Four Seasons resort Maldives & Seacology join forces to protect endangered turtles

KUDA HURAA, Maldives – October 24, 2003 – Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa and Seacology, a leading environmental group, are partnering with the Maldivian island of Kendhoo in the Baa Atoll to ban the harvesting of turtle eggs.

Kendhoo was presented a grant of US$30,000 today to build two pre-school classrooms for the children of the island in exchange for their leadership role in protecting turtles and their eggs on Kendhoo and nearby islands.

A traditional welcome dance by male elders of Kendhoo took place yesterday afternoon and at a meeting today that included an opening address by Four Seasons Resort Maldives General Manager Armando Kraenzlin and questions from Seacology Director Duane Silverstein, the Seacology Board of Directors and island leaders from Kendhoo, monies were officially approved by the Seacology directors.

Seacology is the world's premier nonprofit, nongovernmental organisation with the sole and unique purpose of preserving the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe.

Seacology searches for situations that not only protect the local environment, but also provide the islanders tangible benefits in return. The foundation's ambitions are large, yet the programmes are successful because they are locally managed. Thus Seacology's motto is, "Saving the world.... one island village at a time." It was through the creative partnering of these two organisations that the Kendhoo Turtle Project was conceived.Over eight years ago, the Ministries of Fisheries and Agriculture, and Trade imposed a ban on the catching of turtles in the Maldives. The decision was aimed at conserving the dwindling turtle population in the Maldivian waters, which the Government saw as a serious threat to the marine environment of the country.

As a leading contributor to the global efforts in the protection and preservation of the environment, the Government of the Maldives also decided to take a number of other measures for conserving this valuable resource. They include the formulation of legislation for protecting endangered species, the setting up of sanctuaries for turtle conservation and the presentation of national awards for conservationists.A nationwide campaign was also launched to create greater awareness among the people about the need for turtle conservation as they play an important role in sustaining the fragile marine ecosystems of the country. Eggs are regarded as a delicacy in the Maldives.

"We are delighted to be associated with Seacology and look forward to working with the people of Kendhoo on this project," said General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Maldives Armando Kraenzlin. "Last year as we prepared to launch the new 39-metre Four Seasons Explorer, we explored over a hundred islands in search of authentic culture, art, crafts and handicraft production. We discovered the island of Kendhoo early on due to the significance of its' 900-year-old Barakat house site. This is the original structure dating back to the 11th century that was home to the man who converted the Maldives to Islam. During subsequent visits we learned of turtle nests on the island and thus, with Seacology, our dream of working with the islanders to protect the turtle while assisting the island to further educate their people was born. Together we believe this environmental project will not only benefit the people of Kendhoo, but generate awareness and interest in saving the turtle throughout the entire Republic and beyond."

Did you know?
Sea turtles are large, air-breathing reptiles that inhabit tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world. Their shells consist of an upper part (carapace) and a lower section (plastron). Hard scales (or scutes) cover all but the leatherback, and the number and arrangement of these scutes can be used to determine the species.

Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. The olive ridley is usually less than 100 pounds, while the leatherback typically ranges from 650 to 1,300 pounds. The upper shell, or carapace, of each sea turtle species ranges in length, color, shape and arrangement of scales. Sea turtles do not have teeth, but their jaws have modified "beaks" suited to their particular diet. They do not have visible ears but have eardrums covered by skin. They hear best at low frequencies, and their sense of smell is excellent.

Their vision underwater is good, but they are nearsighted out of water. Their streamlined bodies and large flippers make them remarkably adapted to life at sea. However, sea turtles maintain close ties to land. Females must come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand; therefore, all sea turtles begin their lives as tiny hatchlings on land. Only females come ashore to nest; males rarely return to land after crawling into the sea as hatchlings. Most females return to nest on the beach where they were born (natal beach). Nesting seasons occur at different times around the world. Females nest at least twice during each mating season; some may nest up to ten times in a season. A female will not nest in consecutive years, typically skipping one or two years before returning.

Researchers do not know how long baby turtles spend in the open sea. It is theorised that they spend their earliest, most vulnerable years floating around the sea in giant beds of sargasso weeds, where they do little more than eat and grow. Once turtles reach dinner-plate size, they appear at feeding grounds in nearshore waters. They grow slowly and take between 15 and 50 years to reach reproductive maturity, depending on the species. There is no way to determine the age of a sea turtle from its physical appearance. It is theorised that some species can live over 100 years.

The earliest known sea turtle fossils are about 150 million years old. In groups too numerous to count, they once navigated throughout the world's oceans. But in just the past 100 years, demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and colorful shells has dwindled their populations. Destruction of feeding and nesting habitats and pollution of the world's oceans are all taking a serious toll on remaining sea turtle populations. Many breeding populations have already become extinct, and entire species are being wiped out. There could be a time in the near future when sea turtles are just an oddity found only in aquariums and natural history museums - unless action is taken today.

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For additional details and if interested in supporting the Kendhoo Project, please contact: marine.biologist@fourseasons.com or islands@seacology.org