UPDATES ON MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

The Pawikan Conservation Project (PCP) of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the lead agency tasked to conserve marine turtles in the Philippines. The PCP was established through Executive Order No. 542 of 1979. The PCP is responsible for the development and implementation of conservation and protection policies, management schemes, nationwide information and education programs to ensure the survival of the marine turtle population in the Philippines. The PCP in coordination and collaboration with Sabah Parks Malaysia, WWF-Philippines, Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), Smithsonian Institution, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce outfitted a total of seven transmitters to five green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and two hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from 1998 to 2002 in the Philippine Turtle Islands. Transmission of signals ended in the areas of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan for the green turtle postnesters and in the most southern part of Palawan for the hawksbill turtles. The PCP conducts tagging of marine turtle nesters in the Philippine Turtle Islands. From 1982 to 2001, the PCP had tagged 9843 marine turtle nesters. Tagging results show that green turtle nesters from the Philippine Turtle Islands move to Zamboanga; Negros Occidental; Antique; Basilan; Jolo, Sulu; Tawi-Tawi; Masbate; Oriental Mindoro and recently, Indonesia. Further activities of the PCP in the Turtle Islands are nesting incidence monitoring, hatchery monitoring and operations, and recording marine turtle mortalities. Foreign tag recoveries in the Philippines included marine turtles with tags from Guam, Micronesia, Japan, Taiwan, Palau and Malaysia. Another priority nesting site that the PCP monitors is in Morong, Bataan. A Community Based Pawikan Conservation Project was established in the province of Bataan, in collaboration with the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and the Provincial Government of Bataan. The project's aim is to conserve the olive ridley nesters in the area. The Philippine Congress enacted Republic Act 9147 known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which was approved on July 30, 2001. The law enhances the protection of marine turtles in the Philippines since it bans the exploitation of all endangered species throughout its life stages including the protection of its habitat.