First successful hatching of a hawksbill turtle nest The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) said that the first successful hatching of a hawksbill turtle nest has been discovered by its environment team. The hawksbill turtle nesting season, which is on a number of islands in the UAE, is under way on Saadiyat beach. The nest was spotted in the capital by a TDIC member.
The hawksbill is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List as its population has declined by more than 80 per cent worldwide over the last three generations due to habitat destruction and poaching.
How long turtles have been nesting on Saadiyat is unknown. However, after 30 years breeding females return to their birth place to establish nests, which can contain between 90 to 100 eggs.
"Saadiyat beach continues to be a thriving environment for the island's inhabitants for hawksbill turtles,” Dr Nathalie Staelens, head of environmental services at TDIC, said.
Strong lights and noise may distract the baby turtles, causing them to head in the wrong direction and away from the sea.
TDIC has also requested its residents on Saadiyat beach to help ensure the continuation and safety of the turtles' nesting activities by asking them to switch off outdoor lights when they are not outside, close their curtains at night to minimise light spill, refrain from going to the beach after dark and avoid turtle tracks so they can recorded by environment teams.
TDIC has restricted resort development on Saadiyat beach at least 60 metres back from the seaward edge of the coastal dunes, creating a buffer zone, which serves as a physical barrier between construction and operation and the Saadiyat dune protection zone nesting beach.
Since the start of the programme in early 2010, some 650 eggs have hatched successfully on Saadiyat.
Source: Gulf News