IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group

A version of a Red List Assessment of the Hawaiian subpopulation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was completed by Nicolas Pilcher, Milani Chaloupka, and Erin Woods and submitted by the MTSG to IUCN for consideration late last year. This followed a review of the draft assessment by the entire MTSG and the Assessment Steering Committee, and multiple rounds of revision.

The IUCN Red List Office recently provided comments on the draft 2011 assessment and considered that our conclusion of a Near Threatened status was not consistent with the restricted area of habitat assessment criterion used in the draft assessment. We had erred on the side of caution by concluding Near Threatened but on further reflection we have now revised the assessment given a more detailed consideration of the assessment Criterion B. Continue reading →

UPDATE (1/30/2012): After review by IUCN, the Red List Assessment of Hawaiian green turtles has been revised and is pending re-submission. See this post for details.

The final version of a Red List Assessment of the Hawaiian subpopulation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was completed by Nicolas Pilcher, Milani Chaloupka, and Erin Woods and submitted by the MTSG to IUCN for consideration this week. This follows a review of the draft assessment by the entire MTSG and the Assessment Steering Committee, and multiple rounds of revision. Continue reading →

We are pleased to announce the results of the first comprehensive status assessment of all sea turtle populations globally in a paper published today in the journal PLoS ONE.  The study, designed to provide a blueprint for marine turtle conservation and research, evaluated the risk and status of each of the 58 marine turtle “Regional Management Units” and determined the 11 most threatened populations (listed below), as well as the 12 healthiest populations, and 12 “critical data needs.” The full paper is available here. Continue reading →

A loggerhead turtle escapes from a trawl net equipped with a turtle excluder device (TED). Image courtesy of NOAA.

A study published this month (PDF available here) estimates that the number of sea turtles accidentally caught and killed in United States coastal waters has declined by an estimated 90-percent since 1990, a dramatic reduction achieved in fisheries where specific regulations have been implemented to reduce bycatch. The report, published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, is the first attempt to make a cumulative estimate of sea turtle bycatch and mortality from interactions with U.S. fisheries. Continue reading →

A hawksbill turtle swims off the coast of Brazil. Hawksbills are one of five marine turtle species found in Brazil. Image courtesy of TAMAR.

In order to define the actions most needed to protect Brazil’s national fauna, the conservation status of each species must be assessed to identify primary threats, sites of importance for protection, and compatibility with human activities. Such status assessments also provide a basis for the National List of Endangered Species, which, as a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Brazilian government is obligated to maintain.

In October 2009, ICMBio (the Brazilian federal agency for biodiversity conservation) started a process to evaluate the conservation status of Brazil’s sea turtles, which was carried out in accordance with IUCN criteria for regional Red List assessments. Continue reading →

Assisted by his daughter Leilana, Nick conducts a laparoscopic examination of a turtle in Australia.

Marine Turtle Specialist Group Co-Chair Dr. Nicolas Pilcher is honored this month as one of IUCN’s Conservation Heroes for his extensive work in marine turtle conservation. Based in Sabah, Malaysia where he founded Marine Research Foundation, a local non-profit organization, Nick has worked throughout the world to establish and support marine turtle conservation programs. This includes ongoing collaborations with local communities, fishermen, and businesses in the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific region. To learn more about Nick’s work, head over to IUCN’s website to see the full profile.

The Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) recently linked up with the Wildlife Health Specialist Group (WHSG) and appointed MTSG and WHSG member Dr. Thierry Work to serve as a link between the two groups. Continue reading →