The latest in a series of assessments undertaken by the Advisory Committee of the IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU, a review of the conservation status of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), will be presented to the public at a workshop starting on 25 March 2022 at UTC 00:00 (please click here for conversion to your own time zone) held as part of the 40th International Sea Turtle Symposium (ISTS40). Please note that in order to join this event, registration through the Symposium website is necessary.
The authors collated and synthesised information from the scientific and grey literature, national reports from Signatory States to the MOU, and experts within each of the four IOSEA sub-regions. Case studies presenting the situation in different rookeries will be considered, and recommendations discussed.
In undertaking the ‘Hawksbill Assessment’, authors have been able to make extensive use of TurtleNet, an interactive atlas that shows nesting, courtship, feeding and migration routes of marine turtles launched in June 2021. Participants will be given an introduction to the functionalities of this tool, and see how they can make use of it for their own applications.
Expected Outcomes of the Workshop
Compiling and making available up-to-date information on the status of marine turtle species, particularly in order to identify and address gaps in basic knowledge and necessary conservation actions, is of key importance for the success of regional conservation mechanisms such as the IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU. The workshop gives opportunity for exchange amongst hawksbill turtle researchers and conservationists active in the IOSEA region, discussing priorities to be addressed in order to achieve a favourable conservation status. Participants will also be trained in the use of TurtleNet and encouraged to use it as a platform to display their census and migration data.
