ISTS Symposium43 Program/Agenda

Central-Southern Mozambique’s coastal waters are a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, serving as a vital habitat for five sea turtle species and other conservation-dependant marine megafauna species. The Save-Bazaruto Seascape region serves as a core foraging, nesting, and migratory corridor habitat for sea turtles with its unique ecosystems making it a critical stronghold for turtle conservation in the South Western Indian Ocean.

The region’s productivity is driven by diverse ecosystems, including vast mangrove forests, expansive reefs, and estuaries that support marine biodiversity and provide critical resources for local communities. However, this area faces numerous threats from illegal and unsustainable fishing practices, habitat destruction, extractive industry, and the impacts of climate change, highlighting an urgent need for innovative marine conservation strategies.

In response to these challenges, a coalition of organisations- Akashinga, African Parks, National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) at Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, and Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary- has implemented innovative conservation strategies, leveraging conservation technologies like EarthRanger and other complementary technologies to enhance management and conservation actions. While EarthRanger is not a silver bullet, the tool is helping to accelerate and amplify how these conservation teams operate. From tracking tagged turtles and monitoring nests to conducting illegal take surveys and assessing in-water habitats, EarthRanger plays a crucial role in enhancing operational efficiency. The tool’s capacity to organise, and analyse data empowers field teams to make more informed and timely decisions, improving daily operations in turtle monitoring.

A notable contribution of EarthRanger is its role in fostering collaboration across organizations. The shared platform allows for improved data exchange, helping to align methodologies between conservation programs, share insights, and coordinate actions across the region’s seascape. This application has a real-world impact by streamlining daily operations and enabling quicker, more informed decision-making for those working on the ground.

In addition to EarthRanger, these organizations utilise complementary technologies, such as Skylight, an AI-powered maritime domain awareness tool. Skylight enhances monitoring capabilities, improves resource management, and strengthens law enforcement responses to illegal fishing activities within the seascape. Together, these technologies enable a comprehensive approach to marine conservation, empowering teams to advance the protection of turtles, assess environmental changes, and address threats to marine ecosystems.

This presentation will provide an overview of EarthRanger and its practical applications in supporting daily conservation work. Real-world examples will demonstrate how collaboration and technology, combined with the dedication of field teams, are accelerating conservation outcomes in Mozambique. Attendees will also gain insights into how integrating multiple tools creates synergies that strengthen conservation initiatives.

This presentation emphasizes the critical importance of unity, collaboration, and technology in safeguarding marine ecosystems. Above all, it celebrates the hard work of the individuals and field teams, whose dedication and expertise are central to protecting Mozambique’s rich marine biodiversity.

After decades of conservation efforts, six of seven turtle species remain threatened, with many populations in decline and some sliding towards extinction due to unsustainable human activities and climate change impacts. Traditional conservation efforts are often undertaken in isolation and focus on local nesting beaches, overlooking the oceanic habitats where turtles spend most of their lives. This has created critical knowledge gaps, with data often incomplete, regionally biased, skewed towards nesting females and not publicly available. Conservation of turtle populations is further hindered by limited information on which genetically distinct populations exist and where, as well as uncertainties about which population is being impacted the most. To address these gaps, a better understanding of how turtles are connected locally and across ocean basins is needed, to act at scale and with greater impact. Fortunately there is a growing movement and urgency to improve ecological connectivity for migratory species, like marine turtles. As a result, practitioners, policymakers and communities are calling for a shift towards comprehensive and collaborative approaches to marine turtle conservation.

Here, we introduce the Blue Corridors for Turtles project, an initiative that aspires to be a pivotal force for marine turtle conservation on a global scale. Together with the marine turtle community, we aim to compile comprehensive satellite tracking, nesting and genetic data (from ShellBank) for all seven species, to assess and map transboundary migrations, enhancing our understanding of key habitats and movement patterns. By identifying critical habitats (as Important Marine Turtle Areas) and assessing geographically distributed threats, this framework seeks to identify the most at-risk populations in need of urgent protection and provide tools and products at global and regional scales to support long-term recovery efforts.

Building on previous global-scale projects such as Regional Management Units, these tools and products, particularly the Important Marine Turtle Areas, will give turtles ‘a seat at the table’ of global conservation efforts and address underrepresentation compared to other marine taxa like seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks and rays. Defined by tracking and tracing all seven marine turtle species from nesting beaches to foraging grounds through genetic data (ShellBank) and satellite tracking, Blue Corridors for Turtles will deliver new insights and provide data-driven science for governments to deliver on their commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework, including, the 30x30 agenda, High Seas Treaty, and sustainable development goals. This initiative is particularly relevant for coastal communities dependent on marine turtles for food security, livelihoods, and cultural practices, as we will also map and connect communities working on marine turtles to help foster regional connections and strengthen management outcomes. Then together, we can target conservation efforts to the populations and places that are most vulnerable.

The Blue Corridors for Turtles project thrives on the expertise and collaboration of international commissions, research institutions, NGOs, universities, private companies, and local communities worldwide. Together, we form a global network dedicated to more effective marine turtle conservation actions across government and community scales. We look forward to engaging the community to make these products and processes a reality.

A structured decision-making framework is proposed to help practitioners (conservationists, managers, beach monitoring personnel) decide on which action(s) to take in protecting sea turtle eggs and hatchlings to maximise hatchling production.

The framework recognises that eggs and hatchlings have an important ecological role as a nutrient source for beach and in-shore ecosystems, and not every egg/hatchling needs to be protected from threats. Mortimer (1999) suggests that hatchlings should emerge from ~70% of nests/eggs. The framework proposes that if <30% of clutches/eggs are affected by threat(s) then conservation actions may not be required unless the population is demonstrating significant decline or is in the early stages of recovery.

There are four common actions that practitioners can choose among to mitigate threats to eggs and/or hatchlings in a clutch, and additional conservation actions can also be applied to the entire beach (e.g., turtle friendly lighting). Steps in the decision-making process to choose which of the four conservation actions to implement are:

1. Assess threats to eggs and/or hatchling using evidence-based methods.
2. Consider the potential conservation actions to achieve the objectives.
3. Evaluate the risk for each action based on available resources and other requirements.
4. Implement the conservation action.
5. Evaluate the outcome based on data and modify the action if needed again in the future.

This presentation will outline the proposed framework including each step in the decision-making process, evidence-based assessment of threats to eggs and/or hatchlings, potential mitigation actions at the individual clutch- and beach-level, potential risks when implementing common actions for the mitigation of threats to eggs and/or hatchlings, requirements to meet before implementing common actions for the mitigation of threats to eggs and/or hatchlings, and trigger-points for reconsidering the decision-making process.

The Cuban archipelago is recognized as an important nesting and feeding habitat, in the Caribbean region, mainly for green, hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles. This paper provides information on the different regulations and other measures registered in Cuba, for the protection of sea turtles, from the first regulatory measures established since the beginning of the last century, to the most recent decreed, for the conservation of these species threatened. The results of the analysis of the chronological information indicate how, fundamentally in the last three decades, the country has directed the greatest efforts for trait to reduce the number of turtles captured both in the water and on nesting beaches, based on the increase in legislation, which include new bans and sanctions, to mitigate illegal actions that occur and harm these species.

Gas and oil exploration has invaded the sea since the 1890s, but in the 1940s, it exploded with the expansion into more depth waters. While oil spills coming from cargo, tankers, or rigs have strong direct effects. Gas spills are less dramatic for the sea and its animals and plants. The effects of the permanent rigs intensified ship movement and noises in shallow or deep water, and there were also fewer studies on the impacts on the migration routes and feeding ground of turtles. Both forms of exploration are difficult, if not impossible, to stop, especially in 3^rd world countries.

Gas also requires bigger investments in gas pipelines and LNG (Liquidized Natural Gas) facilities, which require bigger loans with Investment funds. The investment funds demanded more scrutiny to ensure that the money invested was used in environmentally safe and socially responsible investments: no one wants to buy or invest in “dirty gas” from unsustainable environmental and unfair social practices. This tighter responsibility allows working with oil companies to reduce the impacts and even restore what was lost. More and more countries are adopting laws that bind companies to offset their impacts on animal populations and protect and restore their habitats. This environment creates opportunities for financing turtles' conservation and their habitats. Conservationists need an open mind and prepare for this opportunity that is very different from what they are used to, and the turtle conservation community needs to be less critical of their members who work with the industry. Several success stories of cooperation exist across the world. In the north of Mozambique, where a low-incidence Islamic terrorist war is happening, investment in research and conservation of marine turtles can only come from the oil and gas industry that also works in the region. Conservation NGOs and Government agencies don’t work or invest in conservation projects in the region due to instability in the security situation. The gas and oil industries are the only ones that can give security support and money for conservation, research, and community activities in marine turtle conservation. In Mozambique, they are obliged to do it by a modern state-of-the-art offset law, but they are also doing it voluntarily to please their investor and investment funds.

Corporate social and environmental responsibilities (CSR) towards the protection of marine and coastal species in West Africa are part of a legal, ethical and societal framework that is increasingly important in various coastal countries. Companies operating in West Africa, particularly in sectors related to the sea and the coast (ports, construction of infrastructure, energy, oil well drilling, land, river and maritime transport, fishing, tourism, etc.), have an essential environmental responsibility in the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems. These ecosystems are home to exceptional biodiversity including several species of sea turtles, whales, African manatees, mangroves and many fish species, some of which are classified as endangered. Companies here therefore have key roles to play in protecting these environments and ensuring their sustainability. In Brazil, the oil company PETROBRAS and NGOs support the TAMAR Project, which is a great example of success in protecting sea turtles and other endangered species. It includes protection centers along the Brazilian Atlantic coast and environmental education programs. In Gabon, several companies (BW Energy, Perenco) and organizations also actively contribute to the protection of marine and coastal species, including sea turtles. Some oil companies operating there support conservation initiatives in partnership with local and international NGOs. These initiatives include the protection of marine habitats and the promotion of sustainable fishing practices. These efforts show the importance of collaboration between companies, NGOs and local communities for the conservation of marine and coastal species in Africa. For several years now, in Benin, experiments have been underway to engage companies in the context where existing texts are very little implemented for various reasons including the lack of generalized environmental awareness. Some ongoing actions are taking place with great success in the context of supporting NGOs for the implementation of certain CSR policies. More and more constructive debates are being held on important subjects including the negative impacts of major construction works on coastal roads, artificial lights on turtles and seabirds. Bright lights on beaches, often caused by artificial lighting from tourist infrastructure, homes or industrial facilities by the sea, have significant impacts on marine and coastal biodiversity, particularly on sensitive marine species such as sea turtles, birds, as well as on coastal ecosystems in general. Today, ports (PAC), container ship owners (CMA-CGM), companies building roads and infrastructure at sea and on the coast (SOGEA-SATOM, BOSKALIS; SDI-DEME) are committed to the preservation of these marine species. Although this is new in Benin thanks to their international subsidiaries, the current experiences can serve as a starting point for the amplification of measures in the countries of the sub-region in more responsible commitments in order to better protect marine and coastal resources severely negatively impacted by the major developments of coastal cities in Africa.