Marine turtles, locally known as “pawikan,” have been on this planet since time immemorial that they are now considered “living fossils.” As a matter of fact, they may be around during the age when dinosaurs ruled the earth.
“Some 200 million years ago, marine turtles developed as the earth throbbed with dramatic geophysical changes surviving as their living conditions changed, adapting to the natural rhythms of pre-historic life,” wrote Marizal Calpito and Lourdes Calacal in an article, which appeared in Canopy International. “Down through the ages, they thrived, remaining much the same as their hardy ancestors.”
Despite their origins stepped in antiquity, much is to be desired about them: how they navigate, where they grow up, or how long do they really live. “They’re a mystery,” observed Dr. Archie Carr, a visionary herpetologist who was considered as the “Father of Marine Turtle Research.”
But the more scientists know about marine turtles, the more they don’t about them. “I don’t know any branch of science where we have applied so much effort and (yet) learned so little,” complained Dr. Richard Byles of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
What human beings know is that marine turtles belong to the order Chelonia, an order of reptiles that has existed and flourished since pre-history. They are air-breathing creatures that live their long legendary lives mostly in the sea. But they do spend a critically important part of their life stages in sandy beaches.
Of the eight species of marine turtles known to man, five of them can be found swimming in Philippine waters. These are the Green Sea (known in the science world as Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Leatherback (Dermocheyls coriacea).
The three others are the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), Flatback (Chelonia depressa), and Black Sea (Chelonia agassizi).
Unfortunately, all eight species are listed under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which means the trade of these species and subspecies is strictly “prohibited except for educational, scientific or research and study purposes.”
The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has also classified the eight species as endangered. This is so because “their populations are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate.”
If marine turtles survived in the past, they will have a hard time in the present time. “Today, man’s growing need for survival has endangered the very existence of these sea-dwelling creatures,” wrote Jonas H. Liwag in an article which appeared in Mabuhay. “All over the world, these reptiles are threatened with extinction by indifferent and relentless commercial exploitation.”
Since the dawn of history, meat of marine turtles had supplemented the diet of man. Seventeenth century sea faring men used turtles as ship’s provisions – their ability to stay alive for months without food and water ensured a steady supply of fresh meat without storage problems.
These days, the main primary reason for the decline of marine turtle population is catching the reptiles alive. They are valued for their precious shells. “It was beauty that all but killed the Hawksbill turtle,” wrote one environmental journalist. “Polished and carved, the black-and-yellow plates on its back were long sought for tortoise-shell jewellery and combs.”
The gathering of pawikan eggs, which are considered by Chinese as aphrodisiac, has contributed to the rapid disappearance of marine turtles. The eggs, which look like ping-pong balls, are also prize as energizing protein. But marine scientists dispel the myth. They said pawikan eggs are just like chicken eggs and nothing more.
Pollution has been cited as another prime factor why pawikan are on the verge of extinction. Included in the millions of tons of garbage dumped annually into the sea are plastic materials which marine turtles mistake for jellyfish, squid, or some other food. Once digested, plastic wastes can block the turtle’s digestive tracts, causing starvation and ultimately death.
The rapid development of beach resorts for the tourism industry has destroyed the nesting beaches of marine turtles. Sadly, they often travel huge distances only to find human development on or near their nesting sites.
Since 2001, hunting, sale and killing of marine turtles have been banned in the Philippines. The Wildlife Conservation Act, or Republic Act No. 9147, penalizes violators with a fine of up to P100,000 and one year in jail.
Despite sincere efforts by the government and some Filipino environmentalists to save marine turtles from extinction, the decimation of the endangered species continues unabated.
Marine turtles need to be saved – if they have to survive in the Philippine waters. In Davao City, a marine turtle sanctuary in Punta Dumalag was established to serve as home and sanctuary of some of the marine turtles thriving in the Davao Gulf waters.
But that’s going ahead of the story. A long, long time ago, Punta Dumalag was an isolated island. People had to ride an outrigger (banca) to go to the area. In 1962, a freak storm washed-in sand to its shore that created a natural land bridge during low tide.
In the late 1970s, developers came, dumped more sand and gravel and cemented the land bridge. Today, it is now connected to Matina Aplaya.
As a result, the former island is now teeming with houses and people. Some resorts built comes cottages near the shore. During summer and weekends, the beach fronts are full of people. Far from the island, you can see fishing cages.
But what the newer generations don’t know is that the entire island was — it still is! — a nesting ground of marine turtles, particularly Hawksbill turtle. There were also some sightings of Green Sea turtle and Loggerhead turtle in the area.
Some studies say that marine turtles mate in the sea. Most female marine turtles come ashore several times every two to three years to nest. And they usually go in the same place where they were hatched.
“If you imagine a first-time nester approaching its place of birth, how much do you think of its birth place or nesting beach remains over the last 35-50 years?” asked Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay, founder and director of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines. “I would guess there would be very little space left for it to nest and enough disturbance developed to shoo it away. We are preventing them from fulfilling their life purpose. For me this is very tragic.”
The late councilor Leonardo Avila III was very much aware of this. That was the reason why he sponsored a bill which led to the declaration of the 37 hectares of Punta Dumalag as nesting ground for marine turtles. The government also created the Task Force Pawikan Davao, whose primary objective is to protect and conserve the marine reptiles.
Enter the Aboitiz Group, which owns eight hectares in the southeastern portion of the island. As its corporate responsibility, the power company decided to convert the place into a biodiversity learning center, which would be managed by its subsidiary, the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC).
One of its main objectives is to save the critically-endangered marine turtles. “They are on the verge of extinction because of habitat loss due to coastal development and human settlement,” said Fermin Edillon, the community relations officer of DLPC.
The 2-kilometer stretch of white sand peninsula of Punta Dumalag was once called the Marine Turtle Sanctuary. It is part of the 37-hectare Marine Protected Area that was established through Council Resolution No. 02504-03. Swimming and fishing are not allowed in the area.
Rodolfo Manib, Jr., the 51-year-old DLPC caretaker, grew up in the area. He said that when he was still young, he used to see a lot of marine turtles nesting the beach fronts. Some children took these eggs to their homes and cooked them.
This was in the past. Today, whenever he sees a marine turtle laying eggs, he tries not to disturb it. Once the mother is gone, he carefully handpicks the eggs and transfers them to higher area so the seawater could not reach the eggs. The hatching area is also surrounded with screen to keep away natural predators.
Once the eggs are hatched, the hatchlings are released into the sea. Only the sides are dug; the hatchlings are allowed to emerge and eventually crawl towards the shoreline. “Only one hatchling survives out of every 100 to become an adult,” says Edillon.
Imprinting purposes is the reason cited why the hatchlings are not helped when they emerge from the nest and crawl towards the sea. “The hatchlings make an imprint, which is called magnetic field imprinting in their nest and in the sand, and another imprinting called chemical imprinting in the sea. This enables them to identify the area of the nest where they were laid, and after 20-25 years, the surviving one percent of these hatchlings will come back here to lay eggs,” Edillon was once quoted as saying.
To end this first part of a series, the statement of Senator Loren Legarda comes in handy: “(Marine turtles) are majestic creatures found throughout the country. However, because of poaching, theft of their eggs for commercial purposes, and destruction of their habitat, they are in danger of becoming extinct.” – (Next: Seahorses)
