nesting areas of green and hawksbill turtles in Southeast Asia and the world.”
Turtles are important indicators of the ecosystem’s health, according to the CI-Philippines. Without them, sea grasses will not be trimmed and fish will be driven away to seek healthier habitats, explains Minda Bairulla, DENR protected area superintendent, who is based in Taganak.
Of the seven species, worldwide, five come to the Philippines, she adds.
Strict Protection Zone
Since the Turtle Islands was declared a national park 30 years ago, the various stakeholders claim success in helping stabilize the sea turtle population in the area, particularly Baguan Island, designated as a Strict Protection Zone.
In the past, islanders with little job opportunities were allowed to collect turtle eggs for food as well as to sell in the market. This resulted in a decline in the turtle population from the ’80s up to the ’90s.
Because of conservation efforts, the turtles are back, Trono says.
However, within the sanctuary, trawl fishing and the use of dynamite have gone unabated due to lack of patrol boats, resources and political will.
For example, 13 fishermen were arrested by the police on Taganak on July 17. Sacks of ammonium sulfate, dynamite, as well as 200 kg of dried and fresh fish were found in their boat. The culprits were released after they paid the fine for illegal fishing.
Turtle Islands police chief Norlito Mata says steps should be made to “regain the harmonious relationship” between the Philippines, where the fishermen are from, and Malaysia, where the fishing vessel is registered.
Area for research, study
With ecotourism, funds can be used to manage the site effectively and provide social services and job opportunities to the people, according to the ecotourism framework developed by Carlos Libosada Jr. and Architect Anna Maria Gonzales, consultants to the CI-Philippines.
The plan is for the 29-hectare Baguan Island to remain primarily a conservation area for research and study, with tourism supporting these endeavors. Thus, visitors will be made to understand that the island is a “research, educational and conservation pilgrimage destination with a premium.”
Only a limited number of visitors will be allowed to stay in a day. They will live in facilities made of light materials.
The nearby Taganak Island will be the entry point to serve as customs, immigration and quarantine port for tourism purposes. (The Philippines’ claim to Sabah, which has been inactive since the Marcos regime, is said to be making this process a complicated one, according to one CI-Philippines personnel.)
Visitors will be able to roam the island and interact with residents at daytime. Scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking will be allowed.
Life changing
On July 23, ecotourism guidelines were approved in principle by majority of the members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the TIWS, says Orlan Maliwanag, CI-Philippines sea turtle corridor assistant.
The PAMB is a multisectoral, multiagency, policy-making body composed of 25 members representing the local government, the regional line agencies, the law enforcement agencies, ethnic and community organizations and nongovernment groups. It is headed by Arleigh Adorable, DENR Zamboanga Peninsula director.
It will take three years to realize this plan, according to environmental architect Gonzales, who believes strict guidelines will minimize the potential negative tourism impact on the island.
Herself a turtle watcher, Gonzales describes her experience with these sea creatures as life changing.
“If you know how to behave, if you’re responsible for your own wants, if you think you deserve to go to the Turtle Islands because you are a good spirit, then you are a candidate to visit and watch the turtles,” she says.
frm: inquirer.net
