Social and Economic Aspects of Sea Turtle Conservation
357
This chapter discusses the value of sea turtles and, in doing so, touches on how
the social and economic aspects of sea turtle conservation problems can help direct
effective conservation solutions. We outline a number of ways to describe what sea
turtles are worth, and we present some case studies showing how worth has played
a role in both conservation problems and their solutions. We also discuss how many
sea turtles are needed to carry out biological phenomena and to allow frequent
positive interactions with the humans who value sea turtles. Our goal is to provide
at least a partial answer to the question, “Why should we save sea turtles?”
14.2 THREATS FROM USE: DIRECT AND INDIRECT
Thorough descriptions of the threats to sea turtles from direct consumptive use by
humans can be found in Parsons (1962), Lutcavage et al. (1997), and Thorbjarnarson
et al. (2000). An incomplete list of consumptive uses includes sea turtle meat and
eggs used as food; oil used for medicines, lamp fuel, and boat caulking; skins used
for clothing and accessories; shells and scutes used for various adornments; whole
animals stuffed as curios; and various parts used for fishing bait, domestic animal
feed, and fertilizer. The majority of these uses seem trivial to conservationists, and
many uses probably have numerous adequate (even superior) substitutes that do not
require the consumption of sea turtles. However, the assessments of value for these
products are often made at a local level and with a cultural weighting toward
authentic sea turtle products. Consumption of sea turtles is driven by more than
simple utilitarian values.
Three consumptive uses of sea turtles deserve special mention because of their
magnitude: uses of eggs, meat, and shell. Eggs of all species are eaten as food, and
across multiple cultures, are believed to be an aphrodisiac. Consumption of eggs
has been both subsistence and commercial, and is believed to have been the principal
cause of severe declines in many sea turtle populations (Thorbjarnarson et al., 2000).
A second use deserving special mention is the use of meat as food. Although all
species are eaten, green turtles have been harvested to the greatest extent, for both
subsistence and commercial use. Nearly everywhere green turtles occur, there is a
history of green turtle harvest. This use is the principal suspect in the extirpation of
green turtle nesting colonies, such as those once occurring at Alto Velo, Brazil;
Bermuda; Grand Cayman; Hong Kong; Israel; Mauritius; and Reunion (Parsons,
1962; King, 1982; Groombridge and Luxmoore, 1989; Marcovaldi and Marcovaldi,
1989; National Research Council, 1990). A third important use is of scutes from the
carapace and plastron of hawksbill turtles. This “tortoiseshell” is used by many
cultures for small household items, jewelry, and ceremonial pieces, but the greatest
use of tortoiseshell is driven by commercial production of bekko products in Japan
(Meylan and Donnelly, 1999). Trade in hawksbill scutes is believed to have caused
worldwide declines in hawksbill populations. Although much of the open trade has
been halted by the signatories of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), provisions are being debated to
resume trade involving populations in Cuba, and subsequently other populations, at
a level proposed to be sustainable (Mrosovsky, 2000).
1123 book.book Page 357 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM
357
This chapter discusses the value of sea turtles and, in doing so, touches on how
the social and economic aspects of sea turtle conservation problems can help direct
effective conservation solutions. We outline a number of ways to describe what sea
turtles are worth, and we present some case studies showing how worth has played
a role in both conservation problems and their solutions. We also discuss how many
sea turtles are needed to carry out biological phenomena and to allow frequent
positive interactions with the humans who value sea turtles. Our goal is to provide
at least a partial answer to the question, “Why should we save sea turtles?”
14.2 THREATS FROM USE: DIRECT AND INDIRECT
Thorough descriptions of the threats to sea turtles from direct consumptive use by
humans can be found in Parsons (1962), Lutcavage et al. (1997), and Thorbjarnarson
et al. (2000). An incomplete list of consumptive uses includes sea turtle meat and
eggs used as food; oil used for medicines, lamp fuel, and boat caulking; skins used
for clothing and accessories; shells and scutes used for various adornments; whole
animals stuffed as curios; and various parts used for fishing bait, domestic animal
feed, and fertilizer. The majority of these uses seem trivial to conservationists, and
many uses probably have numerous adequate (even superior) substitutes that do not
require the consumption of sea turtles. However, the assessments of value for these
products are often made at a local level and with a cultural weighting toward
authentic sea turtle products. Consumption of sea turtles is driven by more than
simple utilitarian values.
Three consumptive uses of sea turtles deserve special mention because of their
magnitude: uses of eggs, meat, and shell. Eggs of all species are eaten as food, and
across multiple cultures, are believed to be an aphrodisiac. Consumption of eggs
has been both subsistence and commercial, and is believed to have been the principal
cause of severe declines in many sea turtle populations (Thorbjarnarson et al., 2000).
A second use deserving special mention is the use of meat as food. Although all
species are eaten, green turtles have been harvested to the greatest extent, for both
subsistence and commercial use. Nearly everywhere green turtles occur, there is a
history of green turtle harvest. This use is the principal suspect in the extirpation of
green turtle nesting colonies, such as those once occurring at Alto Velo, Brazil;
Bermuda; Grand Cayman; Hong Kong; Israel; Mauritius; and Reunion (Parsons,
1962; King, 1982; Groombridge and Luxmoore, 1989; Marcovaldi and Marcovaldi,
1989; National Research Council, 1990). A third important use is of scutes from the
carapace and plastron of hawksbill turtles. This “tortoiseshell” is used by many
cultures for small household items, jewelry, and ceremonial pieces, but the greatest
use of tortoiseshell is driven by commercial production of bekko products in Japan
(Meylan and Donnelly, 1999). Trade in hawksbill scutes is believed to have caused
worldwide declines in hawksbill populations. Although much of the open trade has
been halted by the signatories of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), provisions are being debated to
resume trade involving populations in Cuba, and subsequently other populations, at
a level proposed to be sustainable (Mrosovsky, 2000).
1123 book.book Page 357 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM