378
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
Sea turtles need stewardship. Wherever they occur there should be a consensual
assessment of ownership that would prevent sea turtles from being considered part
of a neglected ocean commons. This ownership could be multinational, but would
require enforcement of agreements to manage sea turtles in international waters (as
are currently being developed in some regions).
The questions of how many sea turtles to have and to use should be addressed
in multidisciplinary studies of sea turtle resources. Addressing not only how many
sea turtles we need, but also how many we want, will require coordinated input from
population modelers, systems ecologists, environmental economists, and various
stakeholders. Certainly, additional studies are needed to fully understand sea turtle
survivorship, abundance, mating systems, and genetic exchange (do we have enough
turtles?), and to understand the carrying capacity of nesting beaches and foraging
grounds (can we have the turtles we want?). Yet, without fully understanding the
biological limitations that sea turtles and their environment impose on us, we have
applied both our demand to use sea turtles and our desire simply to see that they
exist. Although we do not yet have a number of sea turtles that reflects a balance
between our demands and desires, we might imagine that a goal of sea turtle
conservation should be more than merely a future with some sustainable number of
turtles. Instead, conservationists might seek a future in which all aspects of sea turtle
value continue to contribute toward human happiness and well-being.
It is incumbent upon those consumptive users who wish to continue their predator–prey relationship with sea turtles to become “prudent predators” (Slobodkin,
1974) who do not deplete the source of their sustenance. Those seeking to use sea
turtles nonconsumptively or to keep open our options for future uses also must act
prudently to maintain or enhance the numbers of turtles. Even those who desire to
focus solely on the existence, bequest, or intrinsic value of sea turtles must work
with the “users” to minimize the negative effects of our amensal relationship with
the turtles, reducing incidental mortality and other negative effects of modern industrial societies. It is clear that individuals and societies must make conscious decisions
and take concerted action if we are to manage a planet that is habitable by both
humans and sea turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to Clem Tisdell, Manoj Shivlani, and Rob Hope, who provided us
with prepublication copies of their manuscripts on contingent valuation and other
aspects of sea turtle economics, and to the Sea Grant office at the University of
Florida for pointing out and providing us with copies of several useful references.
Madeline Broadstone helped gather additional references, and the manuscript benefited greatly from reviews given by Andrea Mosier, Michael Sorice, and Jim Quinn.
REFERENCES
Amiteye, B.T., and J. Moller. 2000. ¢70,000.00 (about US $19) saves a life of a leatherback
turtle in Ghana. Mar. Turtle Newsl. 88: 13.
1123 book.book Page 378 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
Sea turtles need stewardship. Wherever they occur there should be a consensual
assessment of ownership that would prevent sea turtles from being considered part
of a neglected ocean commons. This ownership could be multinational, but would
require enforcement of agreements to manage sea turtles in international waters (as
are currently being developed in some regions).
The questions of how many sea turtles to have and to use should be addressed
in multidisciplinary studies of sea turtle resources. Addressing not only how many
sea turtles we need, but also how many we want, will require coordinated input from
population modelers, systems ecologists, environmental economists, and various
stakeholders. Certainly, additional studies are needed to fully understand sea turtle
survivorship, abundance, mating systems, and genetic exchange (do we have enough
turtles?), and to understand the carrying capacity of nesting beaches and foraging
grounds (can we have the turtles we want?). Yet, without fully understanding the
biological limitations that sea turtles and their environment impose on us, we have
applied both our demand to use sea turtles and our desire simply to see that they
exist. Although we do not yet have a number of sea turtles that reflects a balance
between our demands and desires, we might imagine that a goal of sea turtle
conservation should be more than merely a future with some sustainable number of
turtles. Instead, conservationists might seek a future in which all aspects of sea turtle
value continue to contribute toward human happiness and well-being.
It is incumbent upon those consumptive users who wish to continue their predator–prey relationship with sea turtles to become “prudent predators” (Slobodkin,
1974) who do not deplete the source of their sustenance. Those seeking to use sea
turtles nonconsumptively or to keep open our options for future uses also must act
prudently to maintain or enhance the numbers of turtles. Even those who desire to
focus solely on the existence, bequest, or intrinsic value of sea turtles must work
with the “users” to minimize the negative effects of our amensal relationship with
the turtles, reducing incidental mortality and other negative effects of modern industrial societies. It is clear that individuals and societies must make conscious decisions
and take concerted action if we are to manage a planet that is habitable by both
humans and sea turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to Clem Tisdell, Manoj Shivlani, and Rob Hope, who provided us
with prepublication copies of their manuscripts on contingent valuation and other
aspects of sea turtle economics, and to the Sea Grant office at the University of
Florida for pointing out and providing us with copies of several useful references.
Madeline Broadstone helped gather additional references, and the manuscript benefited greatly from reviews given by Andrea Mosier, Michael Sorice, and Jim Quinn.
REFERENCES
Amiteye, B.T., and J. Moller. 2000. ¢70,000.00 (about US $19) saves a life of a leatherback
turtle in Ghana. Mar. Turtle Newsl. 88: 13.
1123 book.book Page 378 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM