We are happy to announce the publication of the 2023 State of the World’s Sea Turtles Report. SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. XVIII is now available online and in print. Download a PDF here or browse all of the articles here.
SWOT Report, vol 18 was launched at the 41st Annual Sea Turtle Symposium in Cartagena, Colombia and online on March 21, 2023. More than 1,000 printed copies of the report were distributed free-of-charge to the hundreds of sea turtle researchers and conservationists who attended the Symposium from all over the world.
Published annually since 2006, SWOT Report features success stories, innovations, and new findings in sea turtle conservation, management, and research sourced from the global sea turtle conservation community. 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.
Members of the Oceanic Society team (Ashleigh Bandimere and Brian Hutchinson) distribute SWOT Report in Colombia.
Highlights from Volume 18 Include:
- A two-part feature on leatherback sea turtles (What’s Holding Back the Leatherback? and Welcome To Planet Leatherback), including new global maps of leatherback turtle nesting and satellite telemetry (Biogeography of Leatherback Sea Turtles and Leatherback Turtle Satellite Telemetry) made with data contributed by hundreds of partners worldwide.
The new SWOT Report includes a multi-part feature on leatherback turtles including all new maps of nesting and satellite telemetry. © Ben J. Hicks / benjhicks.com
- Expert answers to frequently asked questions: How Do Sea Turtles Sense Their Environment? and What are the Natural Predators of Sea Turtles?
- Articles exploring a range of timely conservation issues, including refreshed regional management units (A New Coat of Paint for Sea Turtle RMUs), using thermal drones to monitor nesting beaches (Heat-Sensing Drones Open New Frontiers), a collaborative article on Decolonizing Sea Turtle Conservation accompanied by novel maps, and an article exploring how fishers and conservationists are working together to rescue entangled turtles in Spain (Fishers and Turtles Navigate the Same Waters).
The report includes new global maps of leatherback turtle nesting and satellite telemetry made in partnership with hundreds of researchers worldwide (learn more).
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 2022–2023: Betlach Family Foundation, donations made in memory of Stephen Eckenrode, Marisa I. Hormel Trust, Moore Family Foundation, Seiko, Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg 1992 Charitable Trust, and John Swift.
About the State of the World’s Sea Turtles Program
Founded in 2003, the SWOT program is led by Oceanic Society and 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.
