Abu Dhabi Week spoke with Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi’s resident marine biologist, Arabella Willing, about Saadiyat Island’s role in bringing the Hawksbill turtle population back from the brink of extinction
Green and Hawksbill turtles are two of the seven species gracing the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Abu Dhabi is home to at least 17 turtle nesting beaches. While the majority are located on protected islands offshore, Saadiyat is the only site located near the city and plays a vital role in the conservation of the species.
Over the years, hunting has seen the Hawksbill population dwindle. “Hawksbills have this beautiful shell made of keratin, the same as your fingernails; it’s mottled like tortoiseshell and is slightly transparent gold and brown,” said Arabella Willing, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi’s resident marine biologist. “Back in the day when everything was made of tortoiseshell it was Hawksbill, not an actual tortoise.” A shocking 80 percent of the population was killed for the shell trade, putting them on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of endangered species.
Although the local population hasn’t been well studied, research conducted by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) between 2000 and 2005 recorded between 150 and 200 nests per year, though older turtles often lay more than one nest in a season.
While on average Hawksbill turtles lay around 100 eggs in each nest, the number in Abu Dhabi is noticeably lower at around 57. Most of the eggs should hatch, as long as the nest is not poached or raided by predators, however, Willing notes that the odds are fairly small. A low success rate sees an estimated one in 1,000 eggs making it to maturity, meaning their protection is even more vital.
Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), through its Marine Turtle Conservation Project, is tracking the local population to monitor their habits.
“It’s quite unusual that the Hawksbills seem to not be leaving the Gulf,” said Willing. “Once they’ve nested here they just stay around this area. Which is again more important because the turtles that are coming to nest here actually are the ones that are living in our water.”
And Willing’s aim is to ensure that this trend continues.
“Turtles come back to exactly the same beach they were born on and they’ll come year after year. If they can’t nest on the beach they want to, they’re not so good at finding a new one. They’re not good at problem-solving and they can’t adapt well to new challenges. As a species they’ve been unchanged for 200 million years. Suddenly we arrive and they just can’t figure it out.”
Today, beach developments and other man-made and natural obstacles continue to threaten the Hawksbill from birth to maturity.
“When they’re first born, in a completely wild environment, they’re looking around at the horizon and the brightest horizon is where the moon is reflecting on the sea. If you’ve got a hotel behind the beach with its lights on, all the baby turtles are going to head inland. They can’t survive and they’ll be dehydrated within a few hours of the sun coming up.”
Meanwhile, threats in the water such as abandoned fishing gear also pose a threat, as tangled turtles cannot come up to the surface to breathe. Turtles are also known to mistake plastic for jellyfish, a favourite diet staple. “They either get it stuck in their throat or they get it caught in their stomach. They then produce a gas and start floating on the surface so they can’t dive down to get food.”
The turtle-nesting season is considered to be between March and September. Until then, Willing, along with local organisations including EAD and EWS, will make sure the beach is as attractive as possible to the mother turtles. Steps include reducing noise and litter pollution as well as shutting off lights at night.
“A lot of the time it’s not our direct actions that are killing the turtles, it’s our indirect actions like not recycling, littering, and using non-biodegradable chemicals. So we don’t feel like we’re hurting the turtles and the dolphins that we love but we are. It has to be a lifestyle rather than just giving money to charity once a year.”
Willing stresses that a change in attitude towards the environment is the first step in making a difference. Each person can do their bit whether by ensuring to turn off lights if you live near the beach, getting children involved, or creating awareness amongst friends. Residents can also get involved in the Marine Turtle Conservation Project through donations, volunteer work, and even turtle adoption.
“The more people that can get involved the better, because then they have this love of nature and respect for the environment and then they feel inspired to care about it.”
For anyone interested in finding out more, visit www.gulfturtles.com
