Identification of Important Turtle Areas for green turtles in the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Pilcher N2017Identification of Important Turtle Areas for green turtles in the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregionhttps://doi.org/10.82144/11404674OBIS-SEAMAP1300http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1300OBIS-SEAMAPvector digital dataoriginated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=1114)Version 1.0.0 Marine turtles are important components of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, (SSME). Green turtles are important for maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs. Without constant grazing, seagrass beds may become overgrown, obstructing currents, shading the bottom, or decomposing. Seagrass beds in turn are nurseries for a number of species of commercial fish and crustaceans, including shrimp. On coral reefs, green turtles crop algae that can compete with corals. Hawksbill turtles control the population of sponges in coral reefs, which can easily out-compete corals for the same space. Through selective foraging, hawksbill turtles are able to impact the overall reef diversity. Leatherback turtles eat large quantities amounts of jellyfish, helping to keep their populations under control. Jellyfish prey on larval fish, many species of which are economically important to humans. Loggerhead turtles are known to help recirculate sediments on the seabed and distribute nutrients while they search for, and feed on, crustaceans and molluscs. On the beach, unhatched eggs, trapped hatchlings, and egg shells provide nutrients for beach vegetation, which secures the sand via root development. The loss of beach vegetation can lead to erosion, minimizing sea turtle nesting habitat, among others, but also reducing coastal resilience. These same, ecologically important, marine turtles are threatened through ongoing egg harvests, poaching of adults by foreign fishing fleets, and as by-catch in shrimp and fish trawl fisheries. Work by the Marine Research Foundation (www.mrf-asia.org) estimated bycatch of turtles from the Sabah shrimp fleets alone at several thousand turtles each year. Recent reports by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and the Biodiversity Management Bureau (Philippines) have recorded several instances where Chinese fishing vessels have been apprehended with hundreds of adult and large juvenile turtles, and poaching in Malaysia and in Indonesia is on the rise. Another cause for concern lies a continued lack of knowledge of the biology and ecology of the turtles in many parts of the SSME - turtles spend 98% of their time at sea, but virtually all conservation efforts in the SSME only occur on land. The conservation of sea turtles is thus a key priority in the SSME. Sulu-Sulawesi turtles are recognised at both National and Regional levels, and even globally: turtles are similarly a priority under the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Sea Turtles and their Habitats (IOSEA MoU), the Coral Reef Triangle (CTI) Regional Action Plan, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sea Turtle MoU. At the National level sea turtles are completely protected in all three countries bordering the SSME. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) lists marine turtles occurring in the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA) on Appendix I, while the World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the green turtle as Endangered, and the hawksbill as Critically Endangered. The turtles nesting in the TIHPA area were included in the top-ten priority listing for conservation by the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group, and as such are among priority focus areas of this conservation initiative. A network of protected areas to enhance sea turtle conservation in the Sulu Sulawesi was endorsed by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in 2010. The network was designed to link nesting turtles with development grounds, migration corridors and adult feeding grounds. Within the network, the most important nesting site for green and hawksbill turtles is the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), a complex of nine islands shared by Malaysia and the Philippines. Thousands of turtles come to lay eggs on these islands each year, and they represent a valuable food and tourism commodity to local people and governments. But tailored conservation action relies on a thorough understanding of turtle population biology and ecology. One needs to know where turtles are in order to protect them. We need to know where they go as they disperse from nesting beaches, and where they grow up. We need to understand the relationship between nesting adults and developing populations, in order to understand the linkages among the various stocks. This project entails four inter-linked components to further the understanding of the biology and ecology of sea turtles in the SSME, upon which National policy decisions and the expansion of the Tri-National Network of Protected Areas may be based. Each component addresses critical biological and reproductive traits of turtles which have previously not been studied in the SSME, and together they form a cohesive research programme which complements National projects within the Sulu Sulawesi Tri-National Sea Turtle Corridor initiative. We are conducting laparoscopy and genetic studies to determine population structure through mixed stock analysis; tracking studies of post nesting female to determine foraging ground locations (this project component), and determining temporal habitat use in key foraging grounds in the SSME via aerial surveys. This project component will allow us to decipher the migration paths of marine turtles and linkages between foraging and nesting populations within the important Sulu-Sulawesi biogeographic region, and to raise awareness of the importance of marine turtle populations, and will track twenty post-nesting adult turtles as they depart from their nesting sites to determine the location of subsequent feeding zones and migratory routes using satellite technology. Data resulting from this work will inform managers of critical in–water habitats utilised by SSME turtles, and allow them to aim concerted conservation activities, including fishery regulation where applicable, to preserve turtles through all phases of their live cycle.Visit STAT's project page for additional information at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=11142015070520161120ground conditionCompleteAs neededOcean84.699154.95514.739-1.559 NoneMarine BiologyTaxon coveredSea turtlesIntegrated Taxonomic Information SystemUnknownIntegrated Taxonomic Information SystemNot applicableDownloaded April, 2004http://www.itis.usda.gov/Refer to the contact information of the datasetRefer to the contact information of the datasetmailing and physical address

Refer to the contact information of the dataset

Refer to the contact information of the datasetRefer to the contact information of the datasetRefer to the contact information of the datasetRefer to the contact information of the datasetNot providedIdentified by observers or researchers conducting the surveyKingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataSubphylumVertebrataClassReptiliaOrderTestudinesSuborderCryptodiraSuperfamilyChelonioideaFamilyCheloniidaeSubfamilyCheloniinaeGenusCheloniaSpeciesChelonia mydas The telemetry dataset is publicly visualized on the OBIS-SEAMAP web site. However, the data is not available for download without permission from the data provider.1. Not to use data obtained from OBIS-SEAMAP in any publication, product, or commercial application without proper attribution to the original data provider(s) and OBIS-SEAMAP unless the datasets are explicitly shown under the CC0 policy. Citations or credits are suggested as attribution. If the data you downloaded come from multiple datasets, a citation or credit to each of the datasets is required. Suggested citation for this dataset: Pilcher N. 2017. Identification of Important Turtle Areas for green turtles in the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1300) on yyyy-mm-dd and originated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=1114) Suggested citation for STAT: Coyne, M. S., and B. J. Godley. 2005. Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT): an integrated system for archiving, analyzing and mapping animal tracking data. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 301: 1-7 Suggested citation for OBIS-SEAMAP: Halpin, P.N., A.J. Read, E. Fujioka, B.D. Best, B. Donnelly, L.J. Hazen, C. Kot, K. Urian, E. LaBrecque, A. Dimatteo, J. Cleary, C. Good, L.B. Crowder, and K.D. Hyrenbach. 2009. OBIS-SEAMAP: The world data center for marine mammal, sea bird, and sea turtle distributions. Oceanography 22(2):104-115 2. To forward the citation of any publication / report that made use of the data / tools provided by OBIS-SEAMAP for inclusion in our list of references. 3. Not to hold OBIS-SEAMAP or the original data providers liable for errors in the data. While we have made every effort to ensure the quality of the database, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these datasets. 4. The burden for determining fitness for use of the downloaded data for any analyses lies entirely with the user. OBIS-SEAMAP or the original data providers do not support outcomes of your analyses that used the data you downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP. 5. To consider inclusion of the accompanying transect (effort) dataset if available into the methodology of your analyses. 6. Not to redistribute the data you downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP through any media without contect from OBIS-SEAMAP and the original data providers unless the datasets are explicitly shown under the CC0 policy. Nicolas PilcherMarine Research Foundation - Marine Turtle Programme mailing and physical address unknownnpilcher@mrf-asia.org Data provider: Marine Research Foundation - Marine Turtle Programme; Originating data center: Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT); Project sponsor or sponsor description: The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been implementing projects to promote economic, ecological and social development in the Philippines on behalf of the German Government since the 1970s. Our main commissioning parties are the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). Commissions also come from international clients including the European Union, the Asian Development Bank and AusAID. Our work in the Philippines concentrates on the areas of peace and security, the environment, rural development and climate change. Several regional programmes are also based in the Philippines and are managed by GIZ from Manila. These include programmes supporting biodiversity conservation in the ASEAN area. One of these is the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion project. Only a few regions in the world are as rich in species as the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME). It is part of the Coral Triangle region in the Pacific that spans a total of 640 million hectares between Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. The natural resources of the region are exposed to considerable risk as a result of severe over-exploitation due to population growth, destructive fishing practices, rapid coastal development and other human activities. This situation is further exacerbated by climate change and its impacts, such as the rise in water temperatures and sea level, ocean acidification and an increase in the intensity and frequency of storms. The action plan of the SSME states of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines highlights the global importance and unique nature of the marine region in terms of biodiversity and natural resources. Relational database Coyne, M. S., and B. J. Godley2005OBIS-SEAMAP: The world data center for marine mammal, sea bird, and sea turtle distributionsvector digital dataMarine Ecology Progress SeriesVol. 301: 1-7http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v301/feature/ All attributes were measured and recorded during the survey and validated by the data provider. Permissible values for date and time and coordinates were validated by the data provider and the OBIS-SEAMAP data manager. Species identification by the data provider was matched with Integrated Taxonomic Information System. All observation records are included.Data were put through the OBIS-SEAMAP data registration steps.20170926Point 0.0010.001Decimal degrees D_WGS_1984WGS_1984 6378137.000000298.257224 Biogeographic dataBiogeographic dataNot applicableproject_idSTAT Project IDData providerSTAT Project IDprognumProgram numberData providerProgram numbertag_idPTT IDData providerPTT IDdatetime_utcDate and time in UTCData provider2015-07-05 07:18:482016-11-19 21:19:13lcLocation classData provider0Location class 0Data provider1Location class 1Data provider2Location class 2Data provider3Location class 3Data providerALocation class AData providerBLocation class BData provideriqQuality indicatorData providerQuality indicatorlatitudeLatitude 1Data provider-1.55900014.739000longitudeLongitude 1Data provider84.699000154.955000dir1Dir 1Data providerDir 1nb_mesNumber of messages receivedData providerNumber of messages receivedbig_nb_mesdefinition not providedData providerdefinition not providedbest_levelBest signal strength in dBData providerBest signal strength in dBpass_durationPass duration in secondsData providerPass duration in secondsnopcNumber Of Plausibility Checks successful (from 0-4)Data providerNumber Of Plausibility Checks successful (from 0-4)calcul_freqCalculated frequencyData providerCalculated frequencyaltitudeAltitude used for location calculationData providerAltitude used for location calculationsensorsSensorsData providerSensorsspeciesSpecies nameData providerSpecies namesp_tsnITIS Taxonomic Serial NumberData providerITIS Taxonomic Serial NumberData providerlc_filterParameters to location filteringData providerParameters to location filteringspeed_filterParameters to speed filteringData providerParameters to speed filteringdistance_filterParameters to distance filteringData providerParameters to distance filteringtopo_filterParameters to topo filteringData providerParameters to topo filteringtime_filterParameters to time filteringData providerParameters to time filteringangle_filterParameters to angle filteringData providerParameters to angle filteringlife_stageLife stage of the animalData providerAdultLife stage of the animal AdultData providergenderGender of the animalData providerFemaleGender of the animal FemaleData providerMaleGender of the animal MaleData providerwetdryWet or dryData providerWet or drywetdry_filterParameters to Wet or dry filterintData providerParameters to Wet or dry filterintobs_datetimeDate and time (local time zone)Data provider2015-07-05 15:18:482016-11-20 05:19:13timezone_hTime difference from UTCData providerTime difference from UTCobs_countAnimal count (always 1)Data provider11This section explains attributes included in the original dataset. OBIS-SEAMAP restricts the attributes available to the public to date/time, lat/lon and species names/counts only. Should you need other attributes described here, you are encouraged to contact the data provider.Marine Research Foundation - Marine Turtle Programme Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University OBIS-SEAMAP mailing and physical address

A328, LSRC

DurhamNC27708USA 919-613-8021 seamap-contact@duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset ID 1300Not to hold OBIS-SEAMAP liable for errors in the data. While we have made every effort to ensure the quality of the database, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these datasets. Also please refer to Use Constraints. CSV and ESRI shapefile OBIS-SEAMAP Free Go to the OBIS-SEAMAP web site. 2017092620170926 Ei Fujioka Nicholas School, Duke Universitymailing and physical address

A328, LSRC

DurhamNC27708USA 919-613-8021 seamap-contact@duke.edu FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial MetadataFGDC-STD-001-1998local time http://www.nbii.gov/Biological Data Profile