A GNA Feature - by Dzifa Safo Accra, (Greater Accra) 12 Jan. '99,

One of the oldest group of living reptiles in the world, the marine turtles, may cease to exist along the coast of Ghana due to the way they are being harvested annually. These gentle giants were common visitors to our beaches but the increasing rate at which they are being destroyed has greatly reduced their number. The Ghana coast supports the breeding of a significant population of at least three species of turtles. Yet, people continue to capture and kill them for their meat and their eggs are not spared either. Pigs, dogs and other animals along the coast also dig out their eggs and consume them. This destruction mainly takes place when turtles come ashore to nest between August and March. Worst still is the removal of sand from the beaches for construction. This is a serious threat to sea turtle nesting habitats. Ghana, in line with other countries, has undertaken to protect the marine turtle and has passed a law, which makes it an offence punishable by a fine, imprisonment or both, to capture or kill, or collect the eggs of turtles at any time of the year. The great concern for sea turtle conservation has necessitated their inclusion on the Red List of the Geneva-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature as either Endangered or Vulnerable. Through public education by conservationists such as the Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) and the Wildlife Department, the people along the key turtle nesting sites on the coast of Ghana, from Prampram to Ada, have also passed bye-laws for the protection of this endangered species. A task force has been formed from Ningo to Ada to monitor activities of people along the beaches in a global effort to conserve the turtles. For easy identification of the task force members, they have been provided with uniforms by the Ghana Wildlife Society and have been charged with the following responsibility: 1. To educate communities about the status of marine turtles in the country and the need to stop the killing of turtles and collection of their eggs. 2. To report the killing of turtles and egg collection to the chief or chief fisherman, in the first instance. 3. Additionally, they are to identify important nesting sites and protect any nest found from predators and natural hazards such as erosion to ensure successful hatching of the eggs. 4. To liaise with fishermen to release any turtle caught accidentally in fishing nets and assist the GWS field officers in the gathering of data needed for the management of turtles. Interestingly, conservation efforts had been going on, particularly in the Ningo area, not because the people liked the turtles or used them for tourist attraction, but because the turtles were considered sacred. In the Ningo area, the story is that the ancestor of one of the clans got stranded at sea and was carried ashore to safety on the back of a turtle, and therefore turtles have been regarded as sacred animals and it is a taboo among the Ningo people to kill and capture and, in some cases, even touch them. However, in areas such as Nyanyano in the Central region, there had been a thriving market where turtle meat are highly priced. Monitoring of marine turtles nesting along the key site between September to December 1997 recorded a total of 3,534 nests on the Prampram to Ada beaches. The monitoring revealed that only three of the remaining seven species found world-wide come to nest along the shores of Ghana. These are the Green, leatherback, and the Olive Ridley turtles. They have also been found to nest on the flat and sandy beaches of Elmina, Bortianor, Keta and Fete. Marine turtles are huge reptiles easily recognised by the shell which covers their back and belly. It may take more than eight strong persons to lift a mature turtle which could weigh about 250 kilogrammes. They are harmless and can live for more than 80 years. They feed mainly on sea weeds, jellyfish and on squids. Among some of the roles played by these gentle giants is the recycling of nutrients in the sea as well as promoting the growth of very small marine plants on which fishes feed, thereby contributing to fish production. A characteristic of turtles is that the female eventually returns to the beach on which they were hatched. To reach these nesting beaches, some swim about 4,500 kilometres. They become very weak, when laying their eggs, thus become vulnerable to human exploitation. The female visits the beach three to seven times during a nesting period. Sadly, people living along the coast keep vigil not to admire the giants as they nest, but to destroy them before they have the opportunity to lay eggs. The continuous slaughter of female adult turtles and the collection of their eggs can lead to the extinction of these reptiles along the coast of Ghana and even in the world. It is estimated that each turtle lays a total of 350 to 500 white, round eggs like tennis balls within a breeding season. These eggs are laid in holes in the sand which the female digs with its back flippers. After laying, it covers the eggs up with sand. The female turtle then returns to sea, leaving the future hatchlings to fend for themselves. One may ask why the need to protect turtles when one can even lay eggs up to about 500? Yes, there is the dire need to protect these turtles because the eggs are exposed to a lot of hazards. Most of the eggs are lost through flooding and beach erosion, while dogs, birds and pigs prey on them. The hatched ones may be eaten by crabs, fish and dogs. Worse still, the hatchlings are usually caught up in currents when they get to sea and die. Besides, lights on the beaches attract hatchlings back to the beach instead of heading to sea. Back on land, they are exposed to all the dangers enumerated above. The overriding need for turtle protection is the long period they take to mature for breeding -- between 30 and 50 years. It is believed that it takes the Olive Ridley turtles, the most common species along the coast of Ghana, about 50 years to be sexually mature. In addition, marine turtles do not nest every year. The green turtles, for example, breed every three to five years. Marine turtles therefore require maximum protection for their population to build up. The protection of the turtles along the coastline of Ghana, will eventually attract tourists and more importantly, be a sustainable source of revenue to local communities. This certainly will be a worthwhile investment through conservation of nature. The strategy advocated is community-based. The coastal people are the key stockholders in marine turtles as a resource. Although all wildlife resources are communally owned by all Ghanaians, the coastal communities have the direct and immediate ownership of the wildlife resource in their area and therefore have the responsibility for protecting the resource. Their support, co-operation and participation is of utmost importance in any strategy to conserve turtles in Ghana.