Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Do Open-Cycle Hatcheries Relying on Tourism Conserve Sea Turtles? Sri Lankan Developments and Economic–Ecological Considerations

  • RESEARCH
  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

By combining economic analysis of markets with ecological parameters, this article considers the role that tourism-based sea turtle hatcheries (of an open-cycle type) can play in conserving populations of sea turtles. Background is provided on the nature and development of such hatcheries in Sri Lanka. The modeling facilitates the assessment of the impacts of turtle hatcheries on the conservation of sea turtles and enables the economic and ecological consequences of tourism, based on such hatcheries, to be better appreciated. The results demonstrate that sea turtle hatcheries serving tourists can make a positive contribution to sea turtle conservation, but that their conservation effectiveness depends on the way they are managed. Possible negative effects are also identified. Economic market models are combined with turtle population survival relationships to predict the conservation impact of turtle hatcheries and their consequence for the total economic value obtained from sea turtle populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Amarasooriya, K. 2001. The role of sea turtle hatcheries in the conservation of sea turtle fauna of Sri Lanka. In 21st World Sea Turtle Symposium, Philadelphia, USA

  • Amarasooriya, K. 1999. A classification of the sea turtle nesting beaches of southern Sri Lanka. In 22nd ASEAN Symposium and Workshop on Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

  • Amarasooriya, K. and P. Dayaratne 1997. A survey on the existing turtle hatcheries and mapping of the existing beaches of turtles along the northeast, west, southwest, south and southeastern coasts of Sri Lanka. A report forwarded to the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • Chantrapornsyl, S. 2002. Marine Turtle Conservation Programmes in Thailand. Proceedings of a Workshop on Marine Turtle Conservation, Sihanoukville, Department of Fisheries, Cambodia

  • Chan, E. H. 2001. Status of marine turtle conservation and research in southeast Asia. In Proceedings. Viet Nam’s First National Workshop on Marine Turtle Conservation, IUCN-Vietnam and Ministry of Fisheries

  • S. V. Ciricacy-Wantrup (1952) Resource conservation: economics and policies University of California Press Berkeley, California

    Google Scholar 

  • CITES. 2004. CITES-listed species database. Available at http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

  • H. R. Clarke Y. K. Ng (1993) ArticleTitleTourism, economic welfare and efficient pricing Annals of Tourism Research 20 613–632

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Crowder (2000) ArticleTitleLeatherback’s survival will depend on international effort Nature 408 881 Occurrence Handle10.1038/35016247 Occurrence Handle11130730

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K. L. Eckert (1991) Leatherback sea turtles: A declining species of the global commons E. M. Borgese N. Ginsburg and J. R. Morgan (Eds) Ocean Yearbook, 9 University of Chicago Press Chicago, Illinois 73–90

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Fernando (1977) ArticleTitleTurtle hatcheries in Sri Lanka Marine Turtle Newsletter 3 8

    Google Scholar 

  • N. B. Frazer (1992) ArticleTitleSea turtle conservation and halfway technology Conservation Biology 6 179–184 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.620179.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Freeman SuffixIII (2003) The measurement of environmental and resource values: Theory and methods Resources for the Future Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Hewavisenthi (1993) ArticleTitleTurtle hatcheries in Sri Lanka: Boon or bane? Marine Turtle Newsletter 60 19–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewavisenthi S., S. W. Kotagama 1990. The effect of retaining turtle hatchlings in tanks before their release. Proceedings of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science. 46:92 (abstract)

  • IUCN. 2003. IUCN redlist of threatened species. Available at http://www.redlist.org (accessed 29 September 2004)

  • Gampell J., 1999 To save the turtles. Reader’s Digest May issue (Asian version)

  • H. S. Gordon (1954) ArticleTitleThe economic theory of a common property resource: The fishery Journal of Political Economy 62 124–142 Occurrence Handle10.1086/257497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. Hardin (1968) ArticleTitleThe tragedy of commons Science 162 1243–1248 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CCaD3sfosFc%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • B. M. Higgins (2003) Sea turtle husbandry P. L. Lutz J. A. Musick J. Wyneken (Eds) The biology of the sea turtles CRC Press Boca Raton, Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Higginson F. Vasquez (1989) ArticleTitleHatchery design and the production of female hatchlings’ Marine Turtle Newsletter 44 7–12

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). 1995. A global strategy for the conservation of turtles. Prepared by IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Cambridge, UK

  • IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group (International Union for the Conservation of Nature/SSC Marine Tu- rtle Specialist Group). 1999. A global strategy for the conservation of marine turtles. Available at http://www.tortugas.unam.mx/mtsg/english/mtsg_publications-english.htm

  • Mackensen, A. 2002. Contributions to sea turtle conservation in Sri Lanka: Growth rates, socio economic data and nesting patterns. MSc thesis, University of Bremen

  • Marcovaldi M. A. G. and J. C. A. Thome. 1999. Reducing threats to turtles. Pages 165–168 in Eckert K., F. A. Bjorndal, F. Abreu-Grobois, M. Donnelly (eds.), Research and management techniques for the conservation of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group.

  • A. Meylan (1998) ArticleTitleHawksbill turtles still endangered Nature 391 117 Occurrence Handle10.1038/34267 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXmtVCrtg%3D%3D Occurrence Handle9428753

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer J. A. 1999. Reducing threats to eggs and hatchlings: Hatcheries. Pages 175–178 in K. Eckert, F. A. Bjorndal, F. Abreu-Grobois, M. Donnelly (eds.), Research and management techniques for the conservation of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group

  • Mrosovsky, N. 2003. Predicting extinction: Fundamental flaws in IUCN’s Red List system; exemplified by the case of sea turtles. Available at http://members.seaturtle.org/mrosovsky (accessed August 2004)

  • Mrosovsky, N. 2000. Sustainable use of hawksbill turtle; contemporary issues in conservation. Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management, Northern Territory University, Darwin

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameNRC (National Research Council) (1990) Decline of the sea turtle National Academy Press Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Pilcher (1999) ArticleTitleTurtles turned turtle Asian Geographic 2 56–69

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Pilcher G. Ismail (1999) Sea turtles of the Indo-Pacific: Research, management and conservation ASEAN Academic Press London

    Google Scholar 

  • P. C. H. Prichard (1980) ArticleTitleThe conservation of sea turtles: practices and problems’ American Zoologist 20 609–617

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, P. 1994. Marine turtles of Sri Lanka. ACCD-GTZ Environmental Education and Public Awareness Publications. Coast Conservation Department

  • K. Shanker (2003) ArticleTitleThirty years of sea turtle conservation on the Madras coast: A review Kachhapa 8 16–19

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Shanker (1994) ArticleTitleConservation of sea turtles on the Madras coast Marine Turtle Newsletter 64 3–6

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Shanker N. Pilcher (2003) ArticleTitleMarine turtle conservation in south and southeast Asia: hopeless cause or cause for hope? Marine Turtle Newsletter 100 43–51

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Skonhoft (1999) ArticleTitleOn the optimal exploitation of terrestrial animal species Environmental and Resource Economics 13 45–77 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1008261206811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, M. and G. Wall. 2004. Ecotourism and community development: case studies from Hainan, China. Environmental Management published online 17 February 2004

  • T. M. Swanson (1994) ArticleTitleThe economics of extinction revisited and revised: a generalised framework for the analysis of the problems of endangered species and biodiversity losses Oxford Economic Papers 46 800–821

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Tisdell (2002) The economics of conserving wildlife and natural areas Edward Elgar Cheltenham, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Tisdell (2000) The economics of tourism, Vol. II Edward Elgar Cheltenham, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • C. W. Tiwol A. S. Cabanban (2000) All female hatchlings from the open-beach hatchery at Gulisaan Island, Turtle Islands Park, Sabah N. J. Pilcher M. G. Ismail (Eds) Sea turtles of the Indo-Pacific: Research, management and conservation ASEAN Academic Press London

    Google Scholar 

  • U. M. S. Upm J. Perhilitan (1996) Development and management plan: Turtle Islands Park Sabah Parks Sabah, Malaysia

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Wickramsinghe (1982) ArticleTitleTurtle hatcheries in Sri Lanka Marine Turtle Newsletter 22 3–4

    Google Scholar 

  • B. E. Witherington N. B. Frazer (2003) Social and economic aspects of sea turtle conservation P. Lutz J. A. Musick J. Wynaken (Eds) The biology of sea turtles, Vol. II CRC Press Boca Raton, Florida 355–384

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Clem Tisdell thanks Ranjith Bandara and M. G. Kularatne for introducing him to a representative turtle hatchery in Sri Lanka. He has benefited from discussions with them and Professor S. Kotagama about issues raised in the article, as well as Dr. Dale Squires. Clevo Wilson thanks the Marine Turtle Research Group for making available the Marine Turtle Newsletter archives online and Kamal Amarasooriya for providing copies of his conference papers. We thank Craig Mosely for his help with the map and Hemanath Swarna Nantha for research assistance. This research has benefited from the comments of three anonymous reviewers and, in part, from an Australian Research Council grant supporting research on the economics of conservation of tropical wildlife. The usual caveat applies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia

    Clem Tisdell

  2. School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD, 4001, Australia

    Clevo Wilson

Authors
  1. Clem Tisdell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Clevo Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Clem Tisdell.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tisdell, C., Wilson, C. Do Open-Cycle Hatcheries Relying on Tourism Conserve Sea Turtles? Sri Lankan Developments and Economic–Ecological Considerations. Environmental Management 35, 441–452 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0049-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0049-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation