Boracay, a turtle’s paradise, says DENR

FROM THE WHITE BEACH TO THE CLEAN WATERS! The LGU–Malay team through its marine biologist Haron Deo N. Vargas and staff of Under The Star Luxury Apartment released ridley hatchlings at Sitio Tambisaan, Brgy. Manoc-manoc; Vargas with staff of Shangri-la Boracay Resort and Spa separately released ridley hatchlings at Bayugan Beach, Yapak, Boracay Island. A ridley hatchling looked so intent in going straight to the waters. DENR

BORACAY ISLAND Slowly but surely, all the rehabilitation efforts being done by the government in the island of Boracay is paying off. Turtles are heading back to their nesting grounds here.

Recently, a total of 142 Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) hatchlings were separately released in the much cleaner Boracay waters.

The first of the two releases was done last Feb. 2, 2019. Eighty ridley hatchlings were found by employees of Under the Star Luxury Apartment in front of their establishment in the evening of Feb. 1.

Since turtles are sensitive to lights and can be disturbed by it, the LGU Malay team decided to release the hatchlings in the morning of Feb. 2 at Sitio Tambisaan, Barangay. Manoc manoc. Unfortunately, one of the hatchlings did not make it to the open sea and displayed symptoms of stress and exhaustion. But the rest of the seventy-nine (79) strong ridleys made it to the sea.

Haron Deo N. Vargas, marine biologist of LGU-Malay, decided to take care of the weak one, named it “paw paw”, and is still being taken cared of by the local government.

Another ridley turtle release was made in Feb. 7. This time, the release was done by the LGU-Malay and Shangri-La Boracay Resort and Spa, where 63 hatchlings were released at Bayugan Beach, Barangay Yapak.

With so much excitement, both local and foreign tourists witnessed those memorable events in the island.

“This is one of the most documented releases done in many years in the island,” notes Vargas.

Sea turtles need healthy oceans and are a “keystone species”, which means they are an important part of their environment and influence other species around them. They also play a huge role in maintaining a productive coral reef ecosystem and transports essential nutrients from the oceans to beaches and coastal dunes.

If a keystone species is removed from a habitat, the natural order can be disrupted, which impacts other wildlife and fauna in different ways.

Olive ridley is a threatened species (Vulnerable) and threats to its existence are coastal development, consumption of their eggs and entanglement in fishing gear.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6 hopes that with these revelations, both Boracay’s inhabitants and tourists would support the conservation efforts for the marine turtles.

“It is a good sign that Boracay Island is healing. All our efforts will soon equate to a revived and sustained island, one where environmental conservation and development goes hand in hand,” said DENR-6 regional executive director Francisco E. Milla, Jr..

Both the Clean Water and Enhanced Biodiversity Conservation are part of DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu’s ten-priority programs. Secretary Cimatu is positive Boracay Island’s ecosystem would be revitalize with the stakeholders’ continued adherence to environmental laws./PN

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