MTN 142:22-23 35th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, 19-24 April 2015, Hilton Hotel, Dalaman, Mulga, Turkey

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35th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, 19-24 April 2015, Hilton Hotel, Dalaman, Mulga, Turkey

Yakup Kaska
Department of Biology, Pamukkale University, Kinikli, 20070, Denizli, Turkey (E-mail: ists35@pau.edu.tr; caretta@pau.edu.tr)

The Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, hosted every year by the International Sea Turtle Society (ISTS), is a unique event that draws participants from around the world, from across disciplines and cultures to a common interest and objective: the conservation of sea turtles and their environment. The Symposium encourages discussion, debate, and the sharing of knowledge, research techniques and lessons in conservation to address questions on the biology and conservation of sea turtles and their habitats. The 35th Annual Symposium will be held on 19-24 April 2015 at Hilton Hotel, Dalaman, Mugla, in Turkey. This site has chosen because of its close proximity to Dalyan beach, which is one of the best examples of nature protection in the region. The beach closed at night to the public, to allow turtles to freely nest at night, and other conservation measures were established during daylight hours to protect nesting areas while still allowing tourists access to the beach outside of the nesting zone.

The Turks were skilled workers of stone since the earliest of time. The oldest examples of this are to be found in Central Asian art, particularly the Orhun monuments sitting on a tortoise. Turkish people respect the long life of turtles and their determination to reach that target despite their slow movements. This historical basis of turtles and tortoises in the culture of Turkish people resonates in the theme of the symposium. The theme of the symposium is “Hospitality” to host all the turtle people around the world, bringing everyone together and “bridging the civilizations” as Turkey bridges Europe, Asia and Africa. This is a great opportunity for the people from these three continents to participate given the proximity of the symposium location. We expect to have around 1000 people from nearly half of the countries in the world.

For three and a half decades, the Annual Sea Turtle Symposium has been the focal point of building scientific knowledge of sea turtles. Annual Sea Turtle Symposia aim to strengthen regional and international conservation efforts by providing a venue for the sharing of cutting edge research and conservation practices. Symposium participants have been able to promote their research, connect with other researchers, and train future scientists. The annual gatherings also provide a unique opportunity for international stakeholders to collaborate on projects, forge new partnerships and cultivate strong decentralized networks. The Symposium focus has broadened to include social science, education, and grassroots conservation efforts. This benefits the host region by providing nearby communities with international insight regarding best conservation practices. Besides the regular sessions normally held at past Symposia, we will feature special sessions for Children’s Activities. Sharing knowledge among regions and continents is critical for the successful conservation of globally distributed sea turtles. Specific to the meeting in Turkey, 23 April 2015 is also “World Children’s Day” in Turkey, and on that day during the symposium, there will be special children’s activities help, as means to pass our mission to the younger generation. Without a doubt, today’s children are the next generation of sea turtle researchers and conservationist.

We encourage you to travel to the symposium with your family or help organize children’s activity from your country, in order to participate in these activities. The tentative symposium program consists of more than eight workshops and 18 sessions, in addition to the regular regional meetings. Along with the regular sessions of the symposium, we will host the 5th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles during the 35th International Sea Turtle Symposium. Finally, we are coordinating a special issue of the SCI Indexed Journal Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (<http://www.trjfas.org>), which will publish selected papers derived from presentations made during the International Sea Turtle Symposium. More information about this will be forthcoming.

Please mark your calendars so you can come to the symposium. I look forward to welcoming you in Turkey!