Marine Turtle Specialist Group Annual General Meeting

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Marine Turtle Specialist GroupAnnual General
Meeting

• Savannah, GA, USA
• January 22nd, 2005

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Agenda

• Overview of Activities 2004-2005
• Membership
• Regional Vice Chairs New Regions
• Red List Process - 5-year plan
• The immediate future
• MTSG Burning Issues Revisited

Marine Turtle Specialist Group AGM
22 January 2005
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IUCN-MTSG Vision
We envision marine turtles fulfilling their
ecological roles on a healthy planet where all
peoples value and celebrate their continued
survival
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Overview of Activities 2004

• Communications
• Marine Turtle Newsletter, Species, Website,
  Position Statements, Member of the Month
• Finances Fundraising
• Chelonian Research Foundation
• Regional Meetings
• Greece, Darwin, Bangkok, Mexico, Madagascar
• SWoT
• World Conservation Congress

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• Revisiting the Vision Meeting
• December 2003
• 30 Participants
• To Do Lists

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To do Group Structure

• Terms of Reference
• for Members
• for Task Force Chairs / Regional Vice Chairs
• for Executive Committee (Disbanded)
• for Co-Chairs (Pending)
• Define desired membership
• Review present leadership structure and change if
  needed

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To do Transparency Communications

• Create Transparency Task Force
• Communications Task Force
• Finances

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www.iucn-mtsg.org/account.shtml
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To do General

• Participation in SSC meetings
• Bangkok
• Rekindle Sustainable Use discussions
• Results presented at 2004 AGM
• Regular reporting
• MTN, CTURTLE, MTSG listserver, Species

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Membership
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Present Membership
302 Members from 72 Countries
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New Terms of Reference

• 1) Technical
• Undertake analyses of available data to review
  the status and trends of marine turtle
  populations.
• Assess the impact of utilization and other human
  activities on marine turtle populations.
• Investigate alternative management strategies
  without losing sight of the overriding
  conservation objectives.

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New Terms of Reference

• 2) Advisory
• Identify research, management, and conservation
  priorities for marine turtles and their habitats.
  
• Assess the options for conservation action
  through interaction with governments and other
  policy makers.
• Facilitate coordination and cooperation in
  conservation-related research on these species.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of different forms of
  conservation action.

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New Terms of Reference

• 3) Advocacy and Action
• Promote and carry out conservation and research
  actions.
• Enhance and facilitate communication between
  members of the MTSG, as well as other
  individuals.
• Work closely with other constituents of IUCN to
  promote all aspects of marine turtle
  conservation.
• Raise awareness about the conservation needs of
  marine turtles to the stake-holders, the media,
  funding institutions, scientific and educational
  communities and the public at large.

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Membership Renewal Timeline

• Current Regional VCs have reviewed membership
• Co-Chairs have redrawn regional lines
• Suggestions / discussion of VC nominations
• Co-Chairs will select regional VCs by mid Feb.
  05
• Co-Chairs reinstated mid Feb. 05
• Complete membership selection in Mar. 05
• Invitations out by end Mar. 05

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Regions Revisited
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Suggestions for VC Positions

• Mediterranean
• Middle East
• East Africa
• South Asia
• Australasia
• Pacific

• Northeast Pacific
• Southeast Pacific
• Southwest Atlantic
• Caribbean
• Northwest Atlantic
• Southeast Atlantic

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Red List
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Red List Concerns

• Biological constraints
• Widely varying regional population status
• Realism in global assessments
• The future regional assessments

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Current Red Listings
Critically Endangered

• Leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea Assessed
  2000

• Hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricata Assessed
  1996

• Kemps ridley, Lepidochelys kempii
  Assessed 1996

Endangered

• Green turtle, Chelonia mydas Assessed 2004

• Olive ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea
  Assessed 1996

• Loggerhead, Caretta caretta Assessed 1996

Data deficient

• Flatback, Natator depressus Assessed 1996

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Immediate Goals

• Hawksbill To be complete by mid-2005, with
  regional assessments ready by end 2005.
• Green regional assessments by end 2005
• Olive Ridley - Restart by end 2006. Regional
  assessments to follow in 2007.
• Leatherback - Start in early 2006, regional
  assessments by 2007.
• Loggerhead ?
• Kemps Ridley ?

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Where were headed

• Reappoint membership
• Regional Red Listings
• Strengthening regional groups
• East Africa / Madagascar, Middle East,
  Mediterranean, etc
• Launching SWoT initiative
• Sustainable Use workshop in India
• Bycatch workshop in Malaysia
• Along with Shark, Bird and Cetacean SGs and WWF
• Fundraising for Small Grants Scheme Red List

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Burning Issues
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Burning Issues in Conservation
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Burning Issues in Research
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Species / Site-Based Burning Issues

• Leatherbacks of the Pacific
• Hawksbills of the Eastern Pacific
• Pacific Loggerheads
• Western Atlantic Olive Ridleys
• All East Atlantic / West African Turtles
• All Southeast Asian Turtles
• Mediterranean Green Turtles
• Orissa Olive Ridleys
• Leatherbacks of the S. Indian Ocean

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One step further Priority Actions
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Research
Conservation