The National Environment Service (NES) has addressed the broader implications for local turtle populations and ongoing conservation efforts, following concerns over an incident where a young boy and a woman were reportedly caught attempting to steal turtles last week.

The attempted turtle theft sparked concerns from local environmentalists at the need for stronger wildlife protections and heightened awareness around turtle conservation in the Cook Islands.

In response to queries from this newspaper, NES emphasised that the Cook Islands is home to three of the world’s seven sea turtle species, including the endangered Green turtle and the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

While the Environment Act 2003 grants NES the mandate to “protect, conserve and manage the environment including wildlife,” the agency currently lacks specific regulations to designate turtles as a protected species.

However, NES states, “we are in the process of developing a management plan for the southern passages of Rarotonga that experience high numbers of turtle tours, to manage and mitigate potential negative impacts caused by these interactions.”

The NES response also points to the Cook Islands’ participation in multiple international agreements aimed at conservation, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Despite these commitments, turtle-specific regulations remain in development as NES works toward sustainable solutions for managing interactions between turtles and humans, particularly in popular tour areas around Rarotonga.

The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) has also played an essential role in assessing threats to turtle populations.

Earlier this year, MMR completed a national turtle risk assessment in collaboration with the Pacific Community (SPC), which identified “turtle taking during nesting” as a “medium” risk, primarily based on the likelihood and potential consequences for the local turtle population.

The assessment found that other, more severe risks include “ingestion/entanglement with plastic pollution,” “tuna longline fisheries and other fisheries related risks,” and climate change factors like beach erosion and temperature fluctuations that can affect turtle migration and nesting patterns.

Meanwhile, NES encouraged the public to respect and observe wildlife from a distance to minimize disruption.

“NES encourages the public to refrain from touching wildlife and allow it to behave naturally in its environment,” NES stated.

Although there are currently no other reported cases of turtle harvesting on Rarotonga, NES noted this incident may serve as a reminder of the delicate balance needed to protect these endangered species in the Cook Islands.