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| Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Area served | Mediterranean Sea |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Purpose | Sea turtle conservation |
Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles The Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles is a regional non-governmental organization focused on the conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. It works across multiple countries to coordinate conservation, research, rehabilitation, and public engagement, operating within legal frameworks such as the Barcelona Convention and collaborating with institutions like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme. The association interacts with national agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations including World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, and Greenpeace to implement protection measures for species such as the loggerhead sea turtle and the green sea turtle.
The association was established in the early 1990s amid rising concern from groups such as WWF Mediterranean Programme Office, RSPB, and marine research centers like Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn after conservation events including the Earth Summit highlighted biodiversity loss. Early collaborations involved projects with the European Commission's environmental directorates, the Council of Europe and networks like the Network of Marine Protected Areas. Founding partners included local NGOs from Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, alongside universities such as the University of Barcelona and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Over subsequent decades the association engaged with initiatives launched by Convention on Biological Diversity signatories, participated in workshops at IUCN World Conservation Congress, and contributed to marine policy dialogues during meetings of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
The association’s mission aligns with international instruments such as the Bern Convention and the Habitats Directive to protect marine turtle populations and their habitats across nations including France, Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. Core objectives include reducing bycatch through gear modification promoted in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and regional fisheries bodies, protecting nesting beaches through partnerships with municipal authorities and organizations like Wetlands International, and supporting rehabilitation efforts with veterinary institutions including Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals clinics and university hospitals like Complutense University of Madrid's veterinary faculty. The association also aims to influence policy at forums such as the Barcelona Convention's Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity meetings and the Mediterranean Action Plan.
The association is governed by a board composed of representatives from member organizations, academic institutions such as University of Naples Federico II and University of Palermo, and experts from research institutes like Marine Biological Association and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Operational units include a scientific committee with collaborators from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, a field operations unit coordinating beach patrols in regions like Albania and Cyprus, and an education unit liaising with cultural institutions such as the Louvre’s conservation departments for outreach methodologies. The association adheres to governance standards promoted by bodies like Transparency International and submits to audits by regional funding agencies including the European Investment Bank.
Programmatic activities span nesting beach protection in hotspots like the Gulf of Gabes and Tunisian shores, bycatch mitigation projects in collaboration with fleets registered in Italy, Greece, and Malta, and rescue and rehabilitation centers operating near ports such as Alexandria and Valencia. Initiatives include satellite tracking in partnership with institutions like NOAA and the European Space Agency, tagging programs informed by protocols from Tagging of Pacific Pelagics researchers, and legal advocacy working with law firms experienced in environmental litigation before courts such as the European Court of Human Rights when enforcement issues arise. The association participates in marine protected area planning alongside agencies like Parks Canada's international advisers and promotes sustainable tourism models in tandem with the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Research programs coordinate long-term monitoring with laboratories such as Institute of Marine Research and museums including the Natural History Museum, London, focusing on reproductive biology, migration, and genetic diversity compared with baselines from projects at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Smithsonian Institution collections. Collaborative studies use methods developed by Wageningen University and statistical approaches from Imperial College London to assess population trends and threats documented by conservation databases like the IUCN Red List. The association contributes data to regional atlases and collaborates with satellite telemetry experts at University of Exeter and climate researchers at Met Office to model the effects of marine heatwaves and European Space Agency ocean observation datasets on nesting phenology.
Outreach campaigns engage schools and museums including Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and the National Maritime Museum to raise awareness about species such as Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas, and partner with media outlets like BBC Natural History Unit, National Geographic Society, and Al Jazeera to disseminate findings. Education programs incorporate curricula developed with universities like University of Cambridge and NGOs such as Oceana and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and run citizen science initiatives modeled on projects by Zooniverse and iNaturalist to collect nesting data. Volunteer training follows standards used by organizations like Red Cross and Scouts associations for field safety and community engagement.
The association’s funding sources include grants from the European Commission LIFE Programme, philanthropic support from foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, corporate partnerships with maritime companies such as Maersk for bycatch mitigation trials, and project funding from agencies including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank for coastal resilience work. Strategic partnerships span conservation networks like IUCN, research consortia including European Marine Biological Resource Centre, and regional authorities such as the Ministry of Environment (Italy) and the Hellenic Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection for coordinated responses to strandings and habitat threats.
Category:Marine conservation organizations Category:Organizations established in 1990