Endangered Species Project

Our first orientation was on the endangered species found on Palau Tengah. The two endangered species are both sea turtles, the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle. There are only 7 species of sea turtle in the world, all are which are identified as vulnerable by the IUNC. Although sea turtles have been around since before the dinosaurs, they currently face many anthropogenic and environmental challenges that drastically decrease their chances of survival such as habitat loss, predation from both natural predators and humans, and pollution. The green sea turtle maintains the IUNC of endangered, while the hawksbill is classified as critically endangered.  Since only 1 in every 1000 sea turtle hatchlings make it to full adulthood, our work is extremely important in order to increase the hatchlings chances of survival. In the last 5 years, over 16,000 sea turtle hatchings have been safety released through TIC.

We will be trained to participate in the TIC team’s sea turtle program, which involves boat and walking patrols, hatchery management and habitat restoration.  The purpose of the morning patrols are to search for any signs of sea turtle nesting on the beaches that occurred the evening before, which involve walking the shorelines of Palau Tengah as well as patrolling the nearby islands (Pulau Besar, Pulau Rawa, Pulau Goal, Pulau Mensirip, Pulau Harimau, Pulau Hujong). Approximately 85 square kilometers are patrolled daily in order to prevent poaching. If there are turtle tracks discovered, we carefully uncover the nest and transport the eggs back to Pulau Tengah to transplant in our sea turtle hatchery. Having the eggs in the hatchery increases the hatchings chances of survival by reducing the risks of erosion, drowning in the nest, and predation.  The hatchery is cleaned everyday, and checked every night in 6 shifts from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM in preparation for the turtle eggs to hatch and the hatchlings to crawl to the surface of the sand.  Once hatched, the TIC team collects individual weights and measurements of every hatching before releasing them into the open ocean.  In addition, the TIC team conducts regular beach and underwater clean ups that aim to remove pollution that readily affects sea turtles.

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