07 Dec
2006 - Hanoi, Vietnam – A new satellite tracking
programme to monitor green turtle populations
in Vietnam has been successfully launched off
the south-eastern island of Con Dao.
The satellite tracking data
will provide critical information on turtle location
and movement patterns. Conservation managers can
then use this information to establish marine
protected areas, as well as monitor fishing activities.
"The results of the tracking
project have exceeded our expectations,"
said Le Xuan Ai, Director of Con Dao National
Park.
To date, three of the four transmitters
are fully operational. However, one device has
stopped transmitting, either due to a change in
the animal’s behavior (i.e. surfacing infrequently
and thus minimizing the chance of sending a signal),
or a technical malfunction. It is also possible
the animal has died, perhaps killed by fishing
gear such as gill nets or long lines.
"Even if the signal is
lost or the animal killed, which we hope is not
the case, the information already obtained from
this project has proven invaluable for marine
turtle conservation in and around Con Dao,"
said WWF Vietnam Marine Coordinator Keith Symington.
The satellite tracking project
is a first-of-its-kind for Vietnam, complementing
ongoing work being done in Con Dao National Park
to protect turtle nesting beaches; the most important
marine turtle nesting area in the country.
"The sea turtles at Con
Dao have benefited from ten years of effective
management on their nesting beaches, with tens
of thousands of hatchlings being released every
year," added Symington.
"Now, with the satellite
project, managers and conservation workers can
get a better picture of what key habitat areas
are being used by the turtles, as well as better
understand their migration patterns so that their
populations may be better sustained."
Although the nesting beach programme
at Con Dao has proven to be a success, a great
number of marine turtle mortalities still occur
after nesting. Turtles are frequently caught and
killed in fishing nets.
END NOTES:
• The Con Dao Islands are an archipelago of Ba
Ria-Vung Tau Province, in south-eastern Vietnam.
Situated at about 230km from Ho Chi Minh City,
the islands comprise of 16 mountainous islands
and islets.
• The satellite tracking project is linked to
a new, comprehensive marine and coastal planning
initiative at Con Dao, under the auspices of the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
supported by GEF-DANIDA, with technical services
provided by WWF.
• The satellite tracking project is part of a
broader marine turtle research and conservation
initiative in Vietnam. The project is being led
by the WWF Vietnam Country Programme, in partnership
with IUCN Vietnam, the Vietnamese Ministry of
Fisheries, Con Dao National Park, with support
from the Danish Embassy (DANIDA) and with technical
assistance from the Marine Research Foundation.
Keith Symington, Marine Programme Coordinator
WWF Vietnam
