Measures to preserve turtle nesting sites

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Abu Dhabi: The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), which overlooks several properties on Saadiyat Island, is making sure the Island's long-time residents still have a home along its beaches.

As hundreds of turtles crawl up the Island's beach to lay eggs between April and August every year, the TDIC is taking measures to preserve the turtle habitat.

Today, there's a stretch of sand dunes along the beach that is 50 to 70 metres wide, which separates the beach from the upcoming properties, said Millie Plowman, Environment Manager at TDIC. "The turtles use the front side of the sand dunes to nest," she said, laying their eggs just above the high tide.

One of the other measures that has been taken to help preserve the habitat is impose strict guidelines on lighting. Once an egg hatches, the baby turtle is guided by the light reflected upon the water to make it to sea. However, any different light from the construction for example, could distract the turtles and lead them in the wrong direction.

Minimise effect

"We want to make sure that we minimise construction lighting when the properties become operational and that they turn off the lights they don't need to have on," she said. "[The lights] will be off during the nesting season." There are almost 11 nests on the beach today, Plowman said. "Each nest has 65 to 90 eggs in it."

However, not all the turtles that hatch actually survive. The first five years of a turtle's life is usually the toughest. About 30 years later when the turtles mature, they swim back to the beach and lay their own eggs.

"Those babies that hatch will most likely come back in 30 years time to Saadiyat Beach," Plowman said, adding that turtle mothers tend to go back to where they were born.

The response from the property constructors has been very positive, she said, adding that the presence of the turtles could actually drive tourists to visit the beach when it's open in the future.

11: nests on the Saadiyat island beach90: eggs may be found in each nest

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