Movements of green turtles from foraging areas of the United Arab Emirates: regional habitat connectivity and use of marine protected areas

Nicolas James Pilcher,Saif Mohammed Al Ghais,Clara Jimena Rodriguez-Zarate,Ibrahim Bugla,Daniel Mateos-Molina,Himansu Sekhar Das,Marina A Antonopoulou

doi:10.1007/s00227-020-03815-6

Nicolas James Pilcher, Saif Mohammed Al Ghais + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03815-6

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Abstract

Adult sea turtles migrate between foraging areas and nesting sites that may be 100 s–1000 s of km away. Little is known of the connectivity between these sites in the Arabian region for green sea turtles. We document linkages between two foraging areas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with key nesting sites and provide insights on effectiveness of marine protected areas for green sea turtles. Tracking 45 adult green sea turtles Chelonia mydas from foraging areas in the UAE, we show that the primary nesting destination for turtles foraging in Bu Tinah in the UAE is Ras al Hadd in Oman. The turtles use the waters of the UAE, Iran and Oman during breeding migrations and generally stay ~ 20 km off the coast, in waters 10–20 m deep except when crossing the Sea of Oman. Turtles display substantial fidelity to the original foraging sites, often traversing other known foraging sites when returning from the breeding migration. A small proportion of turtles also utilise more than one foraging site. Our data indicate that the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in Abu Dhabi is broadly coincident with the foraging areas of turtles offering substantial protection from fishery activities and that the marine protected area in Ras Al Khaimah would be more effective in protecting green sea turtles if it extended offshore and along the coast. These data may contribute to targeted and effective national and international management and conservation initiatives in the Arabian region.

Highlights

In the Arabian region, there are large green turtle nesting sites in Oman (3000–6000 females year−1: Ross and Barwani 1982), Saudi Arabia (~ 1000 females y ear−1: Miller 1989; Pilcher 2000) and Yemen (5000–8000 females year−1: Saad 1999; Nasher and Al Jumaily 2015)
The location data we present have revealed previously unknown details about green sea turtle biology and ecology in the Arabian region
We have determined that the primary nesting destination for turtles from Bu Tinah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Ras al Hadd in Oman

Summary

Introduction

In the Arabian region, there are large green turtle nesting sites in Oman (3000–6000 females year−1: Ross and Barwani 1982), Saudi Arabia (~ 1000 females y ear−1: Miller 1989; Pilcher 2000) and Yemen (5000–8000 females year−1: Saad 1999; Nasher and Al Jumaily 2015). Smaller nesting sites (< 25 females year−1) exist in Kuwait (Rees et al 2013) and Iran, where green turtle nesting is rare. One green turtle nest was reported on Sheedvar Island (Mobaraki et al 2019) and another at Cholotr, facing the Sea of Oman (Mobaraki 2004). Unquantified green turtle nesting reportedly occurs on Kharku Island and at Chahbahar. Extremely abundant in UAE waters and there are well-known foraging areas off Abu Dhabi (EAD 2007) and Ras Al Khaimah (Hasbún et al 2000).

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