TURTLE RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION PROJECT

Progress Report

August 2011

Environment Society of Oman, P.O. Box 3955, P.C. 112, Ruwi Sultanate of Oman www.eso.org.om

Turtle Research and Conservation Project

Progress Report

Document Control Revision 1 Date 27 August 2011 Author AW/RB Checked MS Approved LD Description Final

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction Projects Aims Projects Team Projects Permits Activities and Achievements Recommendations for Urgent Conservation Actions Anticipated Actions Till End of 2011 Annex A: Community Outreach Activities
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction Overview Activities Areas of Improvement Press Release Clippings

1 1 1 2 2 4 5 A1
A1 A1 A2 A4 A4

Annex B: Satellite Tracking and Nesting Assessment

Introduction Satellite Tracking 2011 Flipper Tagging, Measurements, DNA Sampling and Nesting Success Assessments Nesting Beach Assessments Impacts and Threats to Turtles The Importance of Masirah Island to Loggerhead Turtles Consideration of Further Research Needs References/Bibliography

B1
B1 B1 B1 B1 B2 B4 B5 B7

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ACRONYMS ESO GPS MAFW MECA MTCA NOAA RAFO SCTP USFWS WWF/EWS Environment Society of Oman Global Positioning System Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth Ministry of Environment and Climatic Affairs Marine Turtle Conservation Act National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Royal Air Force of Oman Supreme Council for Town Planning United States Fish and Wildlife Services World Wildlife Fund/Emirates Wildlife Society

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INTRODUCTION This report summarises activities undertaken as part of ESOs Turtle Research and Conservation Programme in Oman, conducted under permits from MECA. The project is funded primarily by grants from the US government through its international sea turtle program (MTCA). The collaboration between ESO and MECA contributes towards the conservation of turtles through continued monitoring and research efforts, enhancement of resource capacity and management activities, and engagement of local communities. The project is mainly centered at Masirah Island, however, the team also initiated visits to the Damaniyat Islands for monitoring of annual hawksbill nesting. The report covers the period from March to June 2011 and contains the following sections: Projects Aims; Projects Team; Projects Permits; Activities and Achievements; Recommendations for Urgent Conservation Actions; Goals set Till End of 2011. This report has two annexes. Annex A highlights the community outreach activities and Annex B contains a detailed report on satellite tracking and nesting assessment at Masirah. PROJECTS AIMS The projects long term aims are to: To implement research to guide conservation management of turtles, especially the globally important loggerhead turtle population at Masirah Island; To study the migration and nesting frequency of turtles and understand potential interaction with human activities; To research and assess population trends of turtles nesting in Oman; To identify, assess and help mitigate threats to turtles through conservation management recommendations and action; To build capacity of local communities and institutions to be able to contribute to research and conservation of turtles; To inform and educate local communities and the general public about the value and importance of turtles as essential components of a healthy environment. PROJECTS TEAM The composition of ESOs team working on the Turtle Research and Conservation Programme in Oman is as follows: Lamees Daar Robert Baldwin Maa Sarrouf Andrew Willson Executive Director Scientific Programme Leader Project Manager Operation Manager

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Ahmed Al Ousasi Juma Al Humaidi Nawaf al Farsi Juma Al Araimi Salim al Farsi

Assistant Assistant Assistant Assistant Assistant

Researcher Researcher Researcher Researcher Researcher

PROJECTS PERMITS These projects are undertaken in accordance with the following MECA permit No. 2/2011 (date 07/02/2011).

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS The following activities and achievements were accomplished from March till June 2011. Outreach Activities The community outreach programme was rolled out on Masirah during the last week of April 2011. Presentations were made in schools and interactive activities put on for the children during this week in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. A delegation from ESO and MECA also met with Deputy Wali of Masirah Sheikh Sultan Al Battashi to discuss elements of the conservation programme. Based on continued commitment for the development of public awareness on Masirah, the ESO team has met to discuss a strategy for the implementation of educational signage on the island. The current plan is to present a proposal to relevant Ministries for the phased engagement of local communities before signage is designed and installed. This work is also planned to integrate with spatial planning being undertaken by SCTP.

A full report of the Community Outreach activities is presented as an Annex (Annex A) to this report. Research and Scientific Work Confirmation was received from US Fish and Wildlife Service for funding of the 2011 ESO turtle programme. Additional support was acquired from NOAA for the funding of the telemetry time for satellite tracking studies. Preparation started for the 2011 loggerhead programme on Masirah Island. Resources available for monitoring of the hawksbill turtle nesting season at the Damaniyat Islands continued to present a problem. Five Oceans provided a field staff member to conduct this work. Logistical support for the programme was received from MECA and Oman Sail and allowed for overnight surveys to be completed on three occasions in March. The survey effort demonstrated the value of collaboration between organizations and allowed for some assessment nesting beaches. However, the limited nature of the survey data generated will be of minimal use for the essential on-going assessment of the hawksbill turtle population trend.

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ESO assisted EWS/WWF with its hawksbill turtle satellite tagging programme in Oman, including successful deployment of 4 Sirtrack tags at the southern tip of Masirah Island on 17th April 2011. With assistance of the local MECA rangers and involvement of schools and community groups of the Island, 18 loggerhead turtles were successfully instrumented with satellite tags between the 19th and 30th of April at Masirah. The main objective of these tags is to evaluate nesting frequency during the 2011 season. A new generation of high-tech tags was selected for this purpose. Due to the configuration of the hardware required, it is expected that the tags will transmit for approximately 100 days. As such only limited data on post-migration movements will be acquired which has been the focus of previous tracking studies. This is the first known use of this new technology to evaluate nesting frequency. Dr. Barbara Schroeder from NOAA was instrumental in setting up the account and system management with ARGOS and in getting the project up and running on the seaturtle.org website. Assuming all goes well with data acquisition, processing of data will then commence in collaboration with international colleagues. During the period of satellite tagging a tissue sample was taken from each turtle. These have been archived and stored for later DNA analysis. MECA rangers and ESO researchers were demonstrated the sampling technique. Initiation of the annual loggerhead nest monitoring programme followed immediately on from the tagging work on May 1st 2011. To achieve this some of the same personnel involved in previous monitoring were employed for the 2011 season, to work from mid-April through to mid-September. The team is supported by the projects Operation Manager Andrew Willson, who is based on the island to provide support through the season. Monthly summary statistics and hard copies of the data are currently being handed to the MECA office in Masirah. Monitoring activities performed by the team in May were successful. June has proven more of a challenge with continuous winds of over 25 knots compromising the ability to survey and identify tracks and gain access to beaches for nightly nesting success surveys. At the beginning of June the team on Masirah was assisted in the field by a visiting scientist Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez. Alonzo has initiated a global study through the Center for GeoGenetics in Copenhagen to investigate the fibropapilloma disease associated with marine turtles. As an emerging and fatal disease it is hoped further studies will identify the range of its distribution and the factors that cause its transmission. During the visit Alonzo demonstrated to the field team how to inspect turtles for signs of the disease, which often is apparent as a growth or tumor growing around the eyes or other soft tissues of the body. Additional genetic samples were collected during this study of all the turtles inspected, and gave field staff a chance to practice sample collection with close guidance. Under the arrangement of a strict MoU, it is intended these samples will be made available to Center for GeoGenetics to allow them to genetically define the placement of Masirah turtles relation to other regional populations and thus assist in describing the biogeography of this disease.

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During night patrols between May and June the survey team has continued to monitor the nesting turtles where the measuring and weighing eggs has been added to the data collection process. All nests observed have also been marked with hidden objects that can be detected after incubation and hatching. Those nests marked at the beginning of the season will have hatched by the end of June. At this time the first training will take place in relocating and excavation to analyze the hatching success of nests.

A full report of the scientific work (satellite tracking, nesting beach monitoring) is presented as an Annex (Annex B) to this report.

Photos 1 to 4: Pictures of Beach Surveys and Turtle Nesting Assessment in Masirah

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR URGENT CONSERVATION ACTIONS The conservation management of turtles in Oman requires progressive development over the coming years due to escalating threats. However, during the course of this period, several issues were identified that require urgent management intervention. ESO therefore recommends that MECA implements the following actions:

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Implement enforced prohibition of driving on all nesting beaches at Masirah; Initiate mitigation to resolve light pollution issues at Masirah; Empower rangers to effectively prohibit harassment and disturbance of nesting turtles and poaching of eggs at Masirah and the Damaniyat Islands; Collect and properly dispose of abandoned fishing gear and litter on nesting beaches at Masirah and the Damaniyat Islands in collaboration with Municipality offices and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth; Initiate discussions with MAFW to relocate fishing vessels and landing sites from nesting beaches at Masirah; Initiate discussions with MAFW to address the issue of turtle bycatch; Provide guidelines for tourists visiting turtle nesting beaches.

ANTICIPATED ACTIONS TILL END OF 2011 The following goals are set from July 2011 till December 2011: Continue daily nest site monitoring of loggerhead turtles at Masirah; Review and enter data on a monthly basis. Hand-over data to MECA representatives at Masirah; Continue to work on an awareness raising campaign that will include display of educational signage at key locations; Document threats to nesting turtles at Masirah; Continue to train local ESO recruits in turtle research and conservation management planning.

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Progress Report Annex A: Community Outreach Activities

ANNEX A: COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES 1. Introduction

This section summarises the Community Outreach Activities carried out in April 2011 for the Turtle Research and Conservation Project in Oman. The activities mentioned in this report have been funded by the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants. The Environment Society of Oman will continue its work on the Island in terms of research and community outreach. It contains the following sections: Overview Activities Areas of improvement 2. Overview

As part of ESOs focus on public awareness regarding the importance of Sea Turtle nesting in Oman, a three day awareness program was scheduled and implemented in Masirah Island from April 24-26, 2011. This is the second consecutive annual event organised by ESO where activities are planned to target different age groups including school children and women in the community. Masirah Island is the largest nesting rookery for Loggerhead Turtles in the World. The ESO team presented information about sea turtles in Oman and specifically those loggerhead turtles that nest on Masirah including: the importance of sea turtles in Omans marine ecosystem, the threats sea turtles face every day, the ecotourism concept and how can people help to protect them. All this information was presented using different educational methods depending on the targeted group. Educational activities, recreational, demonstrations and presentations were conducted over a period of three days. ESOs team applied a pre-evaluation questionnaire to find out more about the level of awareness that local people have about sea turtles and their global importance.

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3.

Activities

The following activities were conducted 1. An 80-minute educational programme was conducted at the schools on Masirah Island; this programme was comprised of four different activities. These activities addressed different intelligences1 for school students including: visual intelligence, linguistic intelligence and naturalist intelligence. These activities were used as a test and prototype of design to be applied in the class room. Details of the activities: Ice breaking exercise using image and word cards; these exercises were designed to motivate students visual and linguistic intelligence. Students reacted very well to the image exercise but some weaknesses were observed when using the word cards. An educational presentation about the sea turtle; concentrated mainly on the common and differences between sea turtle species. It also included the sea turtle life cycle, information about threats and the importance of Eco-Tourism concept. Students reactions were very good. Mix puzzle exercises (Senior Students): Concentrated on the differences between sea turtle species. This motivated students visual intelligence and problem solving. Building story (Junior Students): An incomplete story with different scenarios presented to the students to be completed, some behavioural

1 The theory of multiple intelligences

suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. The theory of multiple intelligences suggests several other ways in which the material might be presented to facilitate effective learning.

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problems appeared during the story scenario and the students needed to suggest solutions for different situations. Two out of three sessions were completed within the time frame (60-70) min. and the third one took about 20 min.

2. Demonstration Activity (Beach Walk); this targeted the natural intelligence for Junior students. The nesting cycle for sea turtles was demonstrated and students had to address problem solving on the spot. Students were able to note the environmental problems on the beach immediately. They also thought of potential solutions (like stopping cars from driving on the beach. The overall outcome of this activity and the students reaction was excellent. 3. Students in the elementary school chose 4 names for the turtles that were tagged; the names are: Shehamieh, Bahar Masirah, Al Sharqiyah and Maha. 4. A presentation was given to the Masirah Womens Association discussing general information about sea turtle species with some information about the threats and the Eco-tourism concept. A discussion about threats and solutions took place and the women concentrated mainly on: road lighting and small boats. They think that the municipality needs to lead the light changing initiative and the municipality also needs to set regulations for small boats on the beach. 5. Sea Turtle tagging is a regular process for the research team to track the sea turtle migration and analyse their behaviour and by involving school students in this process as part of the community outreach programme strengthens the feeling of value among the local people and helps to get their attention. It also helps students to get better understanding about nesting areas. 6. The meeting with the Wali of Masirah was a short briefing. Dr Mehdi Ahmad Jaaffar, ESO Board Member, met with the Walis Deputy, Sheikh Sultan Al Battashi. Dr Mehdi stressed on last years meeting, focusing on the importance of Masirah, the lighting issues and construction that needed to meet Environmental standards. Tour of the Island During the three day event ESOs team had several tours of the Island and tried to become familiar with the public and tourist facilities on the Island. Masirah is a big Island with a population of 20,000, two modest hotel and one 5 star hotel. The Military airport and roads do not have any awareness signs about marine life. People there are very proud of their island and their turtles and they have some unusual ideas about sea turtle from their heritage which potentially can have negative impacts to the turtles. However, they were open to discussing the science and global importance of the turtles. Table 1: Activities and Beneficiaries Activity Sunday 24th April Time 9:00-11:00 am 9:30-12:00 am Beneficiaries

Muhallab Bin Abi Safrah School Senior Boys School Education Session (One session) Masirah Secondary School Senior Girls School Education Session (One

37 44

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session) Masirah Women Association - Presentation Turtle Tagging Monday 25th April Mashael AL Elm School Primary School Education Session (two sessions) Beach Activity- Demonstration Activity Turtle Tagging Tuesday 26
th

6:45-8:30 pm 8:00-11:00 pm 9:00-12:30 am 4:30-6:30 pm 8:00-11:30 pm 10:00-11:00

20 12

67 13 16

April 209

Meeting with Masirah Wali Total Number of Beneficiaries 4. Areas of Improvement

The schools and the Ministry of Education appreciated our work and would like to have a full academic year programme for the schools in the future, having such a programme in place will give students more time to think about the Turtle project and absorb more knowledge. The exercises themselves can also be expanded and more time can be dedicated towards them. The education materials and exercises need some revision and editing. A demonstration tool for each school will be an added value for the teachers to be able to use in their education activities and field trips. Masirah is the most important nesting area for the Loggerhead turtles in the world, yet there are no iconic places or remarkable signs about this on the Island. The only place we found such information is at the Swiss Bell Resort, and this hotel is located far away from the city and only targets certain types of tourists. Providing signs or wall art in each school, on the road, hotels, and any other important areas will help to educate people more about these species and will give Masirah an identity. Beaches and other public areas have a lack of awareness signs and environmental messages about how to behave on the beach and how not to harm the beaches and turtles. These signs will remind locals and visitors about their importance. The lighting system in Masirah needs to be improved in order to meet the environmental standards and not affect the turtles on the beaches. The Masirah Womens Association is small however a very active association that does a lot for the local people there. It is important to help improve their skills in order to provide training to enable them to pass on the important environmental information. This should be done through a sustainable programme. 5.

Press Release Clippings

Below are three press release clippings from Omans daily newspapers highlighting ESOs Masirah event and the support from the Ford Grant.

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Oman Daily Observer, May 10, 2011 p.26

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Muscat Daily, May 10 2011, p.5

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Oman Daily, May 10 2011, p.10

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Progress Report Annex B: Satellite Tracking and Nesting Assessment

ANNEX B: SATELLITE TRACKING AND NESTING ASSESSMENT

1. Introduction

This report summarises the research activities carried out between March and June 2011 on loggerhead turtles at Masirah Island. This report has been prepared by ESOs Marine SubCommittee (Robert Baldwin and Andy Willson) and contains the following sections: Satellite Tracking 2011; Flipper tagging, measurements, DNA sampling and nesting success assessments; Nesting beach assessments; Impacts and threats to turtles; Importance of Masirah Island to loggerhead turtles; Consideration of further research needs; References and bibliography. 2. Satellite Tracking 2011

Post-nesting tracks from satellite-tagged loggerhead turtles studied between 2007 and 2010 have revealed a migration away from Masirah to both Yemen waters in the south and Arabian Gulf waters to the north (MECA and ESO unpublished data). This year, in April 2011, a total of 18 new satellite tags were fitted onto female loggerhead turtles nesting at Masirah Island. Each turtle in this tagging programme was fitted with a 'Wildlife Computers' MK10 transmitter, which incorporates the latest GPS technology in the tagging device. The tag unit uses a GPS receiver and is specifically configured to give precise information about the location of tagged turtles whenever they make landfall. This will enable the research team to understand the nesting frequency of the turtles throughout the season. The tagging team was therefore on site at the very beginning of the nesting season to try and catch the first nesters emerging from the sea for this year. It is hoped that the results of the work will enable a more accurate assessment of the total population of nesting loggerheads at Masirah Island, in addition to revealing post-nesting migrations as in previous years.

3.

Flipper Tagging, Measurements, DNA Sampling and Nesting Success Assessments

An attempt was made to fit each turtle with two flipper tags, one on each of the foreflippers. This was undertaken by MECA rangers. Each flipper tag has a unique identity and many thousands of such tags have been deployed by MECA over the years. Tissue samples were also collected from each turtle and archived for later DNA analysis. For those turtles that successfully nested, a new locating system was used so that the team can return later in the season and determine how many of the eggs successfully hatched.

4. Nesting Beach Assessments

The satellite tracking project is part of a much larger research campaign on the island. The focus of this research is on determination of the total number (and distribution) of nests over the course of the five month nesting season between April and September. This is achieved through conducting counts during daily beach surveys on index nesting beaches and island-wide surveys twice per month. The real value of these data will be in detecting

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variation between years to enable determination the population. To date, it would appear that the years, the magnitude and rate of this decline will management intervention may be able to reverse

of population size, as well as the trend in population is declining. Over the next few become clearer. However, it is hoped that the trend.

Nesting beach surveys this year began according to schedule, on the 1st May 2011.

5. Impacts and Threats to Turtles During the course of the work this year, it was clear that impacts to turtle nesting beaches are escalating in intensity, scale and area. The major reasons for this relate to use of the beach by vehicles and for fishing activities.

A. Vehicle traffic on nesting beaches Threat: Tyre tracks from vehicles using the beach either to access fishing boats, for recreation or to poach turtle eggs are causing significant damage to the nesting environment. Vehicles using the beach damage sand dunes and vegetation. Such damage eventually leads to flooding and erosion, and therefore loss of eggs and nesting habitat. The situation is made worse because compaction of sand by vehicles prevents vegetation regrowth which would otherwise help to stabilise the sand. A reduction in dunes and vegetation can also impact a turtles ability to navigate effectively and reduces natural lightshielding effects. On several occasions this year, vehicles directly threatened turtles and their eggs by driving at speed, at night, along the beach front. Driving on the beach is also a hazard to other people on the beach. Action: Driving on beaches, especially turtle nesting beaches, should be strictly prohibited and select beaches should be fenced to prevent access: the main nesting beach from RAFO to the new Swiss Bell hotel should be a priority for fencing to prevent beach driving. Signage that communicates the ruling against beach driving should be erected on all nesting beaches. Turtle rangers accessing beaches for official work should use the provided ATVs only. Rangers should document beach driving activities in routine monitoring and seek to identify offenders. Assistance from the ROP to enforce beach driving regulations should be sought, if necessary. Note: Care should be taken to develop a programme of awareness about beach driving concerns and regulations to ensure the public is well-informed prior to implementing strict enforcement policies. Issues such as safety, security and other concerns related to beach driving should be included in awareness media. Offenders should initially be provided with warnings and further explanation of the regulations. Repeat offenders should then be subject to punishment in accordance with the law.

B. Use of beaches by fishermen

Threat: The use of turtle nesting beaches to store nets, boats and other equipment, and to launch boats has spread and increased, and includes use of some of the islands (and the worlds) densest nesting beaches for loggerheads. This fishing gear causes obstruction to potential nesting, loss of sand dunes, impacts from lighting, entrapment of nesting females and hatchlings in fishing gear, and possibly other impacts, such as local contamination of

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sand/seawater due to oil/fuel spillage, etc. The increased activity on beaches also attracts other fishermen and the attention of passers by leading to further issues. Action: Discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish Wealth are required to determine ways of eliminating activities on nesting beaches. On an island the size of Masirah, the logical control mechanism is to provide a single harbour facility for fishermen, with associated facilities for vehicle parking, fish landing and coldstore, and storage, repair and maintenance of fishing gear. The ultimate aim should be to eliminate use of nesting beaches as storage areas, points of access to the sea and fish landing sites. The centralisation of all these activities has the added benefit of providing greater efficiency for the industry and potentially raising the quality of the catch. It is important that this is achieved in conjunction with programmes to secure buy-in by fishermen, as there is otherwise a risk that fishermen will continue to use beaches in spite of the provision of new facilities elsewhere.

C. Lighting Threat: There continues to be a significant threat, and probable impact, from lighting on the important northeastern nesting beaches. This includes street lighting, lights associated with buildings (such as the SwissBell hotel, the police station and other buildings), as well as security lights at RAFO. Light pollution is a very serious threat to turtles and may lead to a significant decline at the population level. Light pollution causes hatchling turtles to move in the wrong direction and/or to become disoriented, usually resulting in mortality. It can also disrupt adult females attempting to nest or to return to the sea. Action: Solving current light pollution problems is both practicable and feasible and could be achieved within one year. Maintaining light pollution at minimum levels thereafter requires development of clear policies, and regular surveillance and enforcement of lighting guidelines. There is therefore a need for both immediate action to mitigate current lighting impacts, as well as planning in order to manage lighting in the future. Immediate action includes: Coordinate with the military base near Hilf to implement a plan to alter lighting to turtle-friendly designs/materials Coordinate with the Wali of Masirah, the local municipality and other relevant authorities to alter existing street lighting near nesting beaches, including reduction in height, redirection of beams and deployment of opaque shields Approach relevant owners, operators and authorities to enable alteration of lights at existing hotels, houses, police stations and other buildings close to nesting beaches Design and construct beach dunes/berms to shield beaches from lighting and limit night-time beach access In all cases, plan for regular monitoring and management of light pollution into the future

It is imperative that action is taken to address light pollution immediately as the scale of the problem is still relatively limited and manageable. Restricting lighting in the future will be an easier task than retrofitting on a larger scale. Street lighting, for example, is imminent near many nesting beaches.

D. Other Threats

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The above three threats are among many others that continue to impact and threaten turtles at Masirah, but these three are highlighted as they have clearly intensified on the main northeastern nesting beaches and require urgent management action. These and other threats are summarised below. Summary of threats to turtles at Masirah Threats in the beach environment Threat Light pollution Coastal construction Vehicle traffic Fisheries activities on beaches Harvest of eggs Beach recreation Beach pollution Overgrazing Vegetation removal/planting Erosion Sandmining/beach nourishment Predation/pests Climate change Threats in the marine environment Threat Fisheries bycatch Habitat degradation by fisheries Harvest of adult sea turtles High X X X X X Priority for Action Medium Low

X X X X X X X X Priority for Action Medium Low

High X X X

Pollution at sea
Vessel collision Dredging and other marine construction works Disease/pathogens Changes in trophic dynamics 6.

X X X X

The Importance of Masirah Island to Loggerhead Turtles

The following table summarises the importance of Masirah Island to turtles: According to the literature, Masirah Island hosts the largest population of loggerhead turtles in the world (an original population of +30,000 females was estimated in the late 1970s). Despite population declines (see below) Masirahs remains one of only two similarly-sized nesting populations, the other being in Florida, USA. Each of these sites hosts 40-45% of the global population and so together they host up to 80-90% of all female loggerheads. This gives Oman an unusually large global responsibility for the protection of this species. There are at least nine discrete populations of loggerhead turtles globally, that are markedly separated from each other as a consequence of ecological, behavioral, and oceanographic factors, and based on genetic evidence (Conant et al 2009). Masirahs turtles are the overwhelming majority of an Endangered Northern Indian

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Ocean population. According to expert analysis all loggerhead turtle populations are either in decline, or have the potential to decline in the future, and are at risk of extinction. The large population of loggerhead turtles in Florida has declined by 50% over the last decade (Witherington et al 2009). The extinction risk is caused by threats from human activity which are similar in nature throughout the world (Conant et al 2009). Threats to loggerheads that nest on Masirah Island are increasing rapidly and have caused an apparent decline in the population, possibly by more than 50% over the last 30 years (MECA/ESO unpublished data). Among the threats are activities related to tourism, an industry which nevertheless has potential to utilise turtles as a sustainable resource with high economic potential and marketing value. Turtles are already part of a growing tourism industry elsewhere in the country (for example, at Ras al Hadd Turtle Reserve). Genetic studies have shown that adult populations are highly structured with no overlap in distribution among adult loggerheads in the North Indian Ocean, Southwest Indian Ocean, and Southeast Indo-Pacific. There is no evidence or reason to believe that female loggerheads from the Southwest Indian Ocean or Southeast Indo-Pacific would repopulate the North Indian Ocean nesting beaches should those populations be lost (Conant et al 2009). Protected Areas for loggerhead turtles have resulted in successful protection of this species, and even a halt or reversal in population decline, in other parts of the world, for example South Africa (Hughes 2010). Nesting beaches of Masirah Island host three other species of turtles, including the second largest nesting population of hawksbill turtles in the country. The Island and surrounding waters also support many other terrestrial and marine species of conservation value, including endangered populations endemic to the island, such as gazelle (Gazella gazella ssp) and hare (Lepus capensis jeffreyi), and to the region, such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) (Minton et al 2008a and b). Consideration of Further Research Needs

7.

The following table outlines further research needs on nesting beaches. This would involve considerable expansion of the current programme, requiring many more field staff and other additional resources. Theme Category Population identity, structure size and trends Methods Track counts on all nesting beaches (day-time) Egg counts and temperature monitoring (nighttime) Tag and measure more females (night-time) Collect tissue samples for genetic as well as stable isotope analysis (night-time) Mark nests and subsequently investigate hatchling emergence hatching success (night-time/daytime) Further satellite tracking to help assess annual and inter-annual nesting periodicity (night-time) Beach and dune profiling (day-time) Monitor vehicle tracks on beaches/dunes (day-

Turtles (focus on loggerheads mid April to end Sept, other species Oct to April)

Nesting habitat

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Theme

Category Strandings

Data handling and reporting

Human and social demography

Fisheries Socioeconomics Community outreach

Training

Methods time) Monitor beach use for fisheries (day-time) Monitor beach use for recreation (day-time/nighttime) Monitor sand-mining (day-time) Monitor beach encroachment (by development) (day-time) Monitor egg-harvesting and predation (daytime/night-time) Monitor adult harvest (day-time) Monitor beach/dune vegetation (day-time) Monitor livestock dune-grazing pressure (day-time) Monitor beach pollution (day-time) Night time light pollution monitoring (night-time) Monitor effectiveness of any management intervention (day-time) Stranding surveys (and rescue and release) (daytime) Necropsy (day-time) Upload field data File raw data and digital data Preliminary data processing and analysis Compile reports Identify target audiences for regular report submission and liaison Semi-structured interviews Quantification of infrastructure, etc Investigations of standards of education, etc Studies of social perceptions, aspirations, etc Studies to complement nesting habitat research above (e.g. rationale behind recreational use of beaches, etc) Semi-structured interviews Quantification and characterisation of infrastructure, gear, etc Studies to complement nesting habitat research above (e.g. rationale behind fisheries use of beaches, etc) Engagement and liaison Development of materials, signage, etc Community events School events, etc Development of training materials On-the-job-training Presentations, lectures and workshops Specialist vocational (and language) training courses Evaluation and certification schemes

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8.

References/Bibliography

Al-Gheilani, H. (1996). Environmental and Biological Study on the Green Turtles in the Ras al Hadd Region in the Sultanate of Oman. MSc. Thesis, Department of Marine Science, Suez Canal University, Egypt. 165 pp. Al-Hussani, F. (1996). Green Turtle Nesting Behaviour and Population Size Variation. Report of undergraduate field project, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. 87pp. Al-Maskari, N. (1996). Tagging studies of female green turtles in Ras al Hadd. Report of undergraduate field project, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. 72pp. Al-Rasadi, A. (1996). Mortality of green turtle in Ras al Hadd. Report of undergraduate field project, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. 21pp. Baldwin, R.M. 1992. Nesting turtles on Masirah Island: Management issues, options, and research requirements. Report, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment, Oman. Baldwin, R.M. (1999). The ecology and conservation status of sea turtles of Oman. In: The Natural History of Oman: A Festschrift for Michael Gallagher. M. Fisher, S.A. Gazanfar and J.A. Spalton (eds), pp89-98. Backhuys publishers, Leiden. Baldwin, R.M. & Al-Kiyumi, A. (1996). Marine Turtles of the Sultanate of Oman. National Report, Northern Indian Ocean, Sea Turtle Workshop and Strategic Planning Session, January 13-18, 1996. Unpublished Report. Baldwin, R.M., Gallagher, M.D. and Van Waerebeek, K. 1999. A review of cetaceans from waters off the Arabian Peninsula. In: Omans Natural History, eds. Fisher, M., Spalton, A. and Gazanfar, S., Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. Pp. 161-189. Baldwin, R., G.R. Hughes, and R.I.T. Prince. 2003. Loggerhead turtles in the Indian Ocean. Pages 218-232 in Bolten, A.B. and B.E. Witherington (editors). Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Baldwin, R. & Salm, R. 1994. Whales and Dolphins along the Coast of Oman. Muscat Printing Press, Sultanate of Oman Oman. 65pp. Brock, J. C. & McClain, C. R. 1992. Interannual variability in phytoplankton blooms observed in the northwestern Arabian Sea during the southwest monsoon. Journal of Geophysical Research 97: 733-750. Conant, T.A., P.H. Dutton, T. Eguchi, S.P. Epperly, C.C. Fahy, M.H. Godfrey, S.L. MacPherson, E.E. Possardt, B.A. Schroeder, J.A. Seminoff, M.L. Snover, C.M. Upite, and B.E. Witherington. 2009. Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) 2009 status review under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Report of the Loggerhead Biological Review Team to the National Marine Fisheries Service, August 2009. 222 pages. Elliot, A. J. & Savidge, G. 1990. Some features of the upwelling off Oman. Journal of Marine Research 48: 319-333. Environment Society of Oman, 2010. Conserving Masirah Islands Turtles. Unpublished report produced by ESO under US Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Agreement No. 401818-J520, submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs. 66pp.

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Fefer, S and Manski, D. 2009. U.S. Department of Interior Technical Assistance Assessment. Daymmaniyat Islands and Ras al Hadd Turtle Nature Reserves, Oman. Unpublished report submitted to Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Oman. 75pp. Hughes, G. R. 2010 Loggerheads and leatherbacks in the Western Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter No 11, pp 24-31. Hutchinson, J. & Simmonds, M. (1992) Escalation of threats to marine turtles. Oryx 26(2) 95-102. ITOPF. 1986. Fate of Marine Oil Spills. Technical Information Paper Number 11. ITOPF, Houndsditch, London. UK IUCN 1986. The Proposed Damaniyat Islands National Nature Reserve Management Plan. Unpublished report submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sultanate of Oman. pp45. Kindle, J. C. & Arnone, R. A. A review of the surface circulation of the Northern Arabian Sea. Claerebouldt, M., Al Oufi, H. S., McIlwain, J., and Goddard, S. 113-122. 2001. Oman, Sultan Qaboos University. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment in the Northwest Indian Ocean. Ref Type: Conference Proceeding LG Mouchel and Partners. 1996. Oman Coral Reef Management Plan. Prepared for the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment. Minton,G., Collins,T.J.Q., Findlay,K.P., Ersts,P.J., Rosenbaum,H.C., Berggren,P. & Baldwin,R.M. 2008 (a). Seasonal distribution, abundance, habitat use and population identity of humpback whales in Oman. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management Special Issue on Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales. Minton, G., Collins, T., Pomilla, C., Findlay, K.P., Rosenbaum, H., Baldwin, R. & Brownell Jr., R.L. 2008 (b). Megaptera novaeangliae, Araiban Sea subpopulation. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/132835 Oman Economic Review. 2008. Net Profit an Interview with HE Dr Hamed Said Al Oufi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Fisheries Wealth, Oman (www.oeronline.com, October 2008). Oman Economic Review. 2007. Al Duqm - Breathtaking Development (www.oeronline.com, August 2007). Pablo Kaluza, Andrea Klzsch, Michael T. Gastner and Bernd Blasius, J. 2010. The complex network of global cargo ship movements. Royal Society: Interface Pilcher, N. 2002. Potential tropical coastal, marine and small island world heritage sites in the Middle East Region. World Heritage Biodiversity: Filling Critical Gaps and Promoting Multi-Site Approaches to New Nominations of Tropical Coastal, Marine and Small Island Ecosystems. Ross, J. P. 1979. Sea Turtles in the Sultanate of Oman. Manuscript Report of IUCN/WWF Project 1320.

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Ross J. P. 1998. Estimations of the nesting population size of loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, Masirah Island, Sultanate of Oman. Pages 84-87 in Epperly, S. P. ,Braun, J. Compilers, Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Sea Turtle Symposium. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-415. Ross J. P., and M. A. Barwani. 1982. Review of turtles in the Arabian Area. Pages 373-383 in K. A. Bjorndal, editor. Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Salm, R.V. (1991). Turtles in Oman. Status, Threats and Management Options. Manuscript report of IUCN Coastal Zone Management Project CZMP4:F11. 32pp. Salm, R.V., Jensen, R.A.C. & Papastavrou, V.A. (1993). Marine Fauna of Oman: Cetaceans, Turtles, Seabirds and Shallow Water Corals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 66 pp. Salm, R.V. & Salm, S.W. (1991). Sea turtles in the Sultanate of Oman. Muscat: Mazoon Printing Press. Sideek, S.M and Baldwin, R.M. 1996. Application of stage class matrix model in managing Oman green turtle (Chelonia mydas) population. Herpetological Journal, 6: 1-8. Witherington, B., P. Kubilis, B. Brost, and A. Meylan. 2009. Decreasing annual nest counts in a globally important loggerhead sea turtle population. Ecological Applications 19(1):30-54. Zandri, E. and Abul Hawa. 2006. Assessing Management Effectiveness in the Protected Areas of Oman. Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources. IUCU-WESCANA. GEF-UNDEP. 90pp.

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