The largest turtle in the ocean, the leatherback gets its name from its tough, rubbery skin.<\/p>\n
Migrating long distances a year, the turtle can cross the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
But with threats like getting tangled in fishing gear, the future for one distinct population looks “dire,” say conservation groups.<\/p>\n
At the current rate of decline, the critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback turtle will vanish within 60 years.<\/p>\n
We have just 10 years left to put measures in place to save it, says a group of conservation scientists and organisations including Fauna & Flora International (FFI).<\/p>\n
“We have it within our power to protect these animals and enable them to thrive, but all those who have a hand in shaping their future need to work together to do so,” said Alison Gunn, programme manager for the Americas and the Caribbean at FFI.<\/p>\n
Leatherback turtles are found across the world. While considered a single species, populations found in different oceans are reproductively distinct. The Pacific leatherbacks are most at risk of extinction, with both Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific leatherbacks continuing to decline.<\/p>\n
Key nesting habitats in the Eastern Pacific are in Mexico and Costa Rica, with some isolated nesting in Panama and Nicaragua. Over the last three generations, there has been a greater than 90% decline in the female nesting population.<\/p>\n
“If this particular population goes they’re completely irreplaceable, because they’re unique to this particular part of the oceans,” said Alison Gunn. “There’s a lot of conservation action happening right now. We need to increase the collaboration that’s already happening in order to ensure that this population is not lost.”<\/p>\n
Key interventions<\/p>\n
If conservation efforts are targeted and scaled up at high-priority sites, and projects are quickly implemented and maintained, the Eastern Pacific leatherback population can eventually stabilise and increase, according to a population model.<\/p>\n
Two things must be achieved in the next 10 years to save the Eastern Pacific leatherback:<\/p>\n
Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, weighing up to 2,000lb (900kg) and reaching over 6ft (2m) in length.<\/p>\n
The population of leatherbacks in the Eastern Pacific has declined by more than 90% since the 1980s, which qualifies as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.<\/p>\n
The study is published in the journal, Scientific Reports.<\/p>\n