Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area

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The Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area is a marine protected area consisting of the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (Philippines), and the Turtle Islands National Park (Malaysia). [1]

Contents

History

The creation of a protected area for nesting was first recommended at the December 1993 First ASEAN Symposium-Workshop on Marine Turtle Conservation. [2] Sea turtle egg production had declined by 88% due to over-fishing and habitat destruction, [3] and a decision was made by both the Philippines and Malaysian governments to safeguard their rookeries. [4] The establishment of the area occurred during a territorial dispute between the two countries over their maritime borders. [5] [6]

On May 31, 1996, a memorandum of agreement was signed by the two governments and the area was formally established [7] [2] with three islands in Malaysia and six in the Philippines. [6] The Malaysia government cleared their islands of people and created the Turtle Islands Park [8] on October 1, 1997; [9] the Philippines officially created the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary to administer their islands in 1999. [8] Both regions are administered primarily by their respective governments, though there is a joint management committee. [4]

Flora and fauna

The TIHPA is the largest turtle nesting area and only nesting area for the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in ASEAN. [8] [10] When the site was established, it held the world's largest rookery; [3] as of 2017, it had remained one of their most important nesting sites. [10] The area also provides nesting sites for Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). In 2017, there were 34 species of birds, between 76 and 128 species of fish, 62 species of marine plants, 15 woody plants, and between 24 and 27 genera of corals. It also had snakes and monitor lizards. [10]

References

  1. ↑ Miclat, Evangeline; Nunez, Enrique (2016). "The Philippines–Sabah Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA)". In Mackelworth, Peter (ed.). Marine transboundary conservation and protected areas. Earthscan oceans. London New York: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-315-72427-0.
  2. 1 2 "Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of Malaysia on the Establishment of the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area". Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. 5: 157. 2002.
  3. 1 2 "Briefly" . Oryx. 31 (1): 15–31. January 1997. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.1997.d01-84.x. ISSN   0030-6053.
  4. 1 2 Mackelworth, Peter (April 2012). "Peace parks and transboundary initiatives: implications for marine conservation and spatial planning". Conservation Letters. 5 (2): 90–98. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00223.x . ISSN   1755-263X.
  5. ↑ Guerreiro, José; Chircop, Aldo; Grilo, Catarina; Viras, Ana; Ribeiro, Raquel; van der Elst, Rudy (September 2010). "Establishing a transboundary network of marine protected areas: Diplomatic and management options for the east African context" . Marine Policy. 34 (5): 896–910. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2010.01.014.
  6. 1 2 Ângelo Guerreiro da Silva, José; Curto Fernandes e Castro Ribeiro, Raquel; de Carvalho Cameira Mocinho Viras, Ana; Bentes Silva Grilo, Catarina (2012-06-08). Azeiteiro, Ulisses M (ed.). "Transboundary MPAs: a challenge for the twenty‐first century" . Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal. 23 (4): 328–346. doi:10.1108/14777831211232191. ISSN   1477-7835.
  7. ↑ Ellett, Lindsey G.; Thomsen, Jennifer M.; Besançon, Charles (January 2025). "Potential barriers and windows of opportunity for transboundary marine management in the Sulu-Sulawesi seascape: A policy analysis" . Marine Policy. 171: 106473. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106473.
  8. 1 2 3 Fischer, Cecilia; Trono, Romeo B.; Salinas, Rizza Araceli F. (December 2021). "Addressing gaps in socio-economic and natural assets to halt marine turtle egg poaching: A livelihood feasibility study in the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary, Philippines". Global Ecology and Conservation. 32: e01913. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01913 .
  9. ↑ Kheng-Lian, Koh; Robinson, Nicholas A. "Strengthening Sustainable Development in Regional Inter-Governmental Governance: Lessons from the ASEAN Way". Singapore Journal of International & Comparative Law. 6: 652–653.
  10. 1 2 3 China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center (2018), "Policy Measures for Regional Green Development" , China-ASEAN Environment Outlook 1 (CAEO-1), Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 109–153, doi:10.1007/978-981-10-6211-7_4, ISBN   978-981-10-6210-0 , retrieved 2025-04-29
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