By IPS Correspondents
LIBREVILLE, Mar 15 2004 (IPS)

As most people who’ve seen them will attest, Gabon’s leatherback turtles are a majestic sight.

"The leatherback turtles of Gabon are the largest sea turtles in the world. They can be seen on the open sea, and they can grow as long as three metres and weigh 850 kilogrammes," says Guy Philippe Sounguet, President of Adventures Without Borders (ASF) – a non-governmental organisation.

"The turtles are the bellwethers of both land and sea health along the coast," he adds. Nonetheless, various factors are conspiring to make the future of these creatures uncertain.

Every three to four years, the turtles travel from all corners of the world to various locations along Africa’s Atlantic Coast, notably Pointe Pongara, east of Gabon’s capital – Libreville.

The females lay about 120 eggs on the beach during the breeding season, which lasts from January to March. Only half of these eggs hatch, and up to 45 percent of the hatchlings are eaten by predators before they make it to the relative safety of the sea.

Turtles have managed to survive this natural rate of attrition for years. But, human intervention is now upping the odds against them substantially.

"Even if the males never touch land and the females only spend a few hours there to lay, leatherback turtles risk extinction because of the dangers posed on the beaches by humans, their main predators," says Omer Toungou, a consultant from the Gabonese Ministry of the Environment. The turtles are prized by hunters for their meat, eggs, and shells.

Water pollution in the oilfield areas off the coast also has a negative effect on the species, as does fishing.

In a recent book entitled "Gabon: Biodiversity Paradise", scientist Michele Lee writes that "Leatherback turtles are even imperiled in the ocean. Indeed, they are often tangled in industrial fishermen’s nets, and are either drowned or rejected as unprofitable secondary catch. They also sometimes die of intestinal blockages because they swallow plastic bags that they mistake for jellyfish."

ASF, which promotes turtle conservation, has been working to ensure the survival of the leatherbacks since 1996, when it started a marking, awareness and monitoring programme.

The group says it is essential "not only to keep marine turtles healthy but also to organise…beach monitoring during the laying period – and ensure sustainable use of this natural resource".

Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville have also made large sections of their beaches into protected areas so that turtles can nest in safety.

As part of its work, ASF has developed partnerships with environmental groups such as the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Central Africa Regional Programme for the Environment. However, Sounguet believes much more needs to be done.

"Logistical difficulties and a lack of funds have hobbled us in maintaining permanent, on-site teams in the threatened areas, and in developing other monitoring activities along the coast," he said.

Others accuse Gabonese officials of losing sight of the needs of the turtles as they fight for control over various conservation projects.

Nicaise Moulombi, President of an NGO called "Healthy Growth, Environment" vigorously condemns what he terms the "violent conflict of institutional jurisdiction that is rocking the conservation world in Gabon, and which has appalled those in civil society watching it play out".

"If only the main protagonists in the battle to protect marine turtles and the national parks could share the same ambition for Gabon and the same vision," he adds, "we’d be more effective."

Activists have also called for more financial and human resources to be given to Gabon’s Council of National Parks.

In the meantime, groups like the ASF are targeting young hearts and minds in an effort to ensure that future generations take steps to protect the leatherbacks – which originated more than 65 million years ago.

The NGO conducts programmes for children, to explain the importance of turtle protection – and the evils of poaching.

Roberta Hiss, a school principal, said her pupils had "had the opportunity to observe baby leatherback turtles, but also two large females when they came up onto the shore to lay".

"We were able to lead a female who got lost one night in the brush back to the water," she added.

Excerpt: