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Turtles
Without Borders: A Tri-National Approach To Marine Conservation
Landmark
U.S. Legislation Aids An International Sea Turtle Conservation Effort
Under The NAFTA Treaty
June 15,
2004
By Andy
Torr, AquaNews Editor
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Under cover of
night, an endangered leatherback turtle lays her eggs on a
beach.
Photo:
The Ocean Conservancy |
Endangered
sea turtles received a new level of federal protection this week
as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a landmark Marine Turtle
Conservation Act. The bipartisan bill authorizes an annual sum of
USD $5 million in support of international conservation efforts
to protect sea turtles and their habitat. The funding will also
help to combat illegal trade in sea turtle shells, meat and eggs.
"This
bill is a triumph for sea turtles," said Marydele Donnelly,
a sea turtle biologist with The Ocean Conservancy who testified
before Congress in April in support of the legislation. "From
Africa to Asia to Latin America, dedicated biologists and community
activists are working under difficult and dangerous conditions to
save sea turtles from extinction. Tonight, on beaches around the
world, poachers armed with machetes will butcher turtles coming
ashore to nest. Some of these animals will be 30-40 year old animals
nesting for the very first time. The bill will provide funding to
stop this killing," she said.
Sea turtles
urgently need international protection. Their long lives, international
migration routes and late reproductive ages make them extremely
vulnerable to poaching, fishing, pollution and other human activities.
Six of the world's seven sea turtle species are listed under the
U.S. Endangered Species Act, including the colossal leatherback,
one of the world's largest reptiles.
The Marine
Turtle Conservation Act focuses on nesting populations of sea turtles
beyond US borders. By authorizing funding for international programs
through 2008, it aims to foster long-term research and protection
of nesting populations, involving and educating local communities
about conservation, providing economic alternatives to egg-and-turtle
harvesting, and helping to enforce existing laws that protect sea
turtles.
Turtles
Without Borders
| Have you seen a leatherback
turtle in BC? Click
here to report a sighting. |
The timing
of the new bill is especially relevant to an international sea turtle
conservation effort currently underway by the North American Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). Established by Canada,
Mexico and the United States under the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), the CEC consists of a small committee of environmental
experts appointed by each government. Its aim is to promote cooperation
between the three countries in implementing the North American Agreement
on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), a lesser-known but far-reaching
environmental side accord to the NAFTA treaty.
A key section
of the NAAEC side accord is the so-called biodiversity resolution,
which recognizes the intricate links and interdependence between
the three countries through “species and spaces of common
concern.” One species of common concern, the leatherback sea
turtle, has been selected as one of three “icon” animals
that will benefit from a tri-national approach to marine conservation.
“The
section of Pacific ocean stretching from Baja, Mexico to Alaska’s
Bering Sea is home to hundreds of leatherback sea turtles whose
range, distribution and migratory pattern requires them to spend
time in the sovereign waters of three different countries,”
said Patrick O’Callaghan, Vice-President of Conservation and
Education at the Vancouver Aquarium. O’Callaghan is the CEC’s
tri-national species lead for the North American Leatherback Turtle
Conservation Action Plan.
“Protecting
such an animal requires a co-operative approach that uses a broader
perspective and considers more than any one country’s needs
or jurisdiction,” said O’Callaghan. “Regardless
of the origin of the turtles, the NAAEC accord encourages each country
to do whatever it can, acting in concert with the other two countries,
to help conserve the species. More importantly, the accord brings
to bear the combined political clout of all three countries when
addressing international marine conservation issues.”
Tri-National
Approach to Conservation
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Humpback whales
and an endangered seabird, the pink-footed shearwater, have
also been selected as "icon" species for conservation. |
A similar
tri-national approach to marine conservation is being applied to
the other two North American “icon” species, humpback
whales and pink-footed shearwaters (a type of seabird).
As marine species, the three selected face a variety of threats
associated with unsustainable fishing practices. The leatherback
turtle, for instance, is frequently entangled in pelagic longline
fishing gear, which can stretch 40-60 miles in a single set. Humpback
whales are also threatened by fishing gear entanglement and ship
collisions, although there are new fears regarding food availability
and noise pollution. Likewise, the pink-footed shearwater, which
migrates from Chile to Alaska, is vulnerable to longline entanglement
and potential food source depletion as a result of fishing practices.
The NAAEC
accord emphasizes the cascading effect that loss of biodiversity
has on environments and economies - effects that are first felt
locally, then nationally and regionally. Because the effects of
ecological damage in one country can affect neighboring countries,
each country is encouraged under the NAFTA treaty to act in ways
that mitigate the negative effects of trade on the environment.
"Canada,
Mexico and the United States are committed to protecting the leatherback
turtle, humpback whale and pink-footed shearwater within the next
five years," said Hans Herrmann, head of the Conservation of
Biodiversity program at the CEC. "Migratory species do not
recognize national boundaries, and hence depend upon coordinated
conservation policies for their survival."
The U.S.
Marine Turtle Conservation Act exemplifies the spirit of stewardship
and cooperation in which the NAAEC accord and the NAFTA treaty were
signed. According to Maryland Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, who sponsored
the bill in the House of Representatives, the Act “will not
itself stop the slaughter of sea turtles or their eggs, but it sends
a powerful message to the world community that the United States
strongly supports their conservation and will not allow these species
to disappear forever.”
A bill
similar to the Marine Turtle Conservation Act was passed in the
Senate in October 2003. However, small differences between the Senate
and House versions need to be resolved before President Bush can
sign the bill into law. Experts anticipate this resolution will
happen in the near future. Efforts are currently underway to ensure
that startup funding for the bill is made available in the Fiscal
Year 2005 budget, which runs from October 1, 2004 through September
30, 2005.
In the
meantime, the important work of the CEC continues. Currently, the
Commission is preparing a North American Conservation Action Plan
for each species. The plans, which outline conservation opportunities
for each species that would be assisted by tri-national cooperation,
will go to CEC commissioners from each country and ultimately, their
federal governments.
For more information
on the CEC's efforts to conserve sea turtles and other species,
click here.
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