PHNOM PENH: Following the recent discovery of two Royal Turtle nests, a conservation team is guarding the eggs and will monitor their hatching to ensure a high survival rate. The nests were discovered on a sandy beach at Prek Kampong Leu, in Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel creek system, the only Cambodian habitat of the species.
The Fisheries Administration (FiA), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, announced on Feb 13 that conservation officers from the FiA and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia discovered the two nests, which contain 25 eggs.
The Royal Turtle is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and is also listed in Appendix I of CITES. The species was designated as Cambodia’s national reptile by a 2005 Royal Decree, and listed as an endangered species by a 2009 government Sub-Decree.
The FiA explained that the Sre Ambel creek system is the only place in Cambodia where Royal Turtles live and lay eggs.
Previously thought to be extinct in the Kingdom, the turtles were rediscovered in 2001. To ensure their survival, the FiA, in collaboration with WCS, the Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provincial administrations, local authorities and fishing communities, has strengthening law enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and captive breeding and release programmes.
Ouk Vibol, director of the FiA’s Fisheries Conservation Department, described the discovery of the nests and eggs as a significant achievement resulting from the attention and support of the agriculture ministry and provincial authorities.
“What we strive to do is to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources, uphold national pride and preserve them for our future generations. Let’s continue working together,” he said.
Royal Turtles continue to face numerous threats to their survival. Sand dredging is one of the main threats, along with illegal fishing and loss of habitat.
In late January, the Ministry of Environment suspended a sand mining operation site in Sre Ambel district due to the impact it was having on the turtle’s environment.
The FiA, USAID in Cambodia and WCS have released many Royal Turtles into the creek system. Since 2015, nearly 200 individual turtles have been reintroduced into the wild through WCS’s turtle conservation programme and the Royal Turtle breeding programme at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Centre. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
