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dc.contributor.authorUllmann, Judith
dc.contributor.authorStachowitsch, M
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-26T14:33:34Z
dc.date.available2016-02-26T14:33:34Z
dc.date.issued2015-06-16
dc.description.abstractA key issue in conservation biology is recognizing and bridging the gap between scientific results and specific action. We examine sea turtles—charismatic yet endangered flagship species—in the Mediterranean, a sea with historically high levels of exploitation and 22 coastal nations. We take sea turtle rescue facilities as a visible measure for implemented conservation action. Our study yielded 34 confirmed sea turtle rescue centers, 8 first-aid stations, and 7 informal rescue institutions currently in operation. Juxtaposing these facilities to known sea turtle distribution and threat hotspots reveals a clear disconnect. Only 14 of the 22 coastal countries had centers, with clear gaps in the Middle East and Africa. Moreover, the information flow between centers is apparently limited. The populations of the two species nesting in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead Caretta caretta and the green turtle Chelonia mydas, are far below historical levels and face a range of anthropogenic threats at sea and on land. Sea turtle rescue centers are acknowledged to reduce mortality in bycatch hotspots, provide a wealth of scientific data, and raise public awareness. The proposal for a Mediterranean-wide rescue network as published by the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas a decade ago has not materialized in its envisioned scope. We discuss the efficiency, gaps, and needs for a rescue network and call for establishing additional rescue centers and an accompanying common online database to connect existing centers. This would provide better information on the number and types of rescue facilities on a Mediterranean scale, improve communication between these facilities, enhance standardization of procedures, yield large-scale data on the number of treated turtles and their injuries, and thus provide valuable input for targeted conservation measures.en_US
dc.identifier.citationNature Conservation 2015, 10:45-69en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 1324965
dc.identifier.doi10.3897/natureconservation.10.4890
dc.identifier.issn1314-3301
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/8577
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:no-uit_munin_8141
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherPensoft Publishersen_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccess
dc.subjectMediterranean Seaen_US
dc.subjectmarine turtlesen_US
dc.subjectconservationen_US
dc.subjectrescue facilitiesen_US
dc.subjectfirst aiden_US
dc.subjectrehabilitationen_US
dc.subjectinformation managementen_US
dc.subjectnetworkingen_US
dc.subjectawareness raisingen_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497en_US
dc.titleA critical review of the Mediterranean sea turtle rescue network: a web looking for a weaveren_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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