Key issues in assessing threats to sea turtles: knowledge gaps and future directions
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Sea turtles are an iconic group of marine megafauna that have been exposed to multiple anthropogenic threats across their different life stages, especially in the past decades. This has resulted in population declines, and consequently many sea turtle populations are now classified as threatened or endangered globally. Although some populations of sea turtles worldwide are showing early signs of recovery, many still face fundamental threats. This is problematic since sea turtles have important ecological roles. To encourage informed conservation planning and direct future research, we surveyed experts to identify the key contemporary threats (climate change, direct take, fisheries, pollution, disease, predation, and coastal and marine development) faced by sea turtles. Using the survey results and current literature, we also outline knowledge gaps in our understanding of the impact of these threats and how targeted future research, often involving emerging technologies, could close those gaps.
Source: Endangered Species Research
DOI: 10.3354/esr01278
Authors: MMPB Fuentes, E McMichael, CY Kot, I Silver-Gorges, BP Wallace, BJ Godley, AML Brooks, SA Ceriani, AA Cortés-Gómez, TM Dawson, KL Dodge, M Flint, MP Jensen, LM Komoroske, S Kophamel, MD Lettrich, CA Long, SE Nelms, AR Patrício, NJ Robinson, JA Seminoff, M Ware, ER Whitman, D Chevallier, CE Clyde-Brockway, SA Korgaonkar, A Mancini, J Mello-Fonseca, JR Monsinjon, I Neves-Ferreira, AA Ortega, SH Patel, JB Pfaller, MD Ramirez, C Raposo, CE Smith, FA Abreu-Grobois, GC Hays
Institutions: Florida State University, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Duke University, University of Exeter, Cape Eleuthera Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Université Paris-Saclay, Ecologie, Société, Evolution, University of Central Florida, New England Aquarium, The Ohio State University, Aalborg University, Griffith University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, University of Florida, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Institut de Ciències del Mar, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Florida International University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Biologie des Organismes et Écosystèmes Aquatiques, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Wildlife Institute of India, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Ifremer, The University of Western Australia, Coonamessett Farm Foundation, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Deakin University
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,671
OpenAlex ID: W4386890650