Marine Turtle status Report - Indian Ocean - South-East Asian ...

in individuals, parts, and derivatives. The IUCN is the world’s main authority onthe conservation status of species. The status of each species of marine turtles iscategorised under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as shown in Table 1.The criteria for categorisations are rate of decline, population size, geographicdistribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.Table 1: Status of seven extant marine turtle species under the IUCN Red ListThreatened SpeciesFamily CommonNameSpecies IUCN Red ListStatusCheloniidae Olive Ridley Lepidochelys VulnerableturtleolivaceaLoggerhead Caretta caretta EndangeredturtleGreen turtle Chelonia mydas EndangeredHawksbill turtle EretmochelysimbricateCriticallyendangeredKemp’s RidleyturtleLepidocehlys kempii CriticallyendangeredFlatback turtle Natator depressus Data deficientDermochelyidae LeatherbackturtleDermochelyscoriaceaCriticallyendangeredNote:Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wildEndangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wildVulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wildData deficient (DD) – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinctionSource: International Union for Conservation of Nature (2011)Sabah, one of 13 states in Malaysia, is located in East Malaysia on the northernportion of Borneo Island. The district of Semporna lies at the extreme southeastcorner of Sabah. The district waters contain parts of the globally significantSemporna PCA of the SSME, known for its extremely high coral and fishrichness; productivity of its marine habitats; intact ecosystem of Sipadan IslandPark; and frequently used migratory pathway of many marine species includingmarine turtles. With an area of approximately 7,680 km 2 , the Semporna PCA ishome to Malaysia’s largest concentration of coral reefs, which is a natural capitalof reef fisheries and a lucrative dive tourism industry. This report attempts tocomprehensively document the status of marine turtles in northeast SempornaPCA. The results will be used as a baseline for monitoring as well as conservationplanning and management of marine turtles in the area.3