This is a long-term project. We intend to rear a small sample of turtles each year to provide continued education facilities to schoolchildren and guests, and to learn about offshore migration habits of one-and-a-half year old turtles as they depart from our beaches. When time comes for the turtles' release, we intend to take every opportunity to continue learning of their natural behavior, and in particular how this relates to what is already known about newly emerged hatchlings.
Understanding in what direction turtles swim when they leave the beach, and where they migrate to, can provide us with a clearer picture of where our conservation efforts should be aimed. For instance, should turtles migrate to another of the Maldivian atolls, we would have a strong argument for directing additional conservation efforts to these developmental habitats. If we learn that turtles migrate offshore and get caught in the oceanic gyres of the Indian Ocean, we know where they spend their growing years. This data is valuable to scientists and governments in the region who are working on wide-scale conservation programs.
Our project is presented with a series of data collection options. At present, we have neither the budget to track all the turtles that we have reared via satellite, nor the long-term monitoring capacity. We are in the process of developing funding opportunities for some of the more high-end activities, though, and welcome any additional source of financial support. Should you be interested in being a part of this project, please contact
marine-maldives@banyantree.com.
In order to determine what we need to know, each turtle needs to be uniquely identifiable. One way in which the turtles will be recognized, in addition to their current carapace markings, is to use titanium branding tags. Once the turtles have been identified, we will be investigating their offshore migration patterns using satellite transponders.
