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Until 1988, the Australian flatback was still so poorly understood that it was considered to be in the same genus as the green turtle. In the short time since then, science not only has renamed the flatback, but also has seemingly rediscovered Australia’s own sea turtle. This SWOT Feature Article presents a regional scale map of flatback nesting throughout its range.
Read MoreWhere are the primary nesting beaches? Where are the foraging areas for turtles originating from those beaches? How do turtles migrate between those areas? Incredibly, the gaps in our understanding of sea turtle biology that Archie Carr highlighted more than half a century ago continue to drive much of today’s sea turtle research worldwide.
Read Moren recent years, the issue of climate change has received a good deal of attention from media, governments, and communities around the world. But what does climate change mean for sea turtles and their habitats?
Read MoreSea turtle researchers are often asked seemingly simple questions: How much do leatherbacks weigh? How many eggs do they lay? Are their numbers declining, and will they become extinct? Research has revealed that the answer to each of those age-old queries for leatherbacks is consistent: it depends.
Read MoreOne of the great difficulties in studying marine animals is that they spend most of their lives in places where humans can’t go. In 1986, biologist Greg Marshall had an idea, a new way to reveal this hidden world. This idea resulted in Crittercam— an animal-borne camera and data-logging device that records behavioral and ecological observations from the unique perspective of the creature wearing the device.
Read MoreOne of the gravest fishery concerns is that of incidental capture, or bycatch, which accounts for the deaths of tens of thousands of turtles annually—deaths that are unintended, unwanted even by the fishers involved, and preventable. With years of data, world opinion, and technology combining to make the problem solvable, the fight against sea turtle bycatch may be reaching its tipping point at last.
Read MoreIn April 2007, scientists, corporations, conservation partners, publicists, and educators joined together to host a creative new kind of conservation awareness campaign: the Great Turtle Race. This major international event was organized by The Leatherback Trust, Tagging of Pacific Predators, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy, and Conservation International.
Read MoreWhether you live far inland or near the coasts, your actions have an impact on marine pollution. About 80 percent of marine debris, including plastics, comes from land-based sources such as landfills, industrial facilities, recreational activities, and sewage and storm runoff. These wastes can be carried great distances to the coasts and oceans by rivers, storm drains, and winds.
Read MoreOn a remote island in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago, the Ayau people have pledged to forgo the main dish of their typical Christmas feast this year and every year: green turtle.
Read MoreJust when it seemed that conservation efforts were turning the tide against declining sea turtle populations in Southeast Asia, a newer and bigger threat than ever imagined has emerged: illegal and unregulated poaching of sea turtles by vessels from China and Vietnam.
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