Monitoring hawksbill turtle nesting sites in some protected areas from the Persian Gulf

Hesni Majid Askari; Rezaie-Atagholipour Mohsen; Zangiabadi Somaye; Tollab Mohammad Amin; Moazeni Mostafa; Jafari Hosein; Matin Mohammad Talebi; Zafarani Ghasem Ghorbanzadeh; Shojaei Mahtab; Motlaghnejad Abbas

doi:10.1007/s13131-019-1514-3

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Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2019 > 38(12): 43-51

Hesni Majid Askari, Rezaie-Atagholipour Mohsen, Zangiabadi Somaye, Tollab Mohammad Amin, Moazeni Mostafa, Jafari Hosein, Matin Mohammad Talebi, Zafarani Ghasem Ghorbanzadeh, Shojaei Mahtab, Motlaghnejad Abbas. Monitoring hawksbill turtle nesting sites in some protected areas from the Persian Gulf[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2019, 38(12): 43-51. doi: 10.1007/s13131-019-1514-3

Citation:

Hesni Majid Askari, Rezaie-Atagholipour Mohsen, Zangiabadi Somaye, Tollab Mohammad Amin, Moazeni Mostafa, Jafari Hosein, Matin Mohammad Talebi, Zafarani Ghasem Ghorbanzadeh, Shojaei Mahtab, Motlaghnejad Abbas. Monitoring hawksbill turtle nesting sites in some protected areas from the Persian Gulf[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2019, 38(12): 43-51. doi: 10.1007/s13131-019-1514-3

Citation:

Hesni Majid Askari, Rezaie-Atagholipour Mohsen, Zangiabadi Somaye, Tollab Mohammad Amin, Moazeni Mostafa, Jafari Hosein, Matin Mohammad Talebi, Zafarani Ghasem Ghorbanzadeh, Shojaei Mahtab, Motlaghnejad Abbas. Monitoring hawksbill turtle nesting sites in some protected areas from the Persian Gulf[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2019, 38(12): 43-51. doi: 10.1007/s13131-019-1514-3

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Monitoring hawksbill turtle nesting sites in some protected areas from the Persian Gulf

doi: 10.1007/s13131-019-1514-3

1.
Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman 7656914111, Iran
2.
Qeshm Environmental Conservation Institute (QECI), Qeshm Island 7951616137, Iran
3.
Marine Environment Branch, Bushehr Department of Environment, Bushehr 7515877473, Iran
4.
Marine Environment Branch, Iranian Department of Environment, Tehran 14155-7383, Iran
5.
Research Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (RCESD), Iranian Department of Environment, Tehran 141551156, Iran

Received Date: 2018-11-12

Abstract

Abstract

Iranian nesting populations of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) are some of the most important in the Indian Ocean. In this study, four of the most important hawksbill nesting grounds in the Persian Gulf, situated within three Iranian marine protected areas, were surveyed during nesting season, including Nakhiloo, Ommolgorm and Kharko Islands and the mainland beaches of the Naiband Marine-Coastal National Park (NMCNP). We present GIS maps of these key nesting grounds and describe sand texture of key nesting zones, along with conservation recommendations. About 9.2 (28.3%) out of 32.5 km of all shores surveyed in this study were used by nesting hawksbill turtles follows: Nakhiloo: 1.4 km (52% of potential nesting area); Ommolgorm: 1.94 km (40%); Kharko: 3.4 km (28%), and NMCNP: 2.46 km (18.9%). The average nesting density was calculated as 131 nests/km at Nakhiloo, 76 nests/km at Ommolgorm, 7 nests/km at Kharko, and 15 nests per km at NMCNP. Highest nesting density was observed in Nakhiloo and Ommolgorm. It is thought that high hawksbill nesting density in these islands seems likely a result of limiting adequate nesting shores rather than the size of population, and also low density in Kharko and NMCNP more related to past and current pressures and low population density. With the exception of Ommolgorm Island, sands at the nesting grounds were well sorted. Grain size indicated that female hawksbill turtles in the Iranian Persian Gulf nest in sands that are generally mixed, with mean grain size ranging from coarse sands (0.4Φ; ~0.5-1 mm) to fine sands (2Φ; ~0.25 mm). We provide and discuss conservation recommendations and suggestions for future.
- marine protected areas,
- marine turtles,
- nesting,
- sand texture,
- GIS maps

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References(42)

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