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Five species of marine turtles have been recorded in Thailand: olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles occur along the south-west coast and the Surin and Similan islands and in the Andaman Sea. Green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles are thought to be common in the Gulf of Thailand and are occasionally found nesting along the south-west coast (Chantrapornsyl 1997). The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is considered to be extinct in Thai waters (Chantrapornsyl 1992).

The main threats to marine turtles in Thailand include; egg poaching, consumption of adults, indirect capture in fishing gear, loss of nesting beaches through beach front development and the carapace trade for ornamental objects (Settle 1995).

According to Chantrapornsyl (1992), Phra Thong Island is one of the main nesting grounds on the west coast of Thailand. As far as the olive ridley turtle is concerned the number of nesting turtles has markedly declined from 1979 to 1990 (Chantrapornsyl 1992). Data on the other nesting species on the island are not available.

During the nesting seasons 1996-97 and 1997-98, surveys at Phra Thong Island were conducted by CHELON (Marine Turtle Conservation and Research Program, Italy) in collaboration with the Phuket Marine Biological Centre and local people.

Phra Thong Island is situated in the Phang Nga province on the west coast of South Thailand. It is separated from the mainland by a canal, about 7 meters deep. Mangroves cover the east coast of the island, whereas fine sand beaches are found on the west coast (Figure 1). The full length of the three beaches (15 km) was monitored every 1-2 days in order to identify marine turtle nests.

Figure 1. Phra Thong Island, South Thailand

During the 1997-98 survey nine leatherback turtle nests and three olive ridley turtle nests were recorded. Leatherback nesting mainly occurred during December whereas olive ridley nesting was recorded in December and January. Three nests were found poached before our arrival.

The local fishing villages on the island were often visited in order to collect information on trade in turtle eggs and meat. According to local people the nearest port, Kura Buri, is where turtle eggs and meat, together with fresh fish, are distributed every morning.

Tourist development at Phra Thong Island is still limited to a small resort (Golden Buddha Beach). Since turtle nests were found very close or inside its property, the impact on turtle nesting behaviour was considered insignificant. On the other hand, hotel companies already have plans for future development on the island, which may have a negative impact on the marine turtle nesting population.

Intense fishing activities are practised near and offshore the island during the nesting season (Chantrapornsyl 1997). Fishing boats were seen daily from the coast, but their impact on marine turtles is not known.

Further studies on marine turtle nesting population are needed in order to enable a more complete assessment of the importance of this area for them and to provide a conservation strategy suitable to the island.

Lack of conservation awareness is common among local communities who inhabit islands, such as Phra Thong, where the sea turtles breed. In fact, natural resources are used in order to provide money or food without any regulation. An educational programme on wildlife conservation has been started in the two schools of the island. Talks and workshops on marine turtle conservation have been carried out with schoolchildren and adults.

Phra Thong together with Thai Muang beach, are located north and south of the proposed site for the construction of a deep-sea port at Ban Thap Lamu, under the Southern Seaboard Development Project (Inchukul 1996). The impact of such a big deep-sea port together with further tourism development could be dramatic on sea turtle populations. A lobbying campaign should be set up in order to avoid the construction of this port.

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Loredana Follador, her partners and the Golden Buddha Beach staff for their help and collaboration in the project. The authors are also grateful to the Italian and Swiss volunteers for their support in the field.

CHANTRAPORNSYL S. (1992). Biology and Conservation Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Andaman Sea, Southern Thailand. Phuket Marine Biological Centre Research Bulletin 57:51-66.

CHANTRAPORNSYL S. (1997). Status of marine turtle in Thailand. Unpublished manuscript. 9pp.

SETTLE S. (1995). The status of nesting populations of sea turtles in Thailand and their Conservation. Tiger Paper 22(1): 2-6.

INCHUKUL K. (1996). Biologists fear turtle nesting sites will be lost to deep-sea port. The Nation Newspaper, December 1996.