Marine Turtles Conservation in the UAE Saif M. Al-Ghais Department of Biology/ College of Science UAE University

Sea Turtle species in Arabian Gulf Green Hawksbill

Objectives 1. to enable a preliminary census of and research on marine turtles in the UAE

2. to identify and survey existing nesting beaches in the UAE

3. to determine the population structure and habitat utilization

4. to undertake efforts aimed at the standardization of methodologies used by all the participating countries and the organizations they host, which directly work with marine turtles; 5. to create a regional network of information, resources and data warehouse to be used in marine turtle research and conservation.

Conservation 1.Nesting beaches along the mainland need to be surveyed during March – August. 2. Data collection from the area 3. Anthropogenic activities should be reduced or prohibited during nesting 4. If, nests are found to be located in an unsuitable condition attempts may be taken to relocate it. 5. Environmental education programs need to be initiated.

Conclusion 1.Losing Sandy beaches = Endanger list. Q. How do we stop habitat destruction? 2. With increase in International Trade we are Relocating Marine Turtles 3. We need to think about the quality and quantity of our Natural Resources.

Thank You