"This is an intriguing and important book that should be read by all sea turtle and other conservationists. Brad Nahill assembled a broad array of authors from well-known scientists to new faces who work on beaches around the world. Here are lessons learned by those who save sea turtles out of a passion for life. Here are stories of what it is like to battle mosquitos, storms, broken dune buggies, poachers, and animal predators on a beach far away from Wi-Fi and refrigeration. I was particularly taken by the sincerity, openness, and reality of Annie Koehler Clift as she related her experiences coordinating a nesting beach project on Caletas Beach in Costa Rica. To read about the experiences of a young biologist fresh from university dealing with all of the hardships, joys, problems, and successes of a field project brought back the smells and feelings of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, in 1978. It was a faraway place a long time ago, but today the new generation of biologists and conservationists are finding their own way down the beach to save sea turtles. This edited volume has many such stories in its 20 chapters, all fascinating in their own way, and well worth reading." --The Quarterly Review of Biology
Part 1. Working With Local Communities 1. Sustainable Use of Sea Turtles Benefiting The Local Community in Rekawa Sanctuary, Sri Lanka 2. San Pancho Turtle Team
Part 2. Sea Turtle Field Research 3. Lessons From Three decades of Hawksbill Metal Tagging From Campeche, Mexico 4. Sea Turtle Population Health Assessments 5. Applications of Photo Identification in Sea Turtle Studies 6. Drones for Turtles 7. The Challenges of Maintaining A Hatchery in Rural Costa Rica
Part 3. Plastic & Sea Turtles 8. Green Phenix: Turning Waste Into Profit In Curacao 9. Plastics vs. Turtles: An overview of the Uruguayan Case
Part 4. Tourism and Sea Turtles 10. Working with the Tourism Industry to Support Conservation 11. The Evolution of the Spotters Program at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica 12. Working With Communities to Manage Nesting Beach
Part 5. The Trade In Sea Turtle Products 13. Illegal Take, Trade and Use of Sea Turtles in the South-West Indian Ocean 14. Busting Bekko: The Nexus Between Local and International Advocacy to End Japan's Import of Tortoiseshell 15. Stopping illegal hawksbill trafficking in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia 16. SeaTurtle Bycatch: A Global Challenge That Requires Adaptive Solutions For The 21st Century
Part 6. Climate Change & Sea Turtles 17. Studying How Rapid Changes in Water Temperature Impact Sea Turtles 18. Understanding the Impacts that Projected Increases Will Have On Sea Turtle Reproductive Output 19. Natural History 2.0: The Power of Direct Experience in Understanding, Connecting with, and Conserving Nature in the Modern Age
Part 7. Resources & Bibliography 20. Fundraising For Sea Turtle Conversation
Brad Nahill is the co-founder and president of SEE Turtles, a nonprofit conservation organization that generates financial and volunteer support for global sea turtle conservation projects. He has published numerous articles on sea turtle conservation and conservation tourism and is also the co-author of the Worldwide Guide to Sea Turtles (Texas A&M University Press). Brad Nahill serves as the Co-Chair for the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance Tourism Committee, is on the Board of Directors for Sea Turtles Forever, and formerly was the Awards Committee Chair for the International Sea Turtle Society. For his work to protect sea turtles, Brad has received the World Travel & Tourism Council Changemakers Award, the Skal Sustainable Tourism Award, and the President's Award from the International Sea Turtle Society.