COLLABORATIVE RECOVERY PLANNING FOR MIGRATORY ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

A Consultation to Facilitate the Creation of a Mediterranean
Sea Turtle Conservation Network (MEDSETCON)

Keskin Hotel, Dalyan, Turkey
3 - 4 June 1999
 
 

Background and Rationale:

Two species of sea turtle, Chelonia mydas (green turtle) and Caretta caretta (loggerhead turtle), nest on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to a wide variety of anthropogenic threats, the northern shores of the Mediterranean and eastward as far as the Greek islands in the Ionian Sea have been lost as important nesting grounds for sea turtles. Today both of these native sea turtle species are highly endangered throughout the Mediterranean basin. Active nesting beaches are presently located mainly along the shores of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and to some extent Libya and Egypt.

As is the case in other parts of the world, Mediterranean sea turtles are threatened by coastal development, pollution, and incidental as well as direct harvest. Insufficient enforcement of existing legislation and inadequate public awareness and participation in conservation measures also contribute to the depleted status of these ancient reptiles. Mediterranean threats to sea turtles have implications far beyond the region. For example, many of the loggerhead turtles caught in longlines originate in the USA; obviously those that die in Mediterranean fisheries never return to their western Atlantic breeding areas.

Efforts to protect turtles and critical nesting habitat in the Mediterranean date back to the 1970's. Conservation activities, mostly at local or national levels, were greatly enhanced in the 1980's and 1990's through the support of international organizations and initiatives, including the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), World Wide Fund for Conservation of Nature (WWF), the Convention for Migratory Species (CMS), World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Council of Europe, and the European Union. 

Nevertheless, apart from the activities of MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles), an NGO based in the U.K., the implementation of conservation efforts has been largely orchestrated and undertaken at the national level, with little international collaboration for regional management. Such collaboration is essential due to the migratory nature of these species. It is clear that despite national efforts, sea turtles can be effectively protected in one area of the Mediterranean Sea whilst still being killed in another area of the basin.

The Mediterranean Action Plan, which recently (October 1998) convened a Meeting of Experts on the implementation of the Action Plan for conservation Mediterranean sea turtles adopted within MAP, provides a uniquely useful inter-governmental forum for regional strategic action. What is lacking, however, is a regionally inclusive and largely non-governmental network to advocate for sea turtle conservation in ways that are not practicable at the inter-governmental level. 

The purpose of this consultation, co-sponsored by MEDCOAST and WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network), is to explore the potential for developing a network of non-governmental organizations to promote sea turtle conservation in the Mediterranean. By utilizing the facilities of the MEDCOAST network, which focuses on coastal and sea management in the region, and the experience of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), we hope to provide the spark that ignites what, for the sake of discussion, we refer to as MEDSETCON: the MEDiterranean SEa Turtle COnservation Network.
 
 

Purpose and Scope:

MEDSETCON is envisioned to be a Mediterranean network active on issues surrounding the conservation and management of threatened and depleted sea turtles in the Mediterranean basin. To plagiarize the mission of WIDECAST, the mission of MEDSETCON might read, “To promote a regional capacity to implement scientifically sound sea turtle conservation programs by developing a technical understanding of sea turtle biology and management in local individuals and institutions, and to assist Mediterranean governments in fulfilling their obligations under relevant international treaties.”

MEDCOAST and WIDECAST are willing to serve as facilitators in the creation of MEDSETCON. As the network becomes functional, it will be an independent body, ideally working in close collaboration with SPA RAC/MAP UNEP. It is noteworthy that WIDECAST functions as an autonomous international NGO in the Caribbean basin, and a Partner Organization to UNEP's Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP). CEP publishes and distributes WIDECAST's major outputs, including national sea turtle recovery action plans, standard guidelines and criteria for conservation and management, etc. 

To achieve its mission MEDSETCON should actively seek to define an integrated (i.e., local, national and regional) conservation strategy that, at the very least, promotes best practices, facilitates training, encourages broad public participation, enhances the credibility of the region's NGO sector (particularly at the policy level), strengthens the working relationship between conservation and scientific entities, standardizes data collection and reporting, provides a means of communication among network members, attracts donors and other supporters, and achieves measurable sea turtle conservation results.
 
 

Organization:

The involvement of stakeholders at all levels is critical to the success of MEDSETCON. To plagiarize from WIDECAST materials once again, we might say that “MEDSETCON is rooted in the belief that conservation must be nurtured from within, it cannot be commanded from outside. Further, it can only be effective to the extent that the actions implemented are scientifically sound and tailored to local circumstances. To this end, the network emphasizes the direct and substantive involvement of local conservationists, enforcement officers, policymakers, fishermen, teachers, corporate partners and others in grassroots conservation, education and advocacy campaigns.”

WIDECAST is comprised of Country Coordinators and Partner Organizations in 30 Wider Caribbean nations and territories. The network is served by a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, a Latin American Program Director (and an anticipated Eastern Caribbean Program Director), a Director of Development, and an international Board of Scientific Advisors. Regular contact with the Executive Director and Program Directors, an Annual General Meeting (coincident with the annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation) and an Internet site (under construction) keep the network focused.

WIDECAST has found it useful to designate a Country Coordinator and Lead Organization (typically the group that employs the Country Coordinator) to serve as focal points for the regional network at the national level. The choice of a Country Coordinator is crucial. The Coordinator should be someone with demonstrated “people skills”; that is, someone who can be relied upon to maintain effective working relations with stakeholders at all levels. Ideally the Coordinator should be willing and able to both facilitate grassroots conservation efforts, and to effect conservation policy at high political levels. The Coordinator should be someone whom stakeholders trust and who can be counted on to share information freely at all levels. A network cannot survive in a climate of selective information transfer.

The essential “job” of the volunteer Country Coordinator is to facilitate action. This is done in a number of ways, including establishing an in country network of persons involved with sea turtles (e.g., scientists, conservation groups, fishermen, fisheries officers, educators, policy-makers, coastal hoteliers) and encouraging the national network to work collaboratively toward a common goal of safeguarding sea turtle populations for future generations. The Lead Organization assists in providing basic office services (photocopying, telephone, computer time, etc.) and permitting the Country Coordinator to devote time to network business.

An important initial task of the Country Coordinator is to oversee development of a national agenda for sea turtle recovery, an agenda which is then articulated in what WIDECAST refers to as a national Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan, or STRAP. S/he ensures that all the necessary background material (e.g., market surveys, fisheries data, interview data, contemporary and historical literature) is assembled and that as many people as possible (Government and NGO) are involved in designing a realistic and effective conservation strategy. A comprehensive STRAP should describe the biology of local sea turtles, identify know nesting and foraging sites, discuss major causes of mortality, evaluate the effectiveness of existing legislation, examine the present and historical role of sea turtles in local culture and economy, and prioritize implementing measures for population recovery.

The Country Coordinator serves as a liaison between the sea turtle community in the country and the international MEDSETCON project. The Coordinator is a conduit for information, including general inquiries, educational materials, opportunities for training, and support for advocacy and fund raising, which flows both to and from the regional MEDSETCON office. In the end, the specific structure of MEDSETCON should facilitate its goal, which is to be a fully inclusive pan-Mediterranean network of national and international NGO's, researchers and conservationists, acting for the conservation and management of threatened and depleted sea turtles. In order to enhance the survival prospects of the region's sea turtles, the network should be encouraged to work in liaison with the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, Mediterranean Action Plan (RAC-SPA / MAP UNEP), and in co-operation with other major inter-governmental institutions active in the region. 
 
 

Goal:

To create an inclusive regional network of sea turtle professionals, conservationists, educators and policy-makers capable of taking action to prevent the extinction of sea turtles in the Mediterranean Region.
 
 

Objectives:

(i) To facilitate information exchange and collaboration at the Mediterranean scale for sea turtle management and conservation.

(ii) To harmonize national programs (including the adoption of best practices) in Mediterranean countries for protecting sea turtles, recovering depleted populations, and safeguarding critical habitat.

(iii) To enhance public awareness of the need for sea turtle conservation, and increase public participation in and support of sea turtle conservation initiatives.

(iv) To contribute to research on sea turtle biology and conservation at a regional scale.

(v) To develop comprehensive national “sea turtle recovery action plans”, based on a standard format to be adopted by MEDSETCON.

(vi) To enhance input into intergovernmental organizations (such as SPA RAC/MAP

UNEP) and international NGO's (such as WWF and IUCN), for improving their policies and programs on sea turtle conservation in the Mediterranean.

(vii) To collaborate with regional networks in other parts of the world, such as WIDECAST in the Caribbean and SPREP in the South Pacific, to strengthen the solidarity of conservation efforts throughout range states.
 
 

Where do we go from here?

Identify: 

(i) a name for the network

(ii) an overall network coordinator and host institution

(iii) levels of participation (e.g., Country Coordinators, Task Forces, Partner Organizations)

(iv) candidates for participation at various levels

(v) potential funding mechanisms

(vi) venues for communication (e.g., newsletter, Internet site, annual meeting)

(vii) priority outputs

(viii) timeline and milestones