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This sea turtle is registered as vulnerable within the UICN Red List of Threatened Species.
On Wednesday, 78 olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea) were born on a beach in Ecuador and others are expected to do so in the coming months.
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The birth took place on Portete Beach in the Rio Muisne Wildlife Refuge in the Esmeraldas province. With the support of the Wild Aid organization, the Sea Turtle Conservation Project is protecting another 43 nests in that area.
The Environment Ministry reported that the 78 turtles emerged from a single nest, although more births are expected from the others.
Nest control actions, which are part of the Biodiversity Management Program, involve signaling and monitoring processes, in addition to strict measures to avoid the approach of tourists or animals, all of which may affect the turtles' reproductive cycle.
@MAESantaElena @IvanOntanedaB @IAC_SeaTurtle How many years it took this turtle to grow and survive? What are we doing about it to protect them? #turtles #ecuador #marinelife It is necessary to investigate how much damage fish nets or other methods can cause their daily deaths pic.twitter.com/rRit1MKEv6
— MaCarmen Montesdeoca (@mdcmontesdeoca) September 25, 2020
The olive ridley is the smallest of the sea turtles. These reptiles belong to the Cheloniidae family and have a size of up to 70 centimeters and 40 kilos in weight.
They inhabit the Pacific Area from the Galapagos Islands to California, both in shallow marine waters and in the open ocean.
According to the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this turtle is registered as vulnerable. For this reason, the Environment Minister coordinator in Esmeraldas Cristian Reyes stressed the urgent need to have the support of international organizations to strengthen the monitoring and care of this turtle.
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