| Date |
Title |
 19 Oct 2012 |
IOSEA supports marine turtle conservation efforts in Myanmar |
| Intro : On 17 October IOSEA Coordinator, Douglas Hykle, travelled to Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw to conclude another chapter of IOSEA’s cooperation with the Department of Fisheries. Accompanied by IOSEA Focal Point U Maung Maung Lwin, Mr. Hykle met with Director-General U Khin Ko Lay, who has long been a supporter of the Department’s marine turtle conservation efforts, having personally attended an IOSEA Signatory State meeting in Oman in 2006.
The purpose of the visit was to discuss recommendations contained in an expert report prepared by Dr. Colin Limpus (IOSEA Advisory Committee member) earlier in the year. The occasion was also used to deliver essential equipment needed for field monitoring and to explore other possible avenues of support to Myanmar. |
| 18 Sep 2012 |
Marine Turtle Days in Kélonia – 2012 edition |
| Intro : Thirty-five years ago, the first green turtle hatchlings were flown from Europa and Tromelin to Reunion Island in order to fill the tanks of a special ranch called “Ferme CORAIL”. This ranch was set up close to shore on an old lime production site at the northern entry of St Leu. From 1977 to 1997, it brought in hatchlings to grow them to a sufficient consumable size. The idea behind it was to replace the consumption of wild green turtles, whose population showed an alarming decline, with ranched individuals. From the beginning the project raised the opposition of associations for animal rights and ecologists. Yet, at that time, the ranch was built with the aim of managing a natural resource and creating employment. |
| 28 Aug 2012 |
BOBLME Review of Marine Turtle Conservation in the Northern Indian Ocean |
| Intro : In 2011, the IOSEA Secretariat collaborated with its counterpart for the so-called Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project, in order to conduct a major review and updating of information on marine turtle conservation in the Northern Indian Ocean. The work was conducted primarily by Dr. Jeff Miller, who also serves as a member of the IOSEA Advisory Committee.
The initiative began by thoroughly reviewing and completing the IOSEA National Reports for countries of the BOBLME region, with emphasis on collection of information on fisheries-turtle interactions and current bycatch mitigation efforts. At the same time, the Site Data Sheets associated with IOSEA National Reports were reviewed and completed in order to document, as comprehensively as possible, species presence/ bundance and threats, as well as site-based research and mitigation activities. The compilation and population of a significant online bibliography of turtle-related documentation for countries of the BOBLME/IOSEA Northern Indian Ocean region also formed an important part of the work. The fruits of that effort can be seen in the online IOSEA Bibliography Resource.
The report contains a synthesis of its findings and outlines recommendations -- addressed to BOBLME, IOSEA, and individual countries -- for further actions in relation to research and conservation / mitigation measures. We hope that practitioners in the countries concerned will put it to good use. |
| 14 Aug 2012 |
Dispatch from Mauritius: Recent contacts of interest to IOSEA |
| Intro : The IOSEA Profile of the Month for September will feature a detailed account of a meeting of interest to IOSEA, held recently in Mauritius. The “Southern Indian Ocean Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), was the latest in a series of technical workshops organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The aim is to develop an inventory of candidate EBSAs for endorsement by CBD and eventual inclusion in online repository. The potential connection to IOSEA and its ‘Network of Sites of Importance for Marine Turtles’ stems from the fact that the criteria used by CBD to identify EBSAs will inevitably point to areas that are significant habitats in the life-cycle of marine turtles. More information about this in September…
Apart from the core focus of the Mauritius workshop, the gathering was a good opportunity for networking and learning about other initiatives of relevance to IOSEA. |
| 23 Jul 2012 |
Pakistan announces new national marine turtle committee and IOSEA Focal Point |
| Intro : The Government of Pakistan has established a “National Committee for Conservation of Marine Turtles” by way of a resolution published in the Gazette of Pakistan. As announced by Syed Mahmood Nasir, Inspector General Forests, Ministry of Climate Change, the committee aims to ensure the conservation of marine turtles in accordance with the IOSEA Conservation and Management Plan, and to enhance cooperation and coordination among different government and non-government sectors in the conservation or marine turtles and their habitats in Pakistan. |
| 16 Jul 2012 |
IOTC adopts updated resolution on marine turtle conservation |
| Intro : The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) has recently published an updated resolution on the conservation of marine turtles. Resolution 12/04 which was adopted by the Commission at its last meeting held in Freemantle, Australia, in April 2012, supersedes an earlier recommendation (05/08) and resolution (09/06) on the same topic.
Notably, the new resolution draws attention to the IOTC Scientific Committee’s concern “that the lack of data from Contracting Parties and cooperating non-contracting Parties (CPCs) on the interactions and mortality of marine turtles from fisheries under the mandate of the IOTC undermines the ability to estimate levels of turtle bycatch and consequently IOTC’s capacity to respond and manage adverse effects of fishing on marine turtles”. |
| 9 Jul 2012 |
A sad reminder about the deadly impact of waste on marine turtles |
| Intro : I once heard that “education is the art of repetition”, so once again I pass on an article from La Reunion about the deadly impact of waste on the marine megafauna, and particularly on marine turtles.
Recently, Stephane Ciccione, director of \"Kelonia, the observatory of marine turtles\", received a call from a group of people sailing near Cap La Houssaye. They had just seen a turtle floating at the surface and did not know what to do about it. As they approached, the animal did not respond and even tried to swim away. After boarding the turtle on the boat, the crew came back to the harbour and handed it to Stephane, who immediately took the turtle to the vet. |
| 15 Jun 2012 |
Report of the Sixth Meeting of IOSEA Signatory States now available |
| Intro : The Report of the Sixth Meeting of the Signatory States to the Indian Ocean - Southeast Asia Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding has just been published. Hard copies are presently being sent by post to meeting participants, as well as other interested individuals and institutions.
The full report is also available for download as a pdf from the ‘IOSEA Meetings’ section of the website.
If you would like to have a hard copy, and have not received one in the post by early July (as part of the original mailing), please contact the Secretariat at that time. |
| 21 May 2012 |
Proceedings of French marine turtle symposium published |
| Intro : The Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France (Bulletin of the Herpetological Society of France) has published, in its issue number 139-140 of December 2011, the proceedings of the first Colloque sur les Tortues marines en France métropolitaine et d’outre-mer (Symposium on Marine Turtles in metropolitan France and overseas departments): Bull. Soc. Herp. Fr. (2011) 139-140.
This informative 176-page publication, written mostly in French with abstracts in English, compiles 14 presentations made during the symposium which was held in Paris from 20-22 January 2010. The symposium itself was a unique gathering of French marine turtle expertise from across the globe, and it merits repetition in a similar format in the coming years. |
| 14 May 2012 |
Projects in the IOSEA region receiving MTCF grants from 2005-2011 |
| Intro : The United States’ Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 was signed into law on 2 July 2004. The act established a funding mechanism to assist in the conservation of marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries. In addition to funds appropriated by the United States’ Government, the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund – which is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service – has successfully leveraged additional resources for turtle conservation from an array of domestic and international partners.
From 2005-2011, the MTCF has provided grants to support projects in the Indian Ocean – South-East Asia region totaling some USD 1.98 million. This represents approximately 26% of the total MTCF funding made available for international marine turtle conservation projects in all regions. Projects in 16 countries (almost all of them IOSEA Signatory States) have benefited from the programme. Since its inception, nearly 200 grants have been allocated worldwide, including 39 in 2011. IOSEA itself has been awarded three grants to support the organisation of meetings of IOSEA Signatory States; as well as a grant towards the first phase of the IOSEA Technical Support and Capacity Building Programme. |
| 17 Apr 2012 |
Turtle release captures national media attention in Eritrea |
| Intro : Two hawksbill turtles -- one juvenile and one old female -- were released to their natural habitat along Eritrea\'s coast on 15 March 2012 after a period of convalescence. They had been nursed back to health after being injured during incidental capture.
The release programme conducted at the Port City of Massawa was designed to publicize turtle conservation work and highlight the need to protect marine species and their habitats in the coastal areas and islands of the Eritrean Red Sea. |
| 29 Feb 2012 |
Sixth Meeting of IOSEA Signatory States charts way ahead for marine turtle conservation |
| Intro : The Sixth Meeting of the Signatory States was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 23-27 January 2012, preceded by a two-day session of the IOSEA Advisory Committee. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Maitree Duangsawadi, retired Director-General of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, and former IOSEA Focal Point. The organisation of the meeting was supported by generous contributions from the Governments of France and the United States.
Twenty-three Signatory States were officially represented at SS6, along with a nearly full contingent of Advisory Committee members, as well as invited experts and observers from various intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. The meeting was to have been held in early December 2011, but the severe flooding in and around Bangkok in the latter part of 2011 forced its postponement. |
| 27 Feb 2012 |
Marine turtle festival spreads up the west coast of Madagascar |
| Intro : Blue Ventures has built on their marine turtle fishery and conservation programme as their awareness-raising marine turtle festival has expanded 400 km northwards along the west coast of Madagascar.
Having lead a successful turtle campaign tour of Velondriake (a locally managed marine area in south west Madagascar) in 2011, the Blue Ventures team has now run social marketing campaigns in two further regions, the towns of Belo-Sur-Mer and Maintirano. |
| 20 Jan 2012 |
Sixth Meeting of IOSEA Signatory States - ready to go! |
| Intro : The IOSEA regional marine turtle meeting kicks off in Bangkok on Monday! A fabulous venue in the heart of the city has been selected for the meeting, which runs from 23 to 27 January. On the last day, participants will be treated to a visit to Koh Mannai (Island) in the Gulf of Thailand, home to a decades-long turtle conservation programme.
Delegates from nearly 30 countries from all around the Indian Ocean and South-east Asia are expected to attend the gathering -- focussed entirely on marine turtle conservation. The varied agenda will include an amazingly thorough analysis of IOSEA\'s performance, a review of leatherback and loggerhead species assessments, the highly anticipated endorsement of a plan to create a regional marine turtle site network, and exchange of ideas for enhancing technical support and training for member States. |
