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turtles are classed as critically<br />
endangered. Turtles are protected<br />
by law in the Maldives in an effort to<br />
combat the dwindling population,<br />
and several resorts have established<br />
conservation programmes.<br />
Around ten years ago the team<br />
at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru resort<br />
pioneered a successful conservation<br />
programme which increased the<br />
survival rates of baby turtles into<br />
adulthood from one in a thousand to<br />
one in a hundred. Still going strong<br />
today, the Marine Turtle Conservation<br />
Programme involves a combination of<br />
strategies, research and education to<br />
achieve its aims.<br />
These include identifying turtle nesting<br />
sites and relocating the nests before<br />
fisherman can find them. A small<br />
percentage of the hatchlings are<br />
raised at the resort until they are big<br />
enough to be released into the wild,<br />
giving them a head start free from<br />
predators when they are at their most<br />
vulnerable. The Marine Lab team also<br />
offers to buy turtle eggs at a higher<br />
rate than the market rate. As well<br />
as this, they rescue and rehabilitate<br />
injured turtles.<br />
Guests and local schoolchildren<br />
are allowed to visit the baby turtle<br />
enclosures on the island and in<br />
the lagoon, where they can find<br />
out more about turtles from the<br />
marine biologists. The Marine Lab<br />
at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru is led by<br />
Mirta Moraitis. Her passion for the<br />
programme and love of turtles is<br />
infectious.<br />
“Our project intends to use the captive<br />
turtles as appointed ‘ambassadors<br />
MALDIVIAN AIR TAXI<br />
of the sea’ to the community and school children of the<br />
Maldives and to all our guests”, says Mirta.<br />
“<strong>Maldivian</strong> children visit the turtles, learn about their life<br />
cycle and their biological and conservation needs and<br />
also our mascot, Felly the Turtle. They’ve shown interest<br />
and concern, which is then taken back into the homes<br />
of <strong>Maldivian</strong> people. The kids get so enthusiastic that<br />
often we’re invited to visit their schools and speak to<br />
the whole school about what we do here. The <strong>Maldivian</strong><br />
people, from day-trippers to ministers, from hotel staff to<br />
scientists, have all been involved and touched and will<br />
carry these memories into every far and distant reach of<br />
the country and even beyond,” she says.<br />
Each turtle nest typically consists of up to 180 eggs.<br />
Only one in a thousand hatchlings survives if nature<br />
takes its course in the wild. Mirta’s team takes ten<br />
percent of hatchlings to rear at the resort until they are<br />
big enough to release; carefully monitoring, measuring<br />
and weighing them as they grow. By doing this, the<br />
baby turtle survival rates are increased by a factor of ten.<br />
The hatchlings start their lives in tanks on the resort<br />
island, where they are fed a natural diet of fish and<br />
vegetables for the first five months. Then they are taken<br />
to a cage in the lagoon where the turtles can grow<br />
bigger in a semi-natural environment without threats<br />
from predators.<br />
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... www.maldivianairtaxi.com 39
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