Abu Dhabi, July 5th, 2011 (WAM) -- The Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD) will sponsor a female Hawksbill turtle, Latifa, in support of the Marine Turtle Conservation Programme launched by the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF).
EAD sponsored this turtle not only to support EWS-WWFs project, but also to help raise awareness of Abu Dhabis fragile biodiversity, including that of Bu Tinah Island, says an announcement. EAD sponsored one female Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in April, covering the costs for its satellite tag and monitoring. In a bid to involve young people in conserving our natural heritage, EAD organised an election on the Corniche during its Annual Environment Competition exhibition to vote and choose a name for the sponsored turtle. Of the ten options proposed, the name Latifa (meaning kind and gentle) was the winner with 30% of the votes. Tagging Latifa took place on Qarnein Island in Abu Dhabi with experts locating and tagging her with the monitoring device. The data being collected currently shows that Latifa is in her nesting phase staying off the coast of the island and returning several times to lay eggs. The Marine Turtle Conservation Project is an initiative of EWS-WWF that involves several partners and sponsors across the region, including EAD in Abu Dhabi. Findings from monitoring the tagged turtles will be used to identify and map critical marine turtle foraging habitats and migratory routes in the Gulf, which will in turn guide the development of focused and effective conservation plans and management for marine turtles and their habitats. Latifa is one of 44 turtles that have been tagged so far by EWS-WWF and its partners since the project launched in 2010. The project currently focuses on Hawksbill turtles and aims to tag up to 75 turtles in its three-year duration. Worldwide, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the Hawksbill turtle as "critically endangered". At local and regional level, these species populations are threatened and the number of their foraging habitats and nesting grounds are continually declining, calling for urgent conservation efforts. The Hawksbill turtle is one of the species that calls Bu Tinah Island its home. To vote for Bu Tinah as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, local residents can SMS the word BuTinah to 3888. Thabit Al Abdessalaam, Director of Biodiversity Management Sector, EAD said: "In todays world, we face the effects of change and development with each day that passes. However, we cannot forget how these impact our fragile biodiversity. Wildlife tagging programmes allow us to gather data on species migration and nesting patterns; learning more about the species comes in useful when developing preservation and protection measures. By working with partners such as EWS-WWF, together we can enhance our biodiversity conservation efforts for the betterment of our environment. "Commenting on the sponsorship of Latifa, Lisa Perry, Programme Director of EWS-WWF added: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank EAD for their support. In addition to sponsoring a turtle, EAD is one of our partners that lend us knowledge and expertise to help us carry out a successful tagging season. It is with the generous contribution of our sponsors and partners that we are able to move forward with tagging and data collection. We hope the success of this research project will help guide the development of effective and sound conservation plans and policies in the region. "Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2011.
