Sea Turtles Worth More Alive Than Dead

By J.R. Pegg

WASHINGTON, DC, May 26, 2004 (ENS) - The worldwide decline in sea turtle populations is not bad only for sea turtles, conservationists say. An economic study by the conservation organization WWF finds that the decline threatens jobs, tourism and coastal economies - particularly in developing countries, two thirds of which have sea turtles. This is the first assessment of the economic value of sea turtles on a global scale.

"This study confirms what we have suspected all along - sea turtles are worth more to local communities alive than dead," said Carlos Drews, WWF's regional coordinator for marine turtle conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Marine turtle tourism brings in almost three times as much money as the sale of turtle products such as meat, leather and eggs, according to the new report "Money Talks: Economic Aspects of Marine Turtle Use and Conservation."

Turtles are in steep decline in many areas, as nesting beaches are converted to holiday resorts, turtles and their eggs are over-harvested for food, and turtles are accidentally caught and killed by commercial fishers.

Pacific leatherback turtles are considered critically endangered. (Photo courtesy NMFS)

The situation looks most desperate for the Pacific leatherback, a species that has been swimming the oceans for more than 100 million years.

Fewer than 3,000 reproductive females remain, and recent scientific studies indicate the incidental killing of the species must be reduced to zero for it to survive.

Scientists estimate the species could be extinct within the next 10 to 30 years.

All marine turtle species are currently listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which prohibits any international commercial trade by more than the 160 signatory countries.

Even so, trade between non-signatory countries and illegal trade persist.

The WWF researchers found that sea turtle populations are declining in areas where they are exploited and rising or stable where they are not.

"The continued decline of sea turtle populations will have serious economic consequences, particularly for coastal communities in developing countries," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of WWF's Global Species Program. "In addition to benefiting the species themselves, investments in their conservation are also investments in people and their livelihoods."

Sea turtles can live for hundreds of years, but they are being wiped out by human activities. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

At nine sites, where turtles are used for their meat, eggs, and shells, the average annual income from these products was $582,000.

By contrast, at nine locations where turtles are a tourist attraction, the average annual income was some $1.65 million.

The study finds that at the biggest and most established site in Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park, marine turtle tourism brought in $6.7 million a year.

This kind of ecotourism, which began to flourish in the late 1980s, is critical to the future of sea turtles, WWF says.

Currently some 175,000 people take sea turtle tours annually to more than 90 sites in some 43 countries.

"Developers, politicians and community leaders should start to see marine turtles as a valuable asset, generating revenue and jobs," Drews said. "Tourism and turtle protection may in fact increase their economic value."