Project Detail

Onshore Preservation of Hawksbill Turtle Eggs through Community Participation

Project location:Shibderaz, Qeshm(Lat./Long. : 26.631419;55.568848)

Shibderaz Village is in the centrally-located southern coastline of Qeshm Island which is currently the only stretch used ?in the entire island by Hawksbill Turtles for nesting and laying eggs. The coastline, therefore, represents an important ?and strategic Hawksbill hotspot. In 2002, the Bureau of Environment, Qeshm Free Zone Area (QFA), received reports ?of Hawksbill Turtles laying eggs near Shieb-deraz Village, Qeshm Island. Immediately the Bureau of Environment of ?QFA mobilized and deployed the help of the villagers as well as the Village Council to find out that this area is a major ?site. The locals were engaged in collecting and protecting the eggs. It is reported that about 10,000 eggs were ?collected and 4001 baby turtles were saved to return to their natural habitat into the Persian Gulf.
In 2003 with the ?support of UNDP-GEF/Small Grants Programme, the project group (the locals, the village council

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and the technical ?experts) expanded past activities to preserve the sea turtle eggs and coastal shorelines. The SGP project aimed to ?protect the eggs of the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtles and the related coastline stretch in the Qeshm Island, ?Shiebderaz village area through the empowerment of the local community and their active participation.
Hawksbill ?Turtles are critically endangered species. Out of a spectrum of typical threats, three were identified as the most ?prominent under the particular circumstances faced by the Hawksbill. These are natural predation of turtle eggs by an ?indigenous breed of island fox, development activities on the coastline, and collection of eggs by local villagers and ?other visitors from the island (due to traditional beliefs on the medicinal properties of turtle eggs as well as due to ?poverty of the collector, who would then sell on the eggs). The nesting season usually takes place in the months of ?March-May and from the juncture when the eggs are laid, it takes 60 days for the hatching to occur. About 70% of the ?egg-laying is concentrated in a 2 Km stretch of coastline immediately adjacent to Shibderaz village.
The project ?involves reconnaissance of 15 Km coastline by the project team in order to pinpoint egg-laying turtles. The ?reconnaissance takes place at a specific interval in the evening when the tidal waters are high (i.e. between 20:00 to ??02:00 am). Once, such turtles are identified, the team then waits in the background for the turtle to complete burrowing ?and egg laying without disturbance. After the entire process, which could typically take up to 2 hours, the team moves ?in to measure the dimensions of the burrow and formation of egg pile, then collect and transfer the eggs to a secured ?location in the Shibderaz village for safe-keeping under the sand until such time that the turtles hatch. Once the eggs ?are collected the team also takes the liberty to record the necessary physical data about the turtle.
The systematic ?onshore conservation activities of project team can be summarized as:
1-reconnaissance of the coastline to find ?turtle tracks of turtles which are breeding
2-guarding the nesting grounds against disturbance
collecting the ?eggs within a 15 Km coast
3-numbering and documenting the details of the turtles, eggs, holes dug by the turtle ??(tagging of mother turtles started in March 2007)
4-moving the eggs to a secure site (each hole has an identification ?marker corresponding to the initial nest made by the mother turtle)
5-guarding the eggs till it is time to hatch,
5-?documenting the hatchling information
6-awareness raising activities for nearby communities
6-training young ?girls for conservation art (as a means of income generation and awareness raising)
7-developing a grounds for eco-?tourism,
8-lobbying for protection regulations for this coastline?
In 2004, GEF/SGP increased the funds of this project to include further activities (e.g. another season of hatching, ?further documentation and tagging of the mother turtles) with the co-funding from Australian Embassy. Booklets, brochure ?and films on the project were prepared to disseminate the good practices. Finally, in a process of participatory evaluation ?the project was evaluated successful by stakeholders and the local community in the final workshop held on the site.?
Extra budget was approved ($17,000) for:
o How to do book for local action plan for turtle conservation along the Persian Gulf coast based on SGP Qeshm Hawksbill Project
o One more season of implementation work after departure of Mr. Dareshoori for continuation and linkage with Turtle ecotourism zonation project, including contribution to garbage collection system due to increased tourism

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Shibderaz Local Community

Country:

Iran

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 349,606.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 117,246.00

Project Number:

IRA-G52-2003, 2004 & 2007-024(IRA98G52)

Start Date:

3/2003

End Date:

5/2009

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Photo Gallery

Conservation Art Related to Hawksbill Turtle as an Alternative livelihood, Shibderaz Village, Qeshm Island, IRAN

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Project Characteristics and Results

Gender Focus

A social factor that should be taken into consideration to understand the context of this project is the strict religious code ‎of morals observed by the community; hence there is a segregation of men and women in social activities. The project ‎also promoted women?s participation through training the young girls in qelim weaving and needlework with conservation ‎motifs and marketing these products. These girls have formed a CO and now have their own independent project in this ‎field with SGP.‎

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Considering the volume of activities, number of hatchlings released, information gathered, advocacy material produced, ‎manpower used and legal regulation for the coastline achieved, indirect development benefits to the community ‎‎(electricity, asphalt road and increase of land value) this is one of the cheapest turtle conservation projects of the region ‎because of its community co-management aspect. The total project cost over a period of 5 years was ~$183,000 (cash ‎and in kind) from which SGP?s contribution was $33,000. This was possible because of the strong mutually beneficial ‎partnership built between the community and the Environmental Bureau of QFA which in that period was headed by a ‎renown environmentalist, Mr. Bijan Dareshouri, who gave due value to the community participation aspect of the project. ‎

Capacity - Building Component

Each year, the project would select a new batch of 8 young men (by drawing lots) who wished to directly participate in the ‎project for documenting, guarding, tracking and collecting eggs. They were trained on the nesting habits of the turtle, how ‎to replicate burrows and pile the eggs in the same formation, the hatching process, how to document and maintain data ‎on the mother turtles and the hatchlings to be fed into the morphometric reports of the project. Their practical knowledge ‎of this species in interaction with its environment has grown tremendously. These young men were also involved in ‎providing information about the project to visitors.
Additionally to engage the young girls in this initiative through ‎socially acceptable roles, the project provided training courses on qelim weaving and needlework with conservation motif ‎in which more than 70 young girls of Shibderaz and Direstan Villages were trained.‎

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The nesting season of turtles coincides with the favorable weather and Nouruz Holidays when tourists flock the island in ‎general. However, in the past years, a considerable increase of tourists to this site has been observed so much so that in ‎late March 2007 visitors were only allowed one night stay in the campsite near Shibderaz village in order to meet high ‎demand of tourists to visit the project site. The visitors are taken in small and quiet groups to watch the turtles lay eggs ‎from a distance or they are allowed to sit around the secured site and wait for the hatchlings struggle out of the sand and ‎watch them be released into the sea. All the while the project team and other Shibderaz Villagers provide information ‎about project goal and activities, as well as the significance and nesting/hatching habits of Hawksbill Turtles to the ‎tourists.
The location of the secure campsite has become the information exchange hub where the old, young and ‎children of the community frequent during the ?turtle season? to marvel at the magnificence of this creature, celebrate the ‎birthday of the hatchlings with the children of village and learn more about the environment in which they live.‎

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The population of this village is around 500 people with 90 households (as per statistics in 2003) and an average income ‎of around USD60/household, the main source being fishing. This is a poor community which has long way for sustainable ‎development. With this project the possibility of alternative revenues were highlighted through:
1-the conservation art ‎initiative
2-increase of tourists during the nesting and hatching period of the Hawksbill Turtle
3-increase of land value due to the fame of this endangered species and the conservation activities undertaken by the ‎community for the Hawksbill Turtle

Policy Impact

The project followed up local regulations and was able to include a legal clause in the government?s development plan of ‎the island (entitled Hadi Development Plan) whereby any urban development throughout the length of Shibderaz coast ‎within 120 meters from the sea was prohibited in order to conserve the breeding grounds of the turtles.‎‎

Notable Community Participation

The project is completely community driven and the participation of the locals is seen in every stage of the project ‎‎(planning, implementation and monitoring the site). The village council and the locals decided on the location of the ‎campsite, facilities required for the site, selection of local youth for direct participation in the project. All activities such as ‎setting up the campsite, tracking the turtles, collecting the eggs, guarding the secure site, documenting the data and ‎providing information to visitors was undertaken by the youth of Shibderaz Village with the technical guidance of ‎environmental experts.‎

Policy Influence

Yes

Project sustainability

Yes

Project Results

‎1.‎ The onshore conservation of turtle eggs can be evaluated as effective. In the span of the past 5 seasons (2003 to ‎‎2007) the project has documented 1054 turtles that laid eggs in the 15 Km coastline of Shibderaz and 100,000 ‎eggs were collected. From 2003 to mid season of 2007 was 67300 healthy hatchlings were released into the sea. ‎If after release of the hatchlings a 2% survival rate in the sea is assumed, then the community of Shibderaz village ‎can proudly leave a legacy of saving 1343 Hawksbill turtles for their future generation.‎
‎2.‎ The project was able impact legislation in order to protect the breeding and nesting coast of the turtles with the ‎inclusion of a legal clause prohibiting any urban development activities throughout the Shibderaz coast within 120 ‎meters of the sea.‎
‎3.‎ The project created indirect development benefits for Shibderaz Village. In the final evaluation workshop the ‎community listed the following benefits of this project:‎
o To set up the secure camp on the coast, electricity was required and hence enroute the village too got an ‎electricity post. ‎
o The fame brought on by the conservation project and visitors interest in this endangered species, increased ‎the land value.‎
o The same also resulted in repair of the road to the village.‎
o The legislation which prohibits urban development in 120 meters of Shibderaz coastline is also beneficial to ‎the village fishermen, because it means the beaches remain intact as the construction companies cannot ‎take away the gravel and sand of this coast to their construction sites.‎
o Increased income from tourists who wish to see the turtles and hatchlings.‎
o The beach are kept clean by the community
o The young girls have received training. ‎
‎4.‎ This site has been host to various dignitaries and high ranking officials such as Mr. Kahrubi, Parliament Speaker ‎and Mr. Mojabi, Deputy to Vice-President and Head of the Department of Environment. The Ex-Head of the ‎Department of Environment, Mr. Eskandari one of the most significant environmentalist of the nation, has ‎repeatedly visited this site and given a positive assessment about the activities of the project and capacity of the ‎community in this project. ‎
‎5.‎ The project has received tremendous local and national media coverage. It was also reflected in international ‎news agencies such as N27 Channel (Germany), CNN and BBC.‎
‎6.‎ An article based on data recorded for 2003 to 2006 is being developed in collaboration with Shahid Beheshti ‎University to be published in Middle East Zoology Journal.‎
The lessons learnt:
‎1.‎ The Island is prone to co-management projects. This community showed the capacity to document exact details of ‎the turtles and hatchlings to the extend that academic articles are being prepared on the basis of this community ‎effort.‎
‎2.‎ Conservation will be sustainable if it ignites a sense of pride and ownership within the communities. This sense of ‎pride is an indicator that the community does not see a conflict of their benefits with the conservation activities.‎

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