3 CTI-CFF Countries Join Forces with Vietnam to Protect Marine Turtles

(Manila, Philippines) —The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have pledged to enhance cooperation in the regional crackdown on the illegal trade in marine turtles in the rich waters of the Coral Triangle. 

The commitment was made at a marine turtle trade workshop hosted by the Philippine government from June 3 to 4, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines. 

“With the ongoing issue of poaching of marine turtles, the country recognized the need for an integrated approach in addressing this challenge,” said Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. 

“The alarming trend over the decade justifies the need for neighboring countries to make transboundary arrangements and improve the protection between national governments,” said Lim in a WWF news release. 

“Entire populations of marine turtles are being wiped out by persistent poaching, both targeted and as bycatch,” said Joel Palma, WWF-Philippines vice president for conservation. 

“As foreign fishing fleets are often involved, such inter-governmental collaboration is essential to strengthen local and trans-boundary law enforcement efforts to prevent marine turtles from being poached and traded for use as food and luxury items,” Palma said. 

The workshop came on the heels of a recent incident when Philippine authorities arrested Chinese fishermen off the coast of Palawan last month for carrying about 500 live and dead turtles in their boat. 

The involvement of local fishermen in the incident “suggests a higher degree of organized supply and trafficking that requires a transnational response,” WWF-Philippines said. 

The group said the incident was just one of several poaching and trafficking incidents happening not only in the Philippines but also in important marine turtle range countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and across the wider Coral Triangle region, which hosts six of the seven known species of marine turtles including Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Flatback, Olive Ridley, and Leatherback. 

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (DJ Yap/June 7, 2014) Photo from the Philipines National Police Facebook page (external link)

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