Lecture: The Gulf Green Turtle Project: tracking the path of green turtles in the Arabian region

TIME: Refreshments from 7pm, lecture from 7.30pm

VENUE: Salon 1, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

LECTURE TITLE:  The Gulf Green Turtle Project: tracking the path of green turtles in the Arabian region

LECTURE SUMMARY: The Emirates Wildlife Society is an environmental non-governmental organization registered in the United Arab Emirates. Since its establishment in 2001, EWS has been working in association with WWF, and is focused on working with people and institutions within the UAE and the region, to conserve biodiversity, tackle climate change and reduce the ecological footprint through education, awareness, policy, and science-based conservation initiatives.

Marine turtles are integral components of marine ecosystems in the Arabian region, and a conservation priority of national and regional conservation programmes. Even though Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are the most abundant sea turtle species in the inner Gulf, and the second most abundant in Oman, a small number of protected areas exist which encompass certain life stages of this endangered species, being spatially-limited given the lack of knowledge on turtle habitat use.  Post nesting behaviour, key foraging sites and development grounds remain unknown.

In this talk I will present EWS-WWF’s journey on marine turtle conservation and describe how the recently launched Gulf Green Turtle project will close key information gaps by combining different scientific techniques and inform conservation management of this species in the region. Spanning the next four years, this initiative promises to be the first of its kind worldwide, and will produce the most comprehensive ecological database for green turtle populations in the world. Prepare yourself to enjoy the amazing footage captured in the recent 2016 green turtle tagging season. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:  Jimena Rodriguez joined EWS-WWF in April 2016 to manage the Gulf Green Turtle Conservation project in the Gulf region. Prior to joining EWS-WWF, Jimena spent seven years in Adelaide, Australia, where she completed her Ph.D. on molecular ecology of the Eastern Pacific olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in 2015. During her time in Australia, she worked on various research projects on bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, while also contributing to the restoration genetics project of five endangered fish species from the Murray-Darling Basin in South Australia.

Her passion for marine conservation and marine turtles has led Jimena to 11 years of professional experience across several countries, giving her the opportunity to also interact with different cultures. Through her international experience, Jimena learned about the relevance of informed decisions in shaping the successful management of marine resources; to date, she has taken the lead in many research projects which have been successfully incorporated into conservation practices of endangered species.

Jimena began her career empowering women on developing sustainable economic activities around biodiversity conservation while living in the remote areas of El Darien, Panama and the northern tip of Colombia, where she worked with indigenous communities (Kuna and Wayuu people, respectively). She was also a pioneer of the marine turtle conservation rehabilitation centre and marine turtle conservation program (ProCTM) established at the University Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Colombia, where she obtained a BSc degree in Marine Biology.