| The sea turtles in Puerto Vallarta - A new
cycle begins |  Sea
turtles are reptiles that appeared on earth some 130 million years ago, evolving
through time to give rise to the 8 species that inhabit the world's oceans today.
Seven of these deposit their eggs on Mexican beaches. Extensive
fishing has put sea turtles in danger of extinction which is why the Mexican Government
has declared a total ban on the exploitation of this resource and undertaken measures
aimed at the protection of sea turtles. Among those was the institution of turtle
nesting grounds on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific
Ocean and the Gulf of California. At those nesting grounds, artificial nests protect
the eggs transported there from the places where the turtles laid them on the
various beaches. This minimizes the possibility that the eggs will be damaged
or destroyed by predators such as man, crabs, dogs and birds, among others. The
personnel that works at those nesting grounds is properly trained. Generally it
is made up of volunteer students and scientists who conduct the worthy tasks of
research and conservation, in addition to their important work in the field of
environmental education. For many generations in Mexico,
coastal gastronomical traditions included turtle as an important part of their
diet (both the meat and the eggs were consumed in great quantities), so it is
necessary to create an awareness for the protection and conservation of our natural
resources through Conservation Programs involving the entire local population.  In
the Bay of Banderas, Jalisco, there exists a program for the Protection and Conservation
of the sea turtles that visit our waters to reproduce. Each year during the nesting
season (June-December), nesting grounds are established on key beaches within
the Bay of Banderas for the protection of thousands of eggs laid by Golfina (Lepidochelys
olivacea) turtles, the most common in this area. But there are other species too,
for example the Laud turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), gigantic and spectacular,
the largest of all sea turtles.
We should also mention
that this Conservation Program has met with great success thanks to the joint
efforts of the Mexican Authorities, the non-governmental conservation organizations,
the local population and the private sector. If you are
interested in finding out how the Sea Turtle Conservation Program functions, you
can contact Open Air Expeditions, an organization that participates in those conservation
efforts by organizing excursions that involve nighttime beach patrols to find
females laying their eggs and thus witness one of the most fascinating phenomena
of nature. Participants also visit turtle farms to get acquainted with the work
accomplished by volunteers and how it supports the Conservation efforts with part
of the funds that are raised. It is important to bring comfortable clothes to
walk along the beach, as well as insect repellent. Hasta
la próxima, Isabel
Cárdenas Oteiza
AMTAVE
Pacific Zone Vice-President
openair@pvnet.com.mx
Cielo
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