The memorandum of understanding,
which mirrors that for marine turtles
of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia,
is the result of three rounds of negotiations
that began in Bangkok in 2005. IOSEA Coordinator,
Douglas Hykle, has been involved in the
process since the beginning, in his capacity
as Senior CMS Advisor.
The agreement covers the
discontinuous dugong distribution throughout
the Indian and Eastern Pacific Oceans
and adjacent waters. The MoU got off to
a good start, with the signature of seven
Range States on the final day of the meeting.
For more information, please consult the
CMS website: www.cms.int.
The meeting afforded a
good opportunity to discuss IOSEA business
with a number of participants in the margins,
among them:
Mickmin Charuchinda (Thailand)
reported that a long-running turtle conservation
project in the Gulf of Thailand (Rayong
Province) will make a special
release of 80 captive-reared turtles
on 1-2 December 2007, in honour of the
80th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej of Thailand.
A three-person delegation
from Myanmar described
ongoing efforts being made by the Department
of Fisheries to survey coastal
fishing communities. Useful information
has been gathered with modest resources,
including a grant from IOSEA. They undertook
to add a few missing details to their
IOSEA national report, which is already
substantially complete.
Mohammed Omar Said (IOSEA
Focal Point for Kenya):
Currently based in Brussels, where he
is finishing his PhD on mangroves, Mohammed
undertook to have his Kenya Wildlife Service
team in Mombasa in update Kenya’s
national report to
IOSEA.
Winfried Haule (IOSEA
Focal Point for Tanzania)
provided an update on happenings on the
mainland and on Zanzibar; and undertook
to submit an official nomination
for the Western Indian Ocean - Marine
Turtle Task Force.
Patricia Davis, from the
non-governmental organisation
C3 (also a recipient of an IOSEA
grant in 2006), provided an update on
the ‘turtle conservation world’
in Comoros, and reported
on a new project being established in
Mauritius.
Papua New Guinea was to
have signed the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU
in Abu Dhabi, but the PNG delegation was
unable to attend the meeting at the last
minute. Nevertheless, Vagi Rei has confirmed
that Papua New Guinea will sign
the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU at
the next available opportunity.
France was among the signatories
of the Dugong MoU, the French Ambassador
to U.A.E. having been authorised to perform
the honors in Abu Dhabi. The Secretariat
is still awaiting word from officials
in the Environment and Foreign Affairs
Ministries as to whether the delay in
France signing the IOSEA MoU will
soon be resolved. The excellent work being
conducted by French researchers in the
Western Indian Ocean deserves greater
recognition and publicity through the
IOSEA system.
The United Arab
Emirates joined in the IOSEA
MoU earlier this year, and Abu Dhabi in
particular has continued an active turtle
conservation programme. It was clarified
that the official appointment
of a U.A.E. focal point for the
MoU is awaiting the outcome of ongoing
restructuring within the federal Ministry
of Environment and Water.
Things to watch for in
the weeks ahead:
Signature by South Africa
of the CMS Memorandum of Understanding
on Marine Turtles of the Atlantic coast
of Africa (the “sister” and
precursor of the IOSEA MoU).
Announcement of the formal
establishment of the Western Indian Ocean
– Marine Turtle Task Force, and
plans for the first meeting.
Distribution of the IOSEA
“Sea Turtles – Our Ocean Ambassadors”
DVD, now in the final stages of production.
Official launch of the
IOSEA Online Reporting Facility (we’re
still ironing out some minor bugs!)
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With
sponsorship from the IOSEA Year of the
Turtle campaign, WWF-India's Ocean and
Coasts Program has produced a striking
poster describing the importance of sand
dunes and threats to their integrity.
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