How does one conserve what never was known to exist? Sabah, Malaysia is host to high levels of marine biodiversity in its coastal waters, as evidenced by scientific knowledge of fishes, stony corals, crustacea and some other groups. However, there is relatively little known of the actual diversity of many invertebrate groups, such as the…
Marine turtles in SE Asia are in dire need of conservation action. With long maturation periods and low survival, they have extremely slow replenishment rates. A population which has been depleted can take several centuries to recover. However, understanding the needs of the turtles also depends heavily the understanding of the extent of habitat use…
Marine turtle populations around the globe are threatened with extinction, having been heavily over-harvested by mankind throughout their range. In the Indian Ocean marine turtles have provided food at a subsistence level to fishermen and coastal dwellers since time immemorial. Turtles have also been used traditionally for their shell, fat and meat, and their eggs…
Marine turtles are integral components of marine ecosystems in the Arabian region, and a conservation priority of national and regional conservation programmes, as their populations are globally under threat. Even though Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are the most abundant sea turtle species in this region, a small number of protected areas exist which encompass different…
The Dhamra Port project was controversial from its very inception. It met with opposition at all levels of science and conservation, but also garnered the support of the International union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Acting in his (then) capacity as Co-Chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group, MRF’s Executive Director Dr. Nicolas…
