The Hindu : National : Worth more while alive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

National

National

Worth more while alive

By Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI, JUNE 9 . Marine turtle tourism brings in about three times as much money as the sale of turtle products such as meat, leather and eggs, according to a study carried out by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The study "Money Talks: Economic Aspects of Marine Turtle Use and Conservation'' says that the worldwide decline in sea turtle population jeopardises jobs, tourism and coastal economies, especially in the developing countries two-thirds of which have sea turtles. The survey is the first of its kind to assess the economic value of sea turtles on a global scale that compared the revenue generated from the killing of turtles or collecting their eggs with that of tourism at 18 sites in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

At nine places, where turtles were used for their meat, eggs and shells, the average annual income was $582,000, whereas at nine other sites where turtles were a tourist attraction, the income was nearly three times higher at $1.65 millions. At the largest and most established site in the Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, marine turtle tourism brought in $6.7 million annually. Since this type of tourism began in the late 1980s, it has become increasingly popular.

Currently, about 175,000 people take sea turtle tours annually to over 90 sites in more than 40 countries.

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