IOSEA: Review of 2014 and Look Ahead to 2015

As is customary at this time of the year, the IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Secretariat presents a compilation of marine turtle-related news of the past 12 months, from around the Indian Ocean – South-East Asia region. After a country-based tour of the four IOSEA sub-regions in Part I, other noteworthy developments relating to legislation, management and enforcement measures; conservation activities; research developments; and public education / awareness-raising activities are mentioned in Part II. Finally, Part III reviews IOSEA institutional progress in 2014 and sets out upcoming developments and work for 2015.

The review is mainly based on the numerous News Headlines, Message Board items, Feature Articles and longer Monthly Profiles published on the IOSEA website in 2014. The decline in international turtle-related news coverage observed in 2012 and 2013 (after a peak of 600 in 2011) may have been reversed, with almost 500 stories referenced this year, the same as in 2012. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate “search effort” from the equation, this pattern may be indicative of a renewed interest in marine turtles among the popular press and public at large.

Although the source material used for the present analysis is not exhaustive and is biased toward English-language media, an effort has been made to monitor French-language media as well. The level of turtle-related news coverage was this year again found to be uneven among IOSEA Signatory States, with the South-East Asia+ sub-region still particularly well represented.  In keeping with trends from recent years, India and Australia continue to be the most prolific sources of turtle news, with 125 and 108 news items respectively – about twice that of last year’s figures. The Philippines came in third (42 stories), closely followed by Malaysia (39), both out-distancing Thailand (22) and Indonesia (17).

Read the full review and look ahead here.

Last updated on 19 October 2015

Type: 
News
Region: 
Indian Ocean
South-East Asia
Species group: 
Reptiles