The management and conservation of marine turtles in Brunei Darussalam: Country report

Abstract

Out of the seven turtle species found in the world, only three species land to nest in Brunei Darussalam's beaches. These are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the olive ridely (Lepidochelys olivacea). Research and conservation efforts by government agencies have thus far been minimal, but since May 1998, there has been as upsurge by relevant agencies to save the dwindling turtle population. The nesting season of turtles in Brunei Darussalam coincided with the North-east Monsoon period when turtle eggs were collected by local egg collectors. As yet, there have been no provisions to disallow egg collection. Due to shortage of technical manpower and expertise, efforts to gather much more information on the turtles were still not possible.