Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2023-R9-low (1) - Flipbook - Page 18
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Bertarelli Foundation
Sea Turtle Conservation
Lead Investigator: Prof. Graeme Hays,
Deakin University
Sea turtles typically undertake long migrations from
their nesting sites to their foraging areas and are
increasingly threatened by fishing, shipping, plastic
pollution, and climate change. This long term sea turtle
research programme is investigating sea turtle biology
and behaviour, and how they can be used as indicators
of where their habitats, such as seagrass meadows,
might be located. This includes addressing long-standing
ecological questions, such as how sea turtles navigate
during ocean migrations and how the size and location of
their foraging sites shape their fine-scale movements.
Satellite tracking of adult nesting female sea turtles
identified the importance of the Chagos Archipelago
for green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys
imbricata) turtles in the Indian Ocean. These tracking
data are being used to identify where the turtles go after
nesting, for example to the Seychelles or other countries
in the region. While all sea turtles nest on sandy beaches,
at the end of the breeding season each species then
travels to its preferred habitat – seagrass beds for green
turtles, and reef habitat for hawksbill turtles. Therefore,
as well as identifying key areas for conservation, the
tracking of sea turtles’ movement shows where these
habitats are distributed across the Indian Ocean. Tags
using the latest technologies are also being used to
assess the movements of juvenile turtles and how they
travel up and down the water column. Data suggest that
both adult green and hawksbill turtles are foraging in
deeper water than previously thought, changing current
thinking on their foraging ecology. This research is
helping to inform regional policies relating to sea turtle
management and conservation.