At the national and international levels, several agreements and laws have been created to protect these animals. These laws prohibit mistreating or killing any species of sea turtles. It is also illegal to sell turtles or any of their products. Some of the most important international efforts for the protection of sea turtles are: Interamerican Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which has classified six of the seven existing species as threatened.
HOW CAN WE HELP TO PROTECT SEA TURTLES?
Respecting laws and agreements that have been created to conserve sea turtles.
Supporting the establishment of protected areas in nesting sites and environmental education programs in the communities close to them.
Avoiding artificial lights on nesting sites and regulating coastal development.
Reducing the contamination of our planet’s oceans.
Collaborating with scientific research on sea turtles.
Not buying or consuming turtle eggs and meat, and not using articles made with turtle products.
Sharing knowledge gathered in courses and workshops with others.
Informing authorities of anyone who infringes laws protecting turtles.
Practicing arts of fishing that diminish incidental capture and bycatch.
Trying not to abandon nets in the sea, lending aid to injured turtles and freeing them when they are stranded in a net.
WHY SEA TURTLES SHOULD BE PROTECTED?
Sea turtles play an important role in various ecosystems. For example, they transport many vital nutrients to the beach from the more productive areas of the sea where they feed. The nutrients stored in the eggs provide energy to many animals and plants that inhabit the coastal areas where sea turtle nesting occurs.
Another example of the role that sea turtles play in some ecosystems is the one of the Hawksbill turtles in coral reefs. Hawksbills feed on sponges that inhabit coral reefs, as they do this they control the populations of sponges and make room so that other organisms can grow and proliferate. Another example that has to be mentioned is the role that leatherback turtles play, controlling some populations of jelly fish (leatherbacks feed on jelly and they feed on fish larvae); if there was an excess of jellyfish, some fish populations would decrease and this could have a big impact on fisheries and human populations.
Sea Turtles are indicators of how healthy marine and coastal ecosystems are.
Sea Turtles also represent a tourist attraction. For example, each year the community of Tortuguero (northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica) gets more than 20 thousand tourists, which visit the area mainly to watch green turtles nesting. Because of this, this community can profit more by protecting the turtles than by selling their meat and eggs.
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