The Maldives Sea Turtle Conservation Society established a team in 2011 due to concerns about the declining population of sea turtles in the Maldives. The government-recognized program is involved in three key areas of turtle conservation: protection of turtle nests, followed by assisted rearing; the rehabilitation of injured turtles; and photo-identification techniques and satellite tracking. Based at the Marine Research Center at the Four Seasons resorts, they work with local islands in the Maldives to raise awareness of turtle conservation and encourage them to protect nests.
Green turtles are found throughout the archipelago. The green sea turtle is large, with a shell up to 3 feet long. They can weigh up to 350 pounds, and their shells can be many colors, including shades of black, gray, green, brown, or yellow. Adults are the only herbivorous sea turtles. When they are young, they are carnivorous, but as adults they eat algae and seagrasses.
Hawksbill turtles feed and nest in the Maldives. They grow to about 3.5 feet long and weigh up to 180 pounds. Named for the shape of its beak, which resembles the beak of a raptor. They eat sponges. These turtles have a beautiful tortoiseshell pattern on their shell and have been hunted nearly to extinction for their shells.
Olive ridleys are not known to nest, they are more common offshore and in the north. Named for its olive green shell. They are small and weigh less than 100 pounds. They eat mainly invertebrates such as crabs, shrimp, lobsters, jellyfish, and tunicates, although some eat mainly algae.
Loggerhead turtles are very rare in the Maldives, with very few sightings. They are reddish brown in color and have a very large head. They are the most common turtle nesting in Florida. They can be up to 3.5 feet long and weigh up to 400 pounds. They feed on crabs, molluscs and jellyfish.
Leatherback turtles are also very rare in the Maldives. They are the largest sea turtles and can reach lengths of over 6 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds. These animals are deep divers and have the ability to dive deeper than 3,000 feet. The leatherback turtle has a shell that consists of a single piece with 5 ridges and is distinguished from other turtles that have plated shells.
As a means of managing turtle control in the Maldives, it is illegal to take or kill a turtle, import turtles or turtle products, and sell turtles or turtle products in the country. There are also 14 priority nesting beaches that are protected by law. Unfortunately, the ban on taking turtles does not include the collection of turtle eggs from nesting beaches. Egg collecting is still going on and conservation groups are trying to convince the government to protect the eggs and turtles in the Maldives.
