Marine Turtle Newsletter 50:1-3, © 1990
Mexico Proclaims Total Ban on Harvest of Turtles and Eggs
Homero Aridjis
Grupo de los Cien Artistas e Intelectuales, A. C. Sierra Jiutepec 155-B,
11010 México, D. F. Mexico
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Marine Turtle Newsletter 50:1-3, © 1990
Homero Aridjis
Grupo de los Cien Artistas e Intelectuales, A. C. Sierra Jiutepec 155-B,
11010 México, D. F. Mexico
On 28 May 1990, the President of Mexico, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, announced a total and permanent ban on the capture of sea turtles and the trade in sea turtle products. The decree covers all sea turtle species which swim in Mexico's waters and/or nest on Pacific or Atlantic coast beaches. This means the immediate cancellation of all legal quotas and closure of the olive ridley turtle slaughterhouse in Oaxaca. The Presidential decree implies a substantial increase in on-site protection of remaining populations, more support for the "turtle camps" (base camps established on nesting beaches for research and conservation purposes), more support for research and training programs, and the development of alternative sources of income for local persons economically dependent on the officially sanctioned (or clandestine) exploitation of these species.
Mexico's responsibility for safeguarding those seven of the world's eight sea turtle species (including the East Pacific green turtle) which nest on its shores, and the critical role which Mexico plays in ensuring their future, have been seriously neglected in the past 15 years. This year, however, the Mexican "Grupo de los Cien" [Group of 100] and conservationists disclosed evidence of the wholesale slaughter of sea turtles and the blatant illegal trade in turtle products [see MTN 49:28], which gave rise to a public outcry demanding that the government guarantee the maintenance and preservation of these species and their habitats for future generations. International support received from more than 100 environmental organizations, conservation groups, universities, and those scientists who have been endeavoring for years to achieve effective protection of the sea turtles resulted in a barrage of tens of thousands of letters addressed to the President, making him acutely aware of the intense worldwide concern to prevent the ultimate extinction of these animals.
Hitherto, more than 20 sea turtle conservation and research programs have existed in Mexico, but they were unable to prevent the over-exploitation of species and the collapse of three of the four major nesting populations of the olive ridley. These programs, in existence now for many years and working diligently to save sea turtles in Mexico from extinction, include:
These efforts have enabled the turtles to survive in Mexico until now, and they must continue if we are to be successful in restoring the turtles to their former abundance in the oceans of the world.
What do we need now? What remains to be done? First, the government of Mexico must provide the necessary enforcement to back up the new decree and to put an end to the trade in eggs, meat, shells, hides, and other products. In addition, foraging habitats and nesting beaches in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico must be preserved, their deterioration and destruction halted and reversed. Pollution must be controlled and a wary eye kept on tourism development; effective and sustainable alternative sources of income for the fishermen of the fishing cooperatives must be found, with the support of the international environmental community; environmental education programs must be implemented in the local communities, so the children will grow up wanting to protect, rather than to destroy, the turtles. Mexico must act quickly to require the use of TEDs [Turtle Excluder Devices] on its shrimp trawlers to avoid the incidental capture and drowning of sea turtles. Incidental catch in other fishing industries should also be examined, and appropriate mitigating measures taken.
It is imperative that Mexico join with the other nations of the region and the 105 countries worldwide as a signatory of CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species], to prevent the laundering of turtle products from other Latin American nations through Mexico. Furthermore, it is necessary that Japan drop its CITES reservations for the olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles immediately so as to eliminate the incentive for illegal harvesting and export of these turtles. As long as countries like Japan buy large volumes of turtle skins and tortoise shell, conservation and protection efforts on our coasts will be futile. It is also important to educate tourists traveling to Mexico, to dissuade them from purchasing turtle products sold locally (hair combs, shells, leather, oil). Many turtles are sacrificed for these products, and in most cases the money has been spent in vain as these items are susceptible to confiscation by Customs officials when the tourist returns to his own country. Finally, we need to obtain an international accord, from Canada to Chile, prohibiting the commercial harvesting of sea turtles. Such an accord should be ratified by all nations bordering the east Pacific. Other countries in the Americas must follow Mexico's lead, for no single nation can save the sea turtles ... although a single nation can destroy them.
The sea turtle survived the natural disasters that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and is the repository of an irreplaceable biological memory of the origins of life on earth. It is imperative that we protect the turtle from extinction at the hands of man. Will the decree just announced bring an end in Mexico to the taking of sea turtles on nesting beaches, the poaching of eggs, the illegal trade in shells, skins and other products, the inadequate protection of beaches and coastal waters? Will it be possible to conserve these species, and to recover them to their previous levels of abundance, if a demand (domestic or international) continues for tortoise shell combs or turtle skin shoes or purportedly aphrodisiac eggs? The answer to the latter question is surely "no"; the answer to the former is a hopeful "yes". Mexico is certainly moving in the right direction, and can be proud to be setting an example for the world to follow. With the help and support of the international conservation community, we believe there IS a chance for survival in Mexico of the Atlantic green turtles, the black (East Pacific green) turtles, the hawksbills, the Kemp's ridleys, the olive ridleys, the leatherbacks, and the loggerheads. The time for commitment is now.