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by Ivan Caballero
Under Mexican federal law the penal code dictates, in its chapter on environmental crimes, six months to six years of prison and a fine ranging from the equivalent of 1,000–20,000 days of salary at minimum wage, for anyone who:
I. Willfully and maliciously injures or kills any marine mammal or turtle, or collects, or in any way engages in the trade of products or by-products made from said animals without the proper authorization to do so;
II. Willfully and maliciously captures, collects, transports, destroys or engages in the trade of aquatic species out-of-season without the proper authorization to do so;
III. Hunts, fishes, or in any way captures species of wild fauna by methods which are prohibited by law or which threaten said species with extinction;
IV. Engages in any commercial activity related to species of flora or fauna considered endemic, threatened, endangered, rare, out-of-season, or subject to special protection, in products or by-products, and genetic resources obtained from said species without the proper authorization to do so; or
V. Willfully and maliciously injures or damages species of flora or fauna indicated in the above paragraph.
With turtle season in full swing, CEA would like to share some information on turtle management. Unfortunately, there have been some questionable activities going on in Akumal. We would love for people to continue supporting turtle conservation activities, but we need to do it in the right way.
CEA has the only permit from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) to carry out marine turtle protection, conservation and research activities in Akumal. With this permit comes a responsibility to make sure that the turtles are protected and managed well in Akumal. Digging up nests, handling nesting females and hatchlings and other activities that are carried out by people not from CEA’s Sea Turtle Program are considered illegal and constitute a federal offense.
Unfortunately there are people in our community who claim to work for us, but do not. CEA's staff and volunteers can be identified by their uniform and/or ID cards. A nesting turtle should not be bothered in any way and hatching babies should make their own way to the water, with very little help from us. We can help by making sure the little ones reach the water and do not go up into the hotels. Turtles should not be taken to anyone’s house or hotel room for any reason.
It would be easier if we all respected the law and worked together towards the conservation of our sea turtles. If we all had a better understanding of the turtles’ needs, and of the laws that govern their management and protection, we could avoid problems like that which occurred on Jade Beach on July 21. At midnight, a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) came up on the beach to nest; however, she went as far up as one of the houses. This house had its lights on, even lighting up part of the bay. Artificial lights confuse and disorient nesting and hatching sea turtles, and during turtle season we ask people to turn-off, cover, or reposition their lights, or take other measures to minimize the amount of electric lights visible from the beach.
CEA has asked this house several times to cooperate with us by turning its lights off, but we have so far been unsuccessful in gaining their assistance. For about an hour the turtle was in the yard, disoriented, looking for a place to nest. The person who takes care of the house was asked to turn off the lights but refused to do so, stating that it was impossible. In her confusion, and with so many people around, the turtle destroyed one of the garden lights as she tried to get back to sea. After an hour, the CEA turtle volunteer team was able to remove the turtle from the yard and guide her back to the water.
Events like this happen because so many people do not know how turtles must be protected or managed. However, some people are simply not interested in protecting this endangered species; they do not respond to requests for cooperation or support. Although some people feel they own the turtle nests on “their property,” they don’t understand that they are violating a federal law when they handle or interfere with the turtles and their nests. The beach is federal property and, while maintaining a beautiful house, condo or hotel for tourists is important, we must make sure that we don’t interfere with the life cycle of marine turtles.
You can also help by: -
Reducing the amount of electric light visible from the beach by turning lights off, re-orienting fixtures, or covering lights with a red filter.
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Keeping your dogs off the beach at night. They frighten nesting females, dig up nests, and eat eggs and hatchlings.
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Removing furniture from the beach at night.
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Avoiding nighttime beach parties or bonfires during turtle season, and refraining from smoking on the beach at night (turtles have a great sense of smell.)
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Giving turtles their space. If you see one, do not approach it. Leave it alone and observe from a distance.
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Urging your hotel or condo management to cooperate in turtle conservation efforts.
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Supporting only authorized turtle programs.
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Not purchasing turtle eggs or meat, or any products made from turtles.
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Attending one of our Turtle Talks and Walks (Mon.–Sat. 8 p.m.)
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Notifying us of any unusual or suspicious behavior. (We are sad to say that there are poachers in the area.)
Protection of the planet includes doing all we can to make sure that marine turtles may soon be taken off the endangered species list thanks to all of our efforts. Please help CEA do its job by understanding what the law says about turtle management.
Contact us if you have any questions of how to legally and appropriately interact with sea turtles. For further information you can visit the SEMARNAT Web site (www.semarnat.gob.mx) or the Web site for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (http://www.cites.org).
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