GVI Costa Rica at the International Sea Turtle Symposium
Last week GVI Costa Rica attended in the biggest global forum for marine turtle conservation, the International Sea Turtle Symposium (ISTS). The event gathered more than 700 conservationists from around the world and was held in Brisbane, Australia, the home country of the least known marine turtle species, the flatback (Natator depressus).
Being home to one of the few predation studies on adult marine turtles GVI Costa Rica was invited to give a poster presentation on the ongoing study on jaguar predation of marine turtles at Tortuguero. The poster generated much interest amongst the “turtle community” receiving many visitors throughout the three days of the symposium. Amongst these were the Caribbean Conservation Corporation’s Executive Director David Godfrey and the most prominent of Archie Carr’s students, Dr. Karen Bjorndal.
Being home to one of the few predation studies on adult marine turtles GVI Costa Rica was invited to give a poster presentation on the ongoing study on jaguar predation of marine turtles at Tortuguero. The poster generated much interest amongst the “turtle community” receiving many visitors throughout the three days of the symposium. Amongst these were the Caribbean Conservation Corporation’s Executive Director David Godfrey and the most prominent of Archie Carr’s students, Dr. Karen Bjorndal.
The ISTS was also a perfect setting for networking and information exchange. As such, an extensive network of marine turtle researchers from seven Latin-American countries was contacted on the potential occurrence of jaguar predation of marine turtles in their countries. Nonetheless, no further records were found reinforcing the local character of this ecological interaction.
The three-day symposium came to an end with the exhibition of a live specimen of a Flatback turtle to the delight of all the foreign congress attendees. While explaining how the organization had managed to pull such a stunt, the president of the organising comitee Dr. Colin Limpus stated “we didn’t have to call the Australian air force, but we were close”.
The 2009 ISTS was certainly a great opportunity for GVI Costa Rica to showcase the results of all the hard work put in by both volunteers and staff. Once again GVI Costa Rica sets a high standard for the scientific research it conducts. Nonetheless with wheels already in motion to attend another major scientific meeting this will surely not be the end of our contribution towards the global pool of knowledge that commands conservation.
Stay with us for the scenes of the next chapter!
The three-day symposium came to an end with the exhibition of a live specimen of a Flatback turtle to the delight of all the foreign congress attendees. While explaining how the organization had managed to pull such a stunt, the president of the organising comitee Dr. Colin Limpus stated “we didn’t have to call the Australian air force, but we were close”.
The 2009 ISTS was certainly a great opportunity for GVI Costa Rica to showcase the results of all the hard work put in by both volunteers and staff. Once again GVI Costa Rica sets a high standard for the scientific research it conducts. Nonetheless with wheels already in motion to attend another major scientific meeting this will surely not be the end of our contribution towards the global pool of knowledge that commands conservation.
Stay with us for the scenes of the next chapter!
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