Abstract
The project commenced from 23/11/2005 and concluded on 21/3/2006. Five confirmed turtle nests were laid (4 leatherbacks and 1 undetermined). The first confirmed laying of the season was on the evening of December 25th or early morning of December 26th. The last nest was found on January 17th. One of the nesting turtles' was observed and measured (1.60 metres CCL). Three unconfirmed nests were laid in the early part of the season (late November to early December) and these were subsequently verified by interviews with villagers from Laem Nau after interviews and with comparisons with dates they consumed turtle eggs.
Two education days were organized for two villages; Laem Nau and Baan Talaenork. The turnout in total was 42 children. The theme was the celebration of 'The Year of the Turtle 2006' as promoted by the IOSEA signatories. The subject was Sea Turtle Conservation along the Andaman Sea and the environmental impact of humans on the decline of these populations. A number of activities were created for the children to participate in.
Two hatchling release days were organised for each of the two protected nests. Three hatchlings were removed on emergence of the first nest and were displayed in a large round tub at the Centre. Informal village participation was encouraged with colouring for the children and answering questions for the adults. The release of the hatchlings for the first release day was opposite the new medical centre, and was carried out at sunset with a crowd of around 100 villagers and students of Ranong Coastal Resources Research Station present. The second release day was cancelled as the second nest that was going to provide us with the hatchlings emerged during the day when there was nobody present. Both nests were excavated and had excellent successful emergence percentages of 86% and 94%.
Poaching continues to be extensive along the whole coast of the northern Andaman Sea and if left unrestricted 100% of nests will be poached. Legislation is ineffective and not easily enforced on remoter beaches. Sea Turtle Conservation Project researchers must be the first to a laid nest, either to disguise it (and leave an 'egg removal' notice) or poaching is guaranteed. The individual who poaches from Talaenork has been identified and discussions will be ongoing for his contribution to the project next season.
Ten volunteers participated in the project (including two temporary researchers), each volunteer completing a minimum of two weeks. All volunteers completed their allotted time period.
Sea Turtle Conservation Project - Review of Seasons 2003-2006
After evaluating the previous two reports provided by the researchers of the Sea Turtle Conservation Project the following short summaries are provided. There appeared to be little accurate or detailed research or monitoring information from these two previous War-Thai reports or any precise impartial assessment of any of the locations monitored. The two previous reports also appeared to provide no standard scientific methodology to either the set-up of the programme or the implementation of any effective procedures to allow for the continuation of any constructive initiatives in future seasons.
From this lack of any productive information it was initially decided to look at the situation objectively and to develop project methodology, conservation, protection and research procedures for the project as if they were being prepared for the first year of implementation.
Preview 2003-2006 Seasons
After surveys of six stretches of beach in the northern Andaman Coast (Hat Ngua, Baan Talaenork, Hat Farang, Hat Baan Gluoy, Hat Taklan and Hat Praphat) in 2003-2004 and in 2004-2005 (Hat Ngua, Baan TalaeNork and Hat Farang) from researchers of War-Thai's Sea Turtle Project there was little evidence of nesting. In the 2005-2006 season 5 confirmed nests were laid (4 leatherback, 1 undetermined) and three unconfirmed.
Summary 2003-2004 Season (sea turtle surveys and monitoring only included)
There were no reported sightings or evidence of sea turtles nesting. One carcass of a small Olive-Ridley turtle was found at the southern end of Baan Talaenork in 2003-2004. No conclusion was forthcoming on the cause of death.
From discussions with Deed in the 2005-2006 season, he indicated that one nest was laid and poached adjacent to the old resort.
Summary 2004-2005 Season (survey and monitoring terminated after December 26th)
There were no reported sightings of sea turtles nesting from the researchers. One poached nest was discovered in December 2005 on the beach at Hat Farang, species unknown. A carcass of an adult Hawksbill was found at Hat Farang in December 2005. Due to the state of decomposition the cause of death could not be determined.
From discussions with Deed (the most successful and prolific poacher in Talaenork) in the 2005-2006 season regarding nesting in previous seasons it was determined that there were 6 nests laid in the 2004-2005 season. All were poached (by Deed). He was able to provide information for the beach at Talaenork north to the third channel. Any nests laid
on the beach after the third channel and past the rocks appear to be poached by villagers from Laem Nau. The locations of these 6 nests were as follows:
1 - After the third clump of rocks to the south of Talaenork beach but before the channel.
2 - Directly adjacent to the old school on Talaenork beach.
3 - Opposite the old resort.
4,5,6 - Between channels 2 and 3.
The locations of these 6 nest sites are consistent with the locations found during the 2005-2006 season.
Summary 2005-2006 Season
A number of leatherbacks were reported by fishermen around the Ko Kham Lek archipelago feeding on jellyfish. The 2005-2006 season was a bumper harvest for jellyfish.
Three unconfirmed nests were laid and poached during early December at the beach north of Channel 3 and past the rocks (pers. comm., War-Thai Staff). Researchers could not verify the authenticity of the information. We could verify that turtle eggs were consumed at Laem Nau village around this time. One leatherback nest was laid between Channels 1 and 2. This was poached by one of the villagers of Baan Talaenork. Three leatherback nests were laid between Channels 2 and 3. One was poached by a villager from Talaenork - two were protected and 'Removal of Egg' notices were used for one of these nests and seemed to deter poaching. One researcher was a witness to one of these nestings. One undetermined nest was laid on the north section of Talaenork beach.
Two educational days were undertaken at Baan Talaenork and Laem Nau villages.
One hatchling release day was organised for the local community and 3 hatchlings released. The other planned release day when hatchlings were to be taken to Laem Nau and shown to the children, prior to their subsequent release, did not take place due to the second nest emerging during the day when no researchers were present.
Introduction
Sea Turtle Nesting along the Andaman Coast - A Historical Perspective
Thailand is considered one of the ten worst countries worldwide when determining the success of implementing strategies to prevent the decline of its sea turtle population (Spotila, 2004); subsequently sea turtle population numbers have dramatically decreased from historical levels throughout Thailand. In 1989 fewer than about 550 clutches were laid annually along the west coast of Thailand (Settle, 1995). The estimated number of clutches laid throughout Thailand in 2005 was less than 250 (Kittiwattanawong, pers.comm).
An unsustainable harvest in sea turtle eggs provided by a concession system and supervised by the Department of Fisheries, saw an annual harvest of up to a maximum of 400,000 eggs being taken a year (Polunin, 1975). This facilitated a steep decline in nesting sea turtles and in conjunction regulations to limit the harvest were largely being ignored. Thailand's Fisheries Act was implemented in 1975 to protect nesting sea turtles. However it was this excessive exploitation of harvested eggs which has probably been the major factor in the reduced densities of nests found on Thailand's beaches today. During the period of legal harvesting it was estimated that up to 60,000 eggs annually were being collected from Phang Nga Province alone. Since the harvest was declared illegal there has been an estimated 90% decrease (Chantrapornsyl, 1997) in nesting females along the Andaman Coast from 1985 to 1995. Even today the illegal harvest continues. In January 2006 the Thai Navy seized 400 turtle eggs from a Burmese vessel off the Ranong coast, with each egg costing between 30 and 40 baht.
Today the Andaman Sea is also heavily fished and boats constantly violate the 3 km protective zone around coastal islands of the many National Parks created along the Andaman coast (pers. obs). Along the Andaman coast of Myanmar, illegal fishing is also extensive.
The predominant species found nesting along Thailand's Andaman Coast and its associated islands is the Hawksbill. Mu Ko Surin National Park lying around 50kms off the coast in Phang Nga Province is the most important site and hosted an estimated 6 nesting females in the 1993-1994 season (Stuart and Cartin, 1994).
Research has indicated that stocks of both olive-ridleys and leatherbacks have been decimated to fewer than ten nesting females annually, primarily due to excessive harvesting of eggs (Limpus, 1995). The olive-ridley has always occurred in low densities but in 1994 no more than four nesting females had been recorded for the previous three nesting seasons. On Ko Phra Thong from 1996-2003 researchers had recorded between 4 and 13 nests per season. According to (Chantrapornsyl, 1992) an overall decline of 82% was recorded for Ko Phra Thong Island between 1979 and 1990.
Leatherbacks are limited to the Phuket and Phang Nga coastline from Sirinat National Park north through Khao Lumpee-Haad Taimuang National Park. In the 1992-1993 season, there were at least 28 leatherback nests in this area, which includes two parks separated by a long beach to where villagers have unrestricted access. In Laem Son National Park in Ranong Province only one leatherback nest was recorded in the 1993-94 season. Recent surveys of the beaches along the northern Andaman Coast in season 2005-2006 indicated a total of 8 nests (5 confirmed and 3 unconfirmed - of which 4 were leatherbacks (pers. obs, 2006)).
Sea Turtle Conservation Project - Principle Objectives
There had been no significant detailed written historical documentation relating to nesting sea turtle populations along the northern Andaman Coast, and whatever documentation that touched on this area of coastline had been written over ten years previously. One of these papers was from the Surin Islands, which indicated that the last significant survey had been completed over ten years ago (Stuart et al. 1994). It was decided to initially concentrate on writing a proposal to implement a new survey and monitoring programme for these islands (Appendix 1).
The second objective was also to try and determine through anecdotal records or by speaking to villagers, any locations in the vicinity of Baan Talaenork that had significant numbers of laying turtles in the past and to identify if these locations could easily be accessed for beach monitoring.
We also created a Volunteer information folder that contained a number of relevant articles downloaded from the internet of sea turtle conservation in Thailand and south-east Asia. A number of interesting articles were also found and downloaded on the effect of the tsunami on the coastal communities of Thailand.
Contacts, Conservation, Protection and Education Activities 2005-2006
Contacts - December 2005
Contact was made with the two leading authorities for sea turtle research both regionally and in Thailand. We first visited Mr Sompoch, Director at the Ranong Coastal Resources Research Station to give us an overall perspective of nesting patterns along the northern Andaman Coast, and to enquire of any further useful information in our preparation of a conservation strategy for this coastal area of Thailand.
The researchers of War-Thai's Sea Turtle Project for the 2005-2006 season, concerned at the lack of evidence either historically or recently of nesting turtles in the northern Andaman Coast presented a proposal for a coastal and offshore survey of Koh Surin National Park and Laem Son National Park to Mr Sompoch of the Ranong Coastal Resources Research Station, technical supervisor of War-Thai's Sea Turtle Conservation Project. He initially appeared enthusiastic with the proposal. While the proposal was being considered by the National Parks Board and other relevant bodies he proposed the continuation of the surveying of the northern Andaman coastline around Baan Talaenork.
Contact was also made with Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong of The Phuket Marine Biology Centre. He indicated that the northern Andaman Coast was not considered a significant part of Thailand's National Strategy for sea turtle conservation due to the low densities of turtles nesting along this coastal area and a lack of nesting data. He indicated the necessity for surveys of Koh Surin National Park (already proposed by the researchers - see above) and also Laem Son National Park (Koh Chang and Koh Pha Yam) both sites which had had a lack of recent data for either foraging or nesting turtles.
While at the meeting I accepted an invitation to 'The 2nd International Symposium on Seastar2000 and Bio-logging Science' - The 6th Seastar2000 Workshop). This took place on December 13th and 14th in Bangkok (Appendix 2).
During the third week in December we identified one of the War-Thai staff who had been an ex-poacher and wanted to help us. His name was Deed and he became an integral part of the team, especially in identifying relevant past turtle nesting sites in this area. This allowed the researchers to finally identify specific sites and make a detailed plan for extended beach patrolling periods for the arrival of the first volunteers on January 2nd.
Conservation and Protection - December 2005 to March 2006
Identified monitoring sites and approximate patrol times (Appendix 5):
A rumour began to circulate in early December about three nests that had been laid in the vicinity of Baan Talaenork. These had not been laid in an area where beach patrolling was being undertaken. We had difficulty in both verifying whether the rumours were true, anyone who would help us investigate the source of the rumours or the possible location of the nests. The rumour was then refuted, and then we were told in fact it was true. It was in this state of confusion that with no information forthcoming, we decided not to pursue this line of investigation. After our education day to Laem Nau we found out that the location of these nests was across the third channel and past the rocks and indeed was confirmed by the villagers there.
Survey and Beach Monitoring (3rd December - 1st January)
This was initiated on 3rd December 2005 until January 1st beach patrolling commenced with initial surveys taking place in the morning (6am) at Baan Talaenork beach which was the most easily accessible to our work station (for the present no vehicle was provided).
Nest 1
The first nest of the season (Appendix 3) was reported to War-Thai on the afternoon of the 26th December and was assumed to have been laid on the night of the 25th December or early morning of 26th December (Appendix 5 for nest locations). We investigated the nest and found a great deal of disturbance from human poaching activities. We determined from nest crawl measurements that it was a leatherback. From personal information we also discovered that although a great deal of effort had been expended to locate the nest that ultimately the poachers had been unsuccessful. The sand was replaced by us and the beach levelled to give the nest an opportunity to continue to hatch in-situ.
Ultimately, many weeks later, we were informed that the nest had actually been poached by a villager at Talaenork and the eggs consumed by some of the Talaenork villagers.
Survey and Beach Monitoring (2nd January - 31st January)
There is a marked difference between low and high tides (Appendix 4). We predicted that leatherbacks would emerge around two hours before high tide to around two hours after high tide. We developed our patrols on this premise. We also looked at the profile of the beaches we were monitoring and its nature for leatherback nesting and made a judgment on which beaches to concentrate our limited patrolling resources on.
Beach monitoring proceeded on a nightly basis from January 2nd (20.00-5.00: tidal dependent) when we received the first batch of volunteers (2). We identified two locations (Appendix 5) near to our base as being viable propositions to monitor. The first was Talaenork Beach to the north and south of where the road from Talaenork ends at the beach. We monitored to the north up to the jellyfish farm and to the south past the three sets of rocks to the channel that splits the beach. The second was north of the jellyfish farm across the first and second channel, patrolling from the second channel to the third channel. The time taken for the first patrol was roughly 1.15 and the second patrol was 45 minutes. We measured the time for patrol of the beach past the third channel and past the rocks as 30 minutes.
Nest 2
On the night of January 2nd or morning of January 3rd (between 11pm-1am) a false crawl was recorded at the southern end of Talaenork beach, near the rocks. Again in the early morning of January 3rd at 1.20am a leatherback was recorded body pitting between the second and third channels. In a period of just under 3 hours she laid her eggs, disguised and departed for the sea. The location was recorded and she successfully departed for the sea. The nest area was disguised by levelling the beach, however the turtle tracks left by the turtle on the wet sand while leaving to the water were impossible to eradicate and clearly showed the position of the nesting crawl. Investigating the nest a day later attempted poaching activity had occurred however it was considered that the eggs hadn't been located. The 'egg removal' notices had not been created by this period
It is highly probable that the first recorded nest would have been the same leatherback, and that the following eight/nine day nesting interval between the first and second nest was consistent with clutch intervals for returning nesting leatherback females.
Nest 3
On January 10th during a day patrol a leatherback nest was located between channels 2 and 3. The nest showed numerous signs that poaching had been attempted. The age of the nest could not easily be determined. It was later verified that this nest was poached by a villager from Talaenork.
Nest 4
On January 13th during an early morning beach survey (6am), a nest was located between the second and third channels. It was estimated from her crawl and the tide times that she had departed at around 23.30 pm on the 12th of January. From observation of her tracks it was determined that this was again a leatherback. An 'egg removal' notice was left at the nest which appeared successful as no attempt at poaching was attempted at this site.
Nest 5
On January 17th again during an early morning beach patrol a nest was located to the north of Talaenork beach halfway between the road split and the jellyfish farm. It was determined that this nest could have been a few days old and it was also not possible to determine accurately the species. We were also not sure whether or not the nest had been successfully poached, but attempts had been made to poach the eggs.
The beach north of channel 3 past the rocks was also surveyed by boat in the early morning after patrolling the beach between channels 2 and 3. It had been rumoured that 3 nests had been laid here earlier on in the season and had been poached. The beach was also surveyed on foot on January 27th, the beach being accessible at low tide by walking around the rocks. There was no evidence of previous turtle nesting activity during this survey and no nesting activity was discovered during early morning boat surveys. However this was over six weeks after the unconfirmed layings had been reported to us.
Survey and Beach Monitoring (post-January 31st)
Monitoring was scaled down to early morning walks of the research beaches during this period. No nests were found during this period
Education - December 2005 to March 2006
Reports
This report was written and should be recommended reading for future researchers. The project staff was updated with a monthly summary of the project's activities.
There was no written volunteer manual specifically for The Sea Turtle Project. We made this a priority and this is included as Appendix 7. This should be printed or added to the volunteer information folder and recommended reading for all volunteers.
Information Boards
Two boards were created to provide an information outlet for the community and the general public on 'Sea Turtles found in Thailand' and 'The Sea Turtle Conservation Project at Baan Talaenork'. These were created as a permanent reminder of both the project's objectives and its long-term aims for the northern Andaman Coast sea turtle populations. Three documents were written in both English and Thai and are produced in Appendix 8.
IOSEA Year of the Sea Turtle Educational Activities at Talaenork (January 9th) and Laem Nau (February 2nd) village communities
On January 9th and February 2nd the Sea Turtle team arbitrarily designated these dates as the days to celebrate the Year of the Sea Turtle 2006 as promoted by the www.ioseaturtles.org website of the Asean Nations. Our activities could be included in an interactive online calendar of events on the IOSEA website and we organized activities for the pupils and community adults throughout the day. The recurring theme was the pollution of the seas and beach environment and its resultant effect on marine life, especially turtles.
Children's Activities
The number of pupils that participated numbered in total was 13 in Talaenork and 27 in Laem Nau. Not all the pupils at Talaenork could attend as we had unknowingly chosen a holiday and not all children were present in school. The ages ranged from 4 to 11. All pupils without exception showed remarkable enthusiasm during each of the activities and it is a credit to themselves that they helped to make the day a fantastic success, far more than we could have predicted. For the children the day started at 1 pm and concluded at 6 pm with some extended breaks in-between for dinner. There was also an adult presentation arranged for 7 pm for the Talaenork education day.
Sea Turtle Slide Presentation at Talaenork and Laem Nau Schools
The first activity of the day was a slide presentation of the life cycle of the leatherback turtle and the affect of man made pollutants on both adults and hatchlings. Children participated in answering a number of questions set by the talker and lasted just over half an hour. Some of the children at Laem Nau had seen an adult leatherback but none of the children at Talaenork had either seen an adult or hatchling. It was therefore an immediate aim of the project to provide the opportunity for the children to see at least some of the hatchlings from the first and second protected nest when they emerged.
Beach Clean-up
After the presentation the children of Talaenork proceeded to participate in a beach cleanup which was carried out adjacent to the jellyfish farm. This was considered a prime spot as the rubbish produced by the jellyfish farm spilled over onto the beach. We didn't consider the actual jellyfish farm as a site as it was too filthy. The children of Laem Nau undertook the cleaning along the coastal shore of their village bay, directly adjacent to their houses. The children having grasped the principle of what was explained in the presentation undertook their task with considerable excitement. A number of rubbish bags at both sites were filled and removed.
Sea Turtle Aerial Photograph
This was only conducted at Talaenork beach as Laem Nau is only accessible by boat and has no recognisable beach, just a sandy walkway. One of the volunteers created the shape of a turtle in the sand and the children lay in the sand where the shape had been marked. A photograph was taken from the roof of the medical centre showing the outline of a turtle shape.
Memorama Game
This game had 18 cards relating to the presentation and beach clean-up and the children had to memorise each card with a duplicate one. They appeared to enjoy the game and its success was that it involved each of the children. We found out later that this was a popular game and that the cards were used often by the children at school.
Colouring and Drawing
The children were then given a piece of paper and some colouring pens and were asked to draw their perceptions of what they had learned in the day. The drawings were of a high calibre and most touched upon the importance of clean beaches and also the prevention of throwing plastic bags in the sea which could be eaten by the leatherback. They also looked at the poaching of sea turtle eggs.
Pamphlet Distribution (Appendix 9)
For the second education day at Laem Nau a pamphlet had been designed to distribute to the children at the end of the days activities and they were asked to pass it on to their parents. During our educational days parents were invariably not present so this was one way in which we hoped we could get our message across to the whole community.
Shadow Puppet Show
After a break for dinner the children of Talaenork were invited to War-Thai headquarters for a shadow puppet show which had been prepared and written during the week. The central story was the effect that throwing rubbish into the sea or the beach would have on the adult and hatchling leatherback turtles. Again a number of other children had been told of the event and had joined the initial children to watch this.
Sea Turtle Project Questionnaire (Appendix 10)
This was created so it could be distributed during the planned hatchling release days. The idea of the questionnaire was the prevalence of using turtle eggs for food consumption, the frequency and the cost. It was considered an appropriate time to pass these around as we had a captured audience and we also expected that a large number of village adults would be present during the release days.
Adult Sea Turtle Presentation
This was arranged in Baan Talaenork for the evening after the Puppet show. Unfortunately this proved to be a disappointment with no adults turning up. However all was not lost as the children who had watched the puppet show wanted to take a look at the sea turtle slides once again.
The slide show was rescheduled and eventually presented to the War-Thai staff at the end of the season, principally as a thank you for all their efforts in helping protecting the nests, participating in the nightly patrols and setting up camps. All staff were present and asked a number of pertinent questions on the biology of the leatherback turtle.
Hatchling Release Days
A schedule was created for the release day at Talaenork. Mr Sompoch was informing the local press and other local dignitaries were also invited.
Sea Turtle Conservation Project T-shirts were designed for the hatchling release days, and were sent to Bangkok for production. They were not ready by the time of the release day but once produced are expected to bring income generation for the Project for next season.
It was hoped that the two nests that had been protected from being poached would be used as a showcase to the two village communities directly affected by the conservation of sea turtles along this part of the Andaman Sea. For the first nest, three hatchlings were removed and placed in a bucket on emergence and brought to the Centre at Talaenork. They were then be transferred to a bigger tub and placed in the Centre for all the villagers to come and observe them.
Lek, the village chief made an announcement through the loudspeaker for all the villagers to come and observe them. All the students of the village passed through at some stage and there were a steady stream of interested adults.
Mr. Sompoch weighed and measured each of the hatchlings.
At sunset a group of approximately 80-100 children and adults made their way down to the beach opposite the new medical centre, and the three hatchlings were released in the gloom of the setting sun to a carnival and excited atmosphere. For the villagers it was the first time that the majority of them had seen a hatchling. Everyone respected the no lights rule and no flash with the camera. Hatchlings appeared strong and made their wat to the sea unaided.
The second release day and the removal of the hatchlings did not occur as the nest emerged during the day, when there was nobody present. The emerged nest was located in the early evening of March 12th. 7 hatchlings had lost their way on the way to the sea and had desiccated on the beach. The nest was immediately excavated and one live hatchling was removed from the base of the nest.
Results
National Sea Turtle Conservation Strategy
Mr Sompoch informed us that after the discovery of the five confirmed and three unconfirmed nests, this coastal section under the auspices of War-Thai monitoring would now be considered as part of an integrated strategy for the protection and conservation of Thailand's Sea Turtles.
Poaching
Sometimes it was difficult to ascertain whether information relayed to the Project was accurate. There were a number of occasions when information that was relayed to us was later refuted. It was sometimes therefore a struggle to understand and to put into context some of the information being presented to us from community individuals. This confusion could be improved if an individual from the community was assigned to the project on a full-time basis.
The poacher from Talaenork has been identified as one of the footballer's. He also has a brother in Laem Nau and it is possible that they work in tandem, poaching this length of the Andaman coast. This has implications for one of the recommendations - see no. 5. This individual while professing to be a friend of mine also uses the Centre to watch football matches. It is now up to the Centre staff to undertake delicate negotiations to try and prevent this individual from poaching next season.
Education
Educational days were highly successful when it came to children participation. Even though the education days were designed for the children we incorporated a slide show for adults in the evening. This was less of a success
Nest Emergence
The first nest that was protected (laid January 3rd) hatched after 63 days on March 7th at 3.15am. 85 hatchlings emerged in 3 batches, with a final hatchling hauled from the bottom of the nest after the nest was excavated. It was a very impressive hatchling success rate of 86 % (Appendix 3). Three hatchlings were taken and put in a big tub for the hatchling release day that was planned (see above).
The second nest that was protected (laid January 12th) hatched after 59 days during the day on March 12th. This had a hatchling success rate of 94%.
Conclusions
There is now a solid framework in place for the Sea Turtle Conservation Project to go forward and become a successful contributor to the protection of sea turtles along the Andaman Coast of Thailand. Unfortunately in this year there was a lot of time lost identifying sites and creating an educational program from the start which should at least have been created from the previous two years. However with the present structure in place I would expect survey expansion next year with further patrols of beaches south of Talaenork to be undertaken, expanding the Sea Turtle Conservation Projects area of influence and to identify sites further south that require protection.
Patrolling, Conservation and Protection
Try and secure equipment from either the RCRRS or Phuket Marine Biology Centre. There was no research equipment made available apart from a measuring tape. Promises were made that equipment was forthcoming, however it never materialised.
Patrolling should be undertaken 2-3 hours before and continuing for 2-3 hours after high tide - leatherbacks usually nest at high tide.
Concentrate in the early part of the season (mid-November to late December) on the beach north of channel 3 and past the rocks. It was here that there were the three unconfirmed nests laid in the early part of the 2005-2006 season. A satellite camp should be set-up here behind the beach.
Patrolling of Talaenork beach and the beach between channel 2 and 3 should commence in mid-December and continue until the beginning of February. After this period early morning patrols for the first week will catch any late nesters.
Patrolling of the beaches south of Talaenork beach, past the rocks and after the channel could be undertaken weekly for any signs of nesting behaviour. However this area is not a priority. This area was surveyed and the habitat does not look ideal for nesting leatherbacks. There are numerous large dead trees that block any access to potential nesting sites and the approach to the beach is very long and shallow.
Beach Hatchery
After surveying possible beach hatchery locations, it is considered that there are viable locations along the south of Talaenork beach near where the road ends. Sea turtles have laid here this season.A beach hatchery would be ideal as both an educational tool, but also as a means to protect nests that are either brought to the Centre or are removed from remoter patrolling areas where they cannot be adequately protected.
A beach hatchery must also be considered as the sphere of influence increases and the remote aspect of the patrolling increases away from the main Centre, and thus the possibility of adequately protecting nests is reduced. Locations that could be considered are the sandy areas directly adjacent to the grassy areas by the ceremonial site. Access would be easy from both the main road and also from the ceremonial site. This could be a focus for the whole community to get involved in protecting and securing the emergence of the hatchlings to term. It should also be hoped that when fishermen encounter a nest that has been recently laid, which is not in an area under patrol, that they will bring the eggs to the Centre to this hatchery that has been created or the eggs can be translocated to an area near the Centre for monitoring. It is very important to find a researcher that has had experience in constructing artificial leatherback nests.
Education
Educational activities should be considered on a continual basis, incorporating sea turtle conservation education within the context of an environmental programme. Programmes should be run throughout the year with the help of a designated 'Sea Turtle Protection Officer' who is trained up and is the voice of 'Sea Turtle Conservation' for the community. They should liaise at least once a week with the researchers of the Sea Turtle Conservation Project. This is someone who is respected and enthusiastic to take up the post - see recommendation 4.
It would also be desirable to focus on educational activities for the nearby villages of Talaenork and Laem Nau prior to the nesting season so as to educate the village communities about the possibility of participating and contributing to the upcoming season and any Sea Turtle Conservation Project activities or initiatives. It is also important to distribute reward notices for the first nest of the season and subsequent nests, as an indication of the first laid nest which will give some idea when beach patrolling activities should start.
It would be desirable to make 'hatchling release day' an annual event to be celebrated and anticipated. There should only be one annually so as not to devalue the spectacle. The build up to release day should occur when the first nests are protected and are anticipated to emerge.
Acknowledgements
I can't praise highly enough the efforts of all the Centre War-Thai staff for their participation in the nightly patrols and their excellent input into the logistics of our camp set-up. I would also like to thank PornPen, Mr Sompoch, Tony Smallwood and May for all their support and continued commitment to the project. Thanks to all the volunteers who spent extended periods working to protect the small population here. Finally I would like to extend special thanks to Gi - the manager at War-Thai who provided both his time and his translation skills to the majority of our activities, over and above what he was entitled to do. The success of this project this year was made possible by his immense contribution.
References
Chantrapornsyl, S. 1992. Biology and Conservation of the Olive-Ridley sea turtle (lepidocyles oliviacea) in the Andaman Sea, Southern Thailand. Phuket Marine Biology Centre, Res. Bull. 57:51-66.
Chantrapornsyl, S. 1997. Status of marine turtles in Thailand. Phuket Marine Biology Centre. Unpubl Manuscript. 9pp.
Jones, T., M. Salmon, J. Wyneken and C. Johnson . 2000. Rearing Leatherback Hatchlings: Protocols, Growth and Survival. Marine Turtle Newsletter 90:3-6.
Limpus, C. J. 1995. Global overview of the status of marine turtles: a 1995 review. In: Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (ed Bjorndal, K. A) revised edition 1995. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. pp 605-609.
Polunin, N.V.C. 1975. Sea Turtles. Reports on Thailand, West Malaysia and Indonesia with a synopsis of data on the conservation status of sea turtles in the Indo-West Pacific region. Dept. of Zoology, Cambridge, 113 p (ms).
Settle, S., E. Stuart and M. Cartin. 1994. Sea turtle conservation seminar and training course, Thailand. Marine Turtle Newsletter 66:32-33
Spotila, J. R. 2004 Sea Turtles. John Hopkins University Press, London.
Stuart, E. and M. Cartin. 1994. Conservation of sea turtles at two national parks on the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. Marine Turtle Newsletter 67:6-8.
