Environmental authorities have protected more than 1.2 million marine turtles that came last year to spawn on the beaches of Oaxaca, Notimex reported.
The safeguarding of the chelonians is the result of coordinated actions between the Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa, for its acronym in Spanish), the Ministry of the Navy of Mexico (Semar, for its acronym in Spanish) and the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp, for its acronym in Spanish).
In a statement, Profepa said that these measures consist of carrying out surveillance tours in each of the places occupied for the spawning season, in particular on the beaches of Morro Ayuta and Escobilla, considered priority areas.
Last year there were 11 arrivals at La Escobilla Beach and eight at Morro Ayuta, which allowed the preservation and protection of 1,273,839 sea turtles, mainly of the species: olive ridley, leatherback and Galapagos green turtle.
The name for this sea turtle (olive ridley) is tied to the color of its shell—an olive green hue. (Photo: worldwildlife.org)
In Oaxaca nest three of the seven species of sea turtles that inhabit the Mexican seas: olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivácea) and Galapagos green (Chelonia agassizi) arrive between June and April; The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) does it from November to March.
As part of the coordination between the authorities, there have also been recovered 29 thousand eggs that were valued to decide the viability of the clutches.
The attorney general noted that the seven species of turtles that can be found on Mexican seas and beaches are listed as endangered in Mexican Official Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
Source: www.notimex.gob.mx
