He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Sea turtles almost always return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs ...
She had returned to the beach to lay her eggs safely, but instead of sand she was forced to nest on an airstrip built just there last year as part of a $ 60 million UAE project.
Maafaru's 2200m airstrip will form part of an airport surrounded by hotel resorts on Noonu Atoll. A mammoth project that will lead to the umpteenth loss of soil and wildlife habitat.
The drama is all in this image: the green turtle arrives at the beach, but is forced to lay her eggs on a track.
As we know the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a species listed as threatened by the IUCN, but not only, a study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) in the United States together with Australian scientists from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection , found that the male population of green sea turtles has been in rapid decline for nearly two decades because of the climate changes. The warmer temperatures favor the formation of the female sex of the unborn.
Turtles are habitual and usually return to the same beach to lay their eggs. Sometimes they take long journeys to reach the sand and keep their future little ones safe. But this is the sad reality and even if this turtle is fine because according to many, it is back in the water, we cannot ignore the problem.
Maafaru Airport pic.twitter.com/SprjDEDbj5
- adam nasym (naibuthuthu) 9 April 2019
Maafaru has always been a nesting site, so why did we think about profit and not about protecting the beach?
“Despite the construction of the track, the frequency with which turtles visit the island for nesting purposes has not decreased,” says a source from the Maafaru Island Council.
Hard to believe and the question always remains the same: how much of biodiversity will still have to be sacrificed for progress?
Read also:
- The swallows return from migration but find their nests blocked by nets
- The unexpected birth of the turtles among the bathers: everything they haven't told you
Dominella Trunfio
