March marks the official beginning of the Year of the Turtle in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, promoted by the Agreement for the Conservation of Sea Turtles and their Habitats reached by 24 States in this region. WWF/Adena will hold various activities in 2006 in ten countries crucial to the survival of the species.

Currently, six of the seven living species of sea turtles are classified as “threatened” or “critically endangered.” Concerted conservation efforts have resulted in the recovery of some sea turtle populations in specific areas; But without urgent global action, the future of these species is becoming more uncertain every day.

Sea turtles have been ploughing the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years. They are the only widely distributed marine reptiles and many species migrate thousands of kilometers – even crossing entire oceans – between nesting and feeding areas. It should be remembered that these animals have also been central to the culture of coastal societies for millennia. Regional cooperation is essential to ensure the protection of turtles at different stages of their life cycles.

Elisabeth McLelan, WWF/Adena Coordinator for Sea Turtles in Asia-Pacific, explained: “For the past 200 years, human activities have put pressure on the survival of these ancestral sailors. Slaughtered by the thousands for their eggs, meat, skin and shells, they are seriously affected by poaching, overexploitation, accidental catches in fishing gear and the destruction of their habitats. However, there are places where conservation efforts have managed to improve populations. We hope that these successes will spur countries to act together before it is too late.”

The countries involved in the agreement are: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Comoros, USA, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tanzania and Vietnam.