Olive Ridley Sea Turtle lays 81 eggs at Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape

An Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), classified as endangered species, was spotted laying eggs in front of George Pond Beach Resort in Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape (MPLS) last 4th of April 2023 at around 09:00 in the evening.

Upon receipt of information from the locals in Brgy. Tagnanan, Municipality of Mabini, Davao De Oro, technical personnel of the Protected Area Management Office of MPLS went to the site and assessed the condition of the nest which was found to be at risk of exposure to seawater especially during high tide as well as its proximity to human disturbances and an outlet of a creek.

Thereafter, a team led by Matt B. Tacatani, Marine Biologist of MPLS-PAMO, carefully transferred 81 healthy eggs from the nest site to the designated pawikan hatchery fronting the office to ensure successful incubation which will take an average of 60 days before hatching.

MPLS had been a nesting site of sea turtles or pawikan within the Davao Gulf. During the second semester of year 2022, three nesting and hatching activities of Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) were documented along the shoreline of Brgy. Tagnanan.

As part of the conservation initiatives in the protected area, the DENR and the Protected Area Management Board of MPLS has been actively campaigning in discouraging permanent structures within the shorelines’ easement zone to give enough space for sea turtles to lay their eggs and perpetuate their meandearing populations.

The sea turtles are tagged as the Earth's most ancient creatures. Out of the seven sea turtle species across the globe, five of them are known to occur in the Philippine waters which include the Olive Ridley.

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