We are delighted to announce the publication of SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. XVII, now available online!
Published annually since 2006, SWOT Report features success stories, innovations, and new findings in sea turtle conservation, management, and research from around the world. The report is produced in collaboration with a global network of sea turtle researchers and conservationists, and then given back to the community free-of-charge for use in outreach and education efforts.
Highlights from Volume 17 Include:
- A feature on hawksbill turtles—Hawksbills: The Most Beautiful of Sea Turtles—including new global maps of hawksbill nesting and satellite tracking data contributed by hundreds of partners worldwide
- A feature on the latest in sea turtle conservation genetics—Genetic Tools for Sea Turtle Conservation—including new maps of genetic stocks for all seven sea turtle species.
- Expert answers to frequently asked questions, like Why Are Lights on the Beach Bad for Sea Turtles? and What Can I Do to Help Sea Turtles?.
- Success stories from Cabo Verde—Cabo Verde: Sea Turtles “In Abundance”—and Puerto Rico—Tackling Light Pollution: Lessons From Puerto Rico
- Articles exploring a range of timely conservation issues, including the decline of leatherback turtles in the Caribbean (Precipitous Declines in Caribbean Leatherbacks), emerging data about heavy metal pollution impacts to sea turtles (Time to Sound the Alarm on the Silent Threat of Inorganic Pollutants), and the need to move beyond neo-colonial research and conservation practices (Moving Beyond Parachute Science in the Sea Turtle Community).
The new report includes a special feature on hawksbill turtles, with new global maps of nesting and at-sea movements. © H. Sauvignet
We are deeply grateful to all of the authors, data providers, and photographers who made this volume of SWOT Report possible, as well as the following donors for their support of the SWOT Program in 2021–2022: Betlach Family Foundation, Mast Family, Moore Family Foundation, Offield Family Foundation, Seiko Watch of
America, Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg 1992 Charitable Trust, John Swift, and Laney and Pasha Thornton Foundation.
About the State of the World’s Sea Turtles Program
Founded in 2003, the SWOT program is led by Oceanic Society in partnership with a growing international network of institutions and individuals. This powerful group—the SWOT Team—works to compile and publish global sea turtle data that support conservation and management efforts at the international, national, and local scales. Learn more about Oceanic Society’s global sea turtle conservation programs here.
An arribada of olive ridley turtles on Mexico’s Playa Escobilla. An article in the new report explores the extremely high levels of heavy metal pollution found in turtles at La Escobilla. © Tui de Roy / Roving Tortoise Photos
