Save the Unicorns

Erika Kessler

Save the Unicorns

Cause of listing, main threats, animal description, ecology of the habitat

The saola, also known as the "Asian Unicorn", resides in Vietnam and in the small country of Laos. In Vietnamese, the name means "Spindle Horns". As mentioned by the indigenous people, their horns often resemble the supports of Spindles. The Saola’s appearance can be compared to a goat, with a dark brown coat, two horns protruding from its forehead and noticeable white markings on its face. According to WWF Global,  their weight varies from about 80 to 100 kg and the height is about 85cm.

If this sounds unfamiliar to you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Saolas are a fairly new species for the industrialized world, they were first discovered two decades ago when a skull was found in a local's home. Unfortunately, it did not take long after its discovery for the threat to its existence to become apparent. In only two years after its discovery, the Saola was put on the endangered species list as “endangered”. Merely twelve years after that (2006), it was moved to "Critically Endangered", where it remains today.

"The saola was discovered in May 1992 during a joint survey carried out by the Ministry of Forestry of Vietnam and WWF in north-central Vietnam. The team found a skull with unusual long, straight horns in a hunter's home and knew it was something extraordinary (worldwildlife.org)

Dr. Duo Toac, a member of the team that discovered the species, was struck by the resemblance the skulls had to the Arabian Oryx. However, he knew that the habitat of the Arabian Oryx was much different than the forests of Vietnam. It was then that he knew that he was looking at a skull of an entirely new, undiscovered species- the first undiscovered large mammal in more than 50 years.

The forests of Vietnam, the range of the saola, is described as Annamite Range moist forests. The annamite forests are a stretch of forest in Indochina celebrated for outstanding biodiversity. They are home to many plants and animals, and thus is known for high level of endemism.

Unfortunately, this area is under attack from a new threat. Humans. Expanding infrastructure, logging and agriculture threaten the Annamite forests, and the range of the saola is dwindling. Specifically, there is a highway that appears to put the already stressed species into further turmoil. The Highway intersects patches of populations, creating a divide between the species. However, the biggest threat to Saolas is not the infrastructure, it’s the snares. Snares put in the forest by local hunters often catch this critically endangered creature as bycatch.

Historic Population and Grounds

Since Saolas were so recently discovered, there is no data on where their historic ranges were, but it is likely that they are in the same area that they occupy currently, around the Annamite Range Moist forests which is 10,000 to 15,000 square km. It is also impossible to know how steadily their populations are decreasing, as scientists were never able to get an accurate estimate of how many were left in the wild. It is difficult to know how many of these majestic creatures still live in the forests of Vietnam and Laos. To this day, no scientist has seen a Saola in the wild, only on wildlife cameras. The animals are much too secretive to be easily found. This makes it impossible to get an accurate number through tagging and recapturing.The only thing that they do know, is that the populations are probably decreasing as members of the indigenous population stated that there were fewer of them in recent years.

Recovery Plan:

Most of the goals of recovery are made by independent conservation minded organizations. As the local area of Vietnam and Laos where these creatures live is not an affluent country, it mostly comes down to foreign aid of individual organizations working in conjunction to preserve these endangered creatures.

The UK government with the Darwin organization is a part of a program that provides money to help fund a program that provides local enforcement to the forests. This enforcement would see that the hunting regulations were being followed and working to dismantle snares inside the forest.

The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources  is working to get an accurate count of how many Saolas are in the wild.

The Telometry project by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will collect more information about saolas and their ecology. It will also capture saolas and then release them with radio collars and proceed to examine them by satellite.

Two editions of a Conservation Action Plan have also been created, but the local government has not approved them, so they have not been implemented.

Call to action

Unfortunately, there are some people who believe that Saola populations are already too low to be viable for continued survival. It is predicted that eventually, the species will go extinct due to its low genetic diversity, low protection against disease and inbreeding. While far in the future, de-extinction may become a possibility, not enough information exists about it yet.

Want to help?

If it is within your current means, this website savethesaola.org works towards the conservation of the Saola population and they gratefully accept donations.

If donating is not within your means, you can live mindfully by purchasing eco-friendly products, properly disposing of your trash, and recycling. Living this way takes no more time than before, and you can feel good about what you’re doing for the ecosystem and for the conservation of your local species.

First Picture from: http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/11/13/1226759/370831-saola-asian-unicorn.jpg

Second Picture from: http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljyadhQNDd1qeeqk5o1_500.jpg

Third picture from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IoDVxGZ6lylEgZ2yow_QHWv45qUGc1pNRwIWtUyRrsEwzAdjiKGX2rIzdgptKJNjxR6L9Ekq0Bsb1hgYPznUre-1ccEGNmVo7xBe9mWK9IFAeEjLS3khKLe4lZt9TPTRnpDTOlTapgj_/s1600/Screenshot+2014-01-06+17.55.35.png

Want to learn more? These websites are good sources of information and were used in the production of this blog post.

"Saola Overview." Worldwildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

                                        http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/saola

"Pseudoryx Nghetinhensis." Iucnredlist. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

                                       http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18597/0

"Saola." WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

                                      http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/profiles/mammals/saola/

"SAVING THE SAOLA - INTENSIFYING PROTECTION ACROSS A TRANS-BOUNDARY LANDSCAPE." Sosspecies. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

                                      http://www.sospecies.org/sos_projects/mammals/saola/

"Saola Working Group." Home -. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

                                      http://www.savethesaola.org/#/projects/4560959935

The Blue Whale

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall, Who's the Largest of Them All?

http://haydensanimalfacts.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/blue-whale.jpg?w=300&h=225

The blue whale is a long-bodied and slender marine mammal who contrary to its name is not blue. Their mottled gray color pattern presents as light blue when seen through the water. Their underbellies adopt a yellow shade from the millions of microorganisms that inhabit them. Blue whales are the largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth. Adult whales in the Antarctic are reported to have reached a maximum body length of 33m and can weigh more than 150,000 kg.

http://vancouverisawesome.com/2009/04/16/blue-whales-in-our-backyard/

The hearts of blue whales alone are the size of a small car. The beating of their enormous hearts circulating blood can be detected from two miles away. Blue whales can also add loudest animal on earth to their repertoire. Their calls are louder than a jet engine with sounds traveling in deep water over hundreds, even thousands of miles. Want to take a guess which species the largest baby on earth stems from? Not too surprisingly, a blue whale calf is the largest baby on earth at about 8m long and an average of 4 tonnes. Blue whales have the fastest growth rate in the animal kingdom, growing at 10 pounds per hour until they reach sexual maturity at 5-10 years. For the first year of their lives blue whale calves drink about 110 gallons of milk a day. Their main diet after the first year consists almost exclusively of tiny shrimp-like animals called krill. Blue whales will expand their baleen (throat) plates to take in water and krill, the water is then expelled through its baleen plates, swallowing -- because they don't have teeth -- the krill left in their mouth. On average, an adult blue whale consumes four tons of krill each day. Practically nothing is known about the mating system of blue whales aside from the fact that one calf is born every two to three years. Blue whales typically have an 80-90 year life span in the wild.

Row, Row, Row, As Fast As You Can! You Can't Catch Me -- 

Prior to the whaling frenzy of the 20th century, more than 250,000 blue whales swam throughout the oceans. Blue whales were rarely pursued by whalers because they could not compete with the blue whales' speed and power. Svend Foyn created the harpoon gun in 1864 and the once unattainable blue whales fell victim to relentless hunting. Blue whales were highly sought after for their large amounts of blubber, baleen, and meat. Approximately 360,000 whales were killed in the Antarctic alone. Blue whales were nearly exterminated before acquiring worldwide protection in 1970. Blue whales were classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act (the predecessor of the Endangered Species Act) as well as the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List.

http://www.arcticwebsite.com/WhaleHarpGun.html

Currently blue whales are globally distributed throughout all oceans with the exception of the Arctic. The population has remained low at 10,000-25,000, making blue whales one of the rarest of whales. Blue whales travel in small groups of 2-3 if not alone and in the summer, migrate towards the poles, into cooler waters to feed. During the winter, they migrate back towards the equator to warmer waters to breed.

Fee! Fi! Fo! Fum!

Blue whales face a number of current threats ranging from sound pollution to habitat loss, overfishing of krill, and commercial ship strikes. As aforementioned, blue whales are the loudest animals on earth, a feature that they use to communicate with each other from far distances. As other senses have restricted effectiveness in water, marine mammals are much more dependent on them. Increasing sonar and ocean noise drowns out vocalizations making it harder for them to communicate.

Frontal zones are boundaries between separate water masses where water can ascend from the depths, transporting with it, large amounts of nutrients that prompt the production of phytoplankton and support significant populations of prey species for blue whales. These frontal zones are known to be critical blue whale habitats and are forecast to move further south and closer together due to climate change. To accommodate, blue whales would have to migrate further to reach these essential zones inducing longer migration paths which could increase energy expenditures of migration and shorten the duration of the main feeding season.

http://antarcticalife.weebly.com/overfishing.html

Krill is part of the main diet of blue whales. Climate change could have a significant effect on blue whales as global warming and correlated ocean acidification may impact krill populations.

Blue whales can be fatally injured after colliding with ocean vessels such as large commercial ships off the coast of California.

Devoting Full Time to Floating, Under The Sea

The recovery plan for blue whales was concocted in 1998 through the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The objective of the recovery plan is to promote restoration of blue whale populations to standards at which it becomes appropriate to down-list them from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. In order to accomplish this goal the recovery plan details the need to identify an array of actions that will reduce or eradicate the ramifications from human activities, identify other factors that may be restricting blue whale populations and plans to allow the population to inflate. The recovery plan also specifies the reduction and elimination of human-caused injury and mortality through identifying areas where ship collisions with blue whales synchronize with compelling levels of maritime traffic or pollution, establish and implement techniques to reduce ship collisions, injuries caused by fishing gear, and areas with significant environmental pollution. A large component of the recovery plan specified the promotion of actions to protect areas of importance in U.S. waters and notorious areas of concern in foreign waters.

... And They Lived Happily Ever After?

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/blue-whale

While there is a full recovery plan to guide the rehabilitation of the blue whale, there are actions that you can take to help save the whales!

You can send a letter to Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy through the NRDC website in an effort to stop endangered blue whales from unnecessary and detrimental collisions with commercial ships off the coast of California.

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3029

You can also adopt a blue whale at World Wild Life to support further research and aid in WWF's goals in recovering blue whale populations.

http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Blue-Whale.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922&_ga=1.263082380.185262550.1449034403

Works Cited

National Marine Fisheries Service. 1998. Recovery plan for the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Prepared by Reeves R.R., P.J. Clapham, R.L. Brownell, Jr., and G.K. Silber for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD. 42 pp.

National Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org/?__utma=21902308.568371216.1448954013.1448999597.1449070568.3&__utmb=21902308.0.10.1449070568&__utmc=21902308&__utmx=-&__utmz=21902308.1448954013.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=268751154

BBC
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150820-see-the-worlds-biggest-heart-blue-whales-is-first-to-be-preserved?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=BBC_iWonder&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=knowledge_and_learning

Marine Mammal Center
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/cetaceans/blue-whale.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/?referrer=http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/cetaceans/blue-whale.html 

National Geographic
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale/

Written by Rebecca Kang

Southern Resident Orcas

Description and Ecology 
The Orca (Orcinus orca), or more commonly known as the killer whale, have been a huge focal point of public interest in the Pacific Norhtwest in the past few decades due to media and their incredible ability to form bonds with humans, such as ones we see at amusement parks such as "Sea World". The Orca is part of the family Dephinidae, which consists of 16-19 species of marine dolphins. With their monotypic nature, they are not hard to identify, and are the largest dolphin species in the world. Being monotypic, there is no known subspecies of Orcas, and most all of them have a similar, however striking, black-and-white color pattern.They also differ in size depending on the gender of the organism; males being the bigger of the two.
    General Facts about Orcas:

• very social animals; live in social groups or families called pods
• can form very strong emotional connections with each other and even with humans (SeaWorld)
• use echolocation to communicate with their pods 
• k-selected species, invest in their young   
• occur in all oceans, have the largst distribution of all cetaceans 
• mostly occur in Pacific Northwest from Alaska to Southern California
• three specific populations: Resident (Southern and Northern), Transient, and Offshore            .

Southern Resident Population (Movement, Population, Distribution, Endangerment)
The Southern Resident Population consists of three pods, designated J,K, and L pods. that reside in the inland waterways of British Columbia and Washington for part of the year, This population is fairly small and is not known to intermix with the Northern Resident populations, as they are thought to be reproductively isolated.  The map to the right depicts the distribution of the Resident,Transient, and Offshore populations. As one can see, the resident populations live in a very small portion of the inland waters of British Columbia and Washington. While most killer whales feed on other marine mammals, such as other whales and ceteacans, for the resident killer whales, the primary dietary choice is fish; specifically salmon. The geographic distributions of Southern Residents are best known in the late spring and early autumn, where all three pods can usually be found in the Georgia Basin before departing in October or November to follow the salmon runs.
      Population Status and Threats 
Before 1974, the population of Southern Residents was at about 140 whales total. During the live capture era (late 1950s- late 1960s), their populations were severely declined due to opportunistic shooting and capture by humans. Since 1974, the Southern Resident population has gone through numerous periods of population growths and declines. There is no over-arching cause for the declination, however, survival rates and fitness has been dropping.
Currently, the population size is estimated to be at about the amount it was in 1960, when it was considered likely depleted.
There are many threats to the Southern Residents and Killer Whales in general, including various forms of environmental degradation, such as oil spills, poor prey quality (such as the reduction of fitness in salmon populations), human disturbance, noise pollution, increased amount of contaminants (bioaccumulation) , disease and more. Researchers have not yet been able to deem which factor affects the population of the Southern Residents the most, however it is estimated that the continued depletion of salmon due to human disturbance is what is affecting the whale the most. A huge part of the recovery plan goes into thorough detail of how we can replenish the salmon population to remedy this problem.

Additionally, here is a link to an interesting video stressing the affect of California's water usage on the Southern Resident Orcas and the salmon that they feast on.

    Current Protections
              In 1972, all marine mammals were placed under protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the US, which placed a moratorium on the taking of these animals and any products derived from them. However, under the MMPA, permits may be issued for research, public display, and commercial / educational photography. In May of 2003, the Marine Mammal Commission deemed the Southern Resident population as "depleted", which is cause for the development of a conservation plan. On November 18, 2005, they were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This means that the "taking" of Southern Residents is strictly federally prohibited, unless a permit is issued for its international commercial use. There are also state and county laws and guidelines in place to conduct recreational activities such as whale watching in such a way that will not harass the animal. Protections regarding the southern residents has increased heavily in the last decade or so,
     Recovery Plan
           The recovery plan outlines a very thorough management plan that deals with replenishing the salmon population to fix the problem of food availability, reducing the chemical contamination of the oceans that the Southern Residents and their prey species occur in, and reducing human disturbance by vessels. Researchers believe if we can increase the quality of prey species, the fitness of the orcas would also increase. Additionally reducing contaminants and noise pollution would place less physical and emotional stress/harm on the animal as well. There are also plans to:

• investigate southern resident behavior 
• investigate the effects of contaminants and food availability on the southern residents 
• reduce human-animal conflict and man made barriers 
• analyze the demographics of the current populations  
• identify and preserve crucial habitats for the residents 
• determine contaminant levels in prey species and consequently in residents
• reduction, prevention, and management of oil spills (if they occur) 

It is believed that collecting data in all of these categories will help researchers better understand how to achieve the primary goals of preventing the possible extinction or irreversible degradation of this marvelous animal and / or it's habitat. There is an estimated time of 28 years to acheive a de-listing of this species at a cost of around 49 million dollars. The full recovery plan can be read and found here.

Personal Action

     As I am not sure what I can personally due to directly affect the Southern Resident population, there are maybe a few small things that I can do. I can not engage in the commercial use of salmon that the orcas feed on. Additionally, I can abstain from using the chemicals and products that are contaminating our oceans today, For the past few years, I have already stopped using most plastic products such as water bottles and bags. While none of this may really directly help the Southern Resident populations, as a college student who lives far away from where this population spends most of their time, the most I can do would be to spread the awareness and education about the issue surrounding the endangerment od the Southern Resident Orcas.

Written by: Abby Kienle

References and Further Readings:
First Picture
Second Picture
Third Picture
No Fish, No Blackfish Video
Southern Resident Orca Recovery Plan
NOAA Fisheries- Orca Endangerment

Saving the San Joaquin Kit Fox

Sami Jones
Bio 227-01

 San Joaquin Kit Foxes

Summarize Description and Ecology of Organism

https://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldquintana/14045774834

San Joaquin kit foxes are the smallest species of canine in North America. they have small, slender bodies and large, close set ears. Their bushy tails are tapered at the end, have long, lean legs and they typically measure about 30 centimeters tall. Average length and weight for adult males is 80.5 centimeters and 2.3 kilograms while that of females is 76.9 centimeters and 2.1 kilograms. Coat color varies between a gray silver and tan rust color depending on season and location. Kit foxes tend to live in arid grasslands and for the most part,  they become active at night.They used dens to hide from unstable conditions and predators, as well as to mate and give birth. They prey on various types of squirrels, mice and rats, hares and small ground nesting birds. 

Geographic and Population Changes 

http://esrp.csustan.edu/gis/

Kit foxes previously occupied most of the San Joaquin Valley. However, local surveys, research projects and individual sightings suggest they now inhabit some areas of the valley floor and the foothills surrounding costal ranges, Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi mountains. with in the valley their range extends from southern Kern County to the Alameda and San Joaquin counties on the west side and Stanislaus County on the east side. They also inhabit some patches of natural land throughout Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, Kern and Merced as well as some river water sheds and interior costal ranges along the central coast. There is no historical documentation of kit fox populations and no comprehensive surveys have been done but is believed that their are fewer than 7000 kit foxes left in the valley. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the San Joaquin kit fox as endangered in 1967 and   the California Department of Fish and Wildlife listed them as threatened in 1971. The recovery plan was written in 1998 and the current status is still endangered.

Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence

http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_kids/San-Joaquin-Kit-Fox/es_kids_san-joaquin-kit-fox.htm

Kit fox populations are declining due to various reasons, both natural and human induced. Humans have had a large impact due to shooting, trapping, poisoning, roadkills, etc. However, the largest detriment to these foxes is the degradation, destruction and fragmentation of habitats as lands are being converted for agriculture and urban purposes. In addition, climate problems such as drought and flooding, as well as disease and invasion by competing species of red fox, have been connected with the decreasing population. It is likely that isolated populations may become extinctions.

Description of Recovery Plan

Protection of the kit fox is key because it is an umbrella species and therefore protecting it will, in turn, help to conserve the other species within it’s habitat. A key aspect to recovery is the conservation of three core populations within Kern County, San Luis Obispo County and between Fresno and San Benito Counties as well as the surrounding satellite populations. It is also necessary to establish links between populations so that foxes can move among them and repopulate areas more prone to local extinction.Another complimentary approach is to provide farmers with incentives to maintain suitable habitats on their land as well as the retirement of farmland to reduce and eliminate drainage issues. Doing both will provide bridges between populations and even potentially restored habitats. The second major aspect to recovery is to acquire recent and more relevant data regarding the species demographics and the interactions with other species. This information will make managing the community as a whole more efficient.

Personal Action

There are currently local organizations, such as Defenders of Wildlife, working toward recovery of the the kit fox. These organizations need support in order to keep up their research and conservation efforts. Click the link for more information on ways to take action.

Sources

<http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_kids/San-Joaquin-Kit-Fox/es_kids_san-joaquin-kit-fox.htm>

<http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A006>

<http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf>

<http://www.defenders.org/magazine/fall-2014/worth-defending>

<http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_kids/San-Joaquin-Kit-Fox/es_kids_san-joaquin-kit-fox.htm><https://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldquintana/14045774834>

<http://esrp.csustan.edu/gis/>

Loggerhead Turtles (caretta caretta)

Deniz Karadere

LOGGERHEAD TURTLES

caretta caretta

Link

Loggerhead turtles (caretta caretta) are oceanic turtles located in multiple regions around the world, including the eastern and western coasts of the United States. They are under serious threat and are therefore being protected by several companies worldwide.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

They are easily recognized by their five pairs of lateral scutes which are reddish-brown and separated by thick yellow lines. Their neck and flippers match the colors of the shell, but are duller and paler. Differences in appearance may occur between sexes, as males tend to have narrower shells and longer tails. However they all have respectively large heads and strong jaws to support their remarkably carnivorous life.  They are considered to be one of the biggest species of sea turtles once they reach maturity, after around 35 years, as they become as big as 250 pounds and 3 feet in size.

GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE AND POPULATION

Link

Sea turtles are highly migratory, hence it is really hard to identify their geographical location. However, most of the nesting grounds are located in warm and temperate locations. Some examples are Florida, Masirah Island and Mediterranean coasts such as Turkey and Greece. There are no known nesting areas located on the western coast of the United States, even though the climate is considered to be compatible. On the Atlantic side however, there are tons of nesting sites, starting from Southern Florida and reaching up to Southern Virginia. There are five recovery teams in total - Northern Recovery Unit, Peninsular Florida Recovery Unit, Dry Tortugas Recovery Unit, Northern Gulf of Mexico Recovery Unit, Greater Caribbean Recovery Unit - and they use nesting data to evaluate the status and trends of these turtle species. After an average of 15 years of research, these units have collected enough information to suggest that there have been more than 70,000 annual nests on the Atlantic coast of North America, 65,000 of it coming from nesting beaches in Florida. However, it is also noted that there is a 4% decline in the trend, which can reach up to 41% in some highly degraded environments.

In comparison to evaluating the population sizes on nesting grounds, it is much more difficult to determine the population of turtles underwater. According to the Recovery Plan for Loggerhead Turtles, “long-term in-water studies are needed in conjunction with surveys on nesting beaches to monitor population status and effectively track population changes, especially as recovery efforts are implemented and assessed.”.

LISTING

The species is listed as Threatened under the ESA since July 28,1978. There are a lot of factors threatening the species, and they are highly likely to move into the Endangered category unless these factors are not eliminated in the near future.

THREATS

Link

Loggerhead turtles encounter major threats both on and off the shore. Until they become hatchlings, and race to the sea, they are threatened by human activities that take place around the nesting beaches. Some examples are increased human presence, coastal construction and vehicular driving. These activities tend to harm nests by putting pressure on the sand that covers the eggs. So once the hatchlings are ready to leave their nests, they struggle to find their way out. This is the reason why these environments should be highly protected. In addition, there are also natural threats such as nest predation and beach erosion. Such circumstances are ones that are hard to suspect, however could still be prevented. One of the applied techniques is to cover the nest with a cage. This would eliminate any type of predator invasion as they would be unable to reach the eggs. This will also prevent human interaction. One last cause of hatchling death is artificial lighting. The powerful lights located around the beach may end up distracting the hatchlings and cause them to change their path. This is why nesting beaches are commonly pitch-black.

The threats only get worse once the Loggerhead hatchlings find a way into their natural habitat. The main causes are still human-related activities; fisheries' bycatch, boat collisions, debris, etc. Fishing nets and big lumps of debris are affecting many sea turtle populations, including the loggerhead turtles, as they incarcerate them and disable their movements. This is the most common cause of sea turtle deaths in the marine environment as they drift in the ocean and fail to reach the surface of the ocean to breathe. Other causes are diseases, parasites, habitat degradation (reefs) and predation.

RECOVERY PLAN

Recovery plans are actions taken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recover and protect endangered species. The main goal is to get the species off the list by limiting and/or eliminating the main threats. Because Loggerhead turtles are complex species that live on both terrestrial and oceanic environments, their recovery strategy needs to be as complex and diverse.

The recovery criteria for Loggerhead turtles spans around the idea of minimizing the main threats into the two simple environments, nesting (beaches) and in-water habitats.

Nesting Environment

Without protecting the nesting habitats of Loggerhead turtles, it is impossible to extract the species off of the list. These environments are critical; this species is highly selective with their nesting habitats and if they are unable to reproduce efficiently in these environments, they will become endangered. In order to conserve these sites, there are seven keystone activities that should be completed. These are;

Link

• monitoring and identifying important nesting beaches
• protecting and managing turtles on nesting beaches
• eliminating the capture of both female turtles and their eggs
• eliminating it through education
• eliminating it through laws
• eliminating coastal construction sites
• reducing nest predation by animals
• reducing nest predation by humans
• restricting access to beach
• restricting vehicular activity
• reducing effects of artificial lightings

In-Water Environment

Marine environments are where the Loggerhead turtles actually spend their lives. They are oceanic turtles and so they only use the land for nesting. These sites should be preserved to provide the species with a healthy and enduring life. The necessary actions are;

Link

• eliminating directed take
• eliminating incidental take (fisheries bycatch)
• reducing the effects of debris
• studying the impact of diseases on turtles
• ensuring the long-term protection of identified marine habitats
• preventing the degradation of reef habitats

PERSONAL ACTIONS

In 2013, I actively worked with WWF Turkey to preserve nesting grounds for Mediterranean Loggerhead turtles, and still continue to support them by adopting a hatchling every month, through donation. The active participation took place in Dalyan, Turkey, which is known to host one of the most important nesting beaches in the Mediterranean - Koycegiz (one of only 20 preserved beaches in the country for this reason). Here, I first started by learning more about the species; I learned about the way they reproduce and why they were threatened. Afterwards, they allowed me to step onto the beach which was under preservation and was restricted from any kind of human interaction. I woke up late at night (the time when loggerhead turtles prefer to reach ashore) and observed female turtles laying their eggs, and in the morning, covered the nests to limit any kind of predation. 

What can YOU do?

There are not many options as to what you can do to help the sea turtles, but you can still impact the situation tremendously through these limited options.  The first and most effective choice would be to adopt a hatchling through WWF's website. The money generated by your donation will be used  to protect hatchling nests all around the world . On top of that, cutting down on the use of plastic bags will be valuable, since it will diminish the debris in the long run. 

Link

If you would like to adopt sea turtles too, click here.

Link

Link

REFERENCES

1. National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998. Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta). National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD. 
2. National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), Second Revision. National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD. 
3. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm
4. WWF - Loggerhead Turtles
5. WWF Turkey
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hziM2z37jE