Chelonia mydas | UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles
Taxa
Chelonia mydas | (Linnaeus, 1758)
Publication
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
C1
Assessment rationale/justification
Green turtles occur throughout UAE territorial waters as passage animals (from the primary nesting sites in Oman and Yemen) to the Arabian Gulf and in foraging habitats. Extensive nesting used to occur, on the east coast at least, however, this declined and then ceased with the commencement of extensive coastal development, however, there have been recent reports from both the Gulf of Oman coast and the Arabian Gulf coast of nesting attempts by Green turtles.Extrapolating from population surveys undertaken in protected areas in Abu Dhabi coastal waters, it is suspected that the overall number of mature individuals occurring within UAE territorial waters is likely to be less than 10,000. Whilst the current population trend is not known, a future continuing decline in the number of mature individuals is inferred from the three primary threats; ingestion of marine debris, boat strikes, entanglement (in marine debris, including abandoned and lost fishing gear), and habitat loss from a range of drivers. The scale of this population decline is uncertain, but it is reasonable to suspect a decline of at least 10% in the number of mature individuals over a 100-year time frame (one generation length = 42.8 years). As a result, the Green turtle is assessed as Vulnerable (VU C1). Whilst nesting attempts have recommenced in UAE waters, this contribution to the population is at present not significant, and the Green turtle is considered a non-breeding visitor for this national assessment. The condition of the North West Indian Ocean population is considered to still be deteriorating, and so there is no change in the category for this national assessment. Populations outside the UAE are impacted by light pollution at nesting sites in Oman (resulting in declines in recruitment), whilst the impact of other threats such as bioaccumulation of heavy metals, the long-term impacts of oil pollution, mortality of hatchlings in beach debris, and increased storm and other climatic change, require ongoing research.
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
Sheppard et al. (2010) reported on the unprecedented changes to Arabian Gulf marine and coastal habitats over the past decade, which has seen rapid industrial development, large-scale land reclamation, coastal infrastructure, tourism and housing development, and long-term fisheries activities, all of which have caused widespread loss and degradation of benthic habitats. Seagrass habitats in the Arabian Gulf have suffered as a consequence though there are no published reports on the scale of these impacts or the extent and rates of decline (Erftemeijer and Shuail, 2012). The species faces a range of significant threats in UAE waters; Boat strikes In Abu Dhabi, it was found that 20% of all stranded turtles died from vessel strikes. EPAA Sharjah is in the process of concluding a three-year study on the impact of boat strikes on marine turtles, including this species (EAD 2016). Boat strike occurrence on the eastern coast of Sharjah is also frequent. Fisheries bycatch The full extent of impact on green turtle populations is not yet well understood in the UAE, but recent assessments in the Gulf region raise concerns about the potentially high impact that fisheries bycatch may have on turtles (83.6% of bycatch composition, representing ~ 4,726 captures year; Abdulqader et al. 2017).On the east coast, fishers report that turtles are often caught, but that they are released alive. Entanglement and ingestion of marine debris The understanding of the level of impact of marine debris and entanglement on marine turtle is limited for the region, but recent findings of marine debris ingestion by green turtles indicate a potentially high level of interaction between these turtles and marine debris along the Gulf of Oman coast of the UAE (Yaghmour et al. 2018a,b).In Abu Dhabi, 52% of marine turtle mortalities were attributed to entanglement in abandoned fishing gear. A recent EPAA study found that sea turtles may also be caught in abandoned gargoor fish traps (EAD 2016, Yaghmour et al. 2018b). Coastal development Green turtles are typically associated with seagrass beds that grow in shallow waters and therefore are affected by coastal development. Turtles have been found within water intakes of desalination plants but it is not known if this species is impacted by this threat. Natural threats relevant to the UAE Green turtles are also subject to natural threats. The Arabian Gulf undergoes extreme water and air temperature fluctuations, which present climate-related challenges to species diversity and distribution. Many smaller turtles strand in the Arabian Gulf from cold-stunning in the winter months (Robinson et al. 2017), although these threats may not be so significant to this species. At the global scale, the species may be impacted by a range of threats, however, the impact of these threats on animals found in UAE waters is not known. Pollution and pathogens Marine pollution and debris that affect marine turtles (i.e. through ingestion or entanglement, disorientation caused by artificial lights), as well as impacts of pervasive pathogens (e.g. Fibropapilloma virus causing Fibropapillomatosis) on turtle health, although there are no records at present of this virus in UAE waters.The EPAA Sharjah is in the process of concluding a three-year study on the impact of oil spills on marine turtles which include this species. Marine debris (plastics, ropes, is a significant threat to this species. A study from the east coast found 86% of dead individuals found contained marine debris. Climate change Current and future impacts from climate change on marine turtles and their habitats (e.g. increasing sand temperatures on nesting beaches affecting hatchling sex ratios, sea level rise, storm frequency and intensity affecting nesting habitats, etc.). A primary turtle foraging habitat, seagrass beds, is known to be sensitive to increasing temperatures (Arias-Ortiz et al. 2018).
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
Scientific Name | Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chelonia mydas | Animalia | Chordata | Reptilia | Testudines | Cheloniidae | Chelonia |