The Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, is organizing an "International Conference on the Conservation of Sea Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa", in Abidjan, from 25 to 29 May 1999.  The meeting is intended to review the conservation status of sea turtles in the region, and to examine and agree on actions that could be taken in the short- and medium-term to promote the conservation of these endangered species.

The issues to be covered and expected outcomes include:

• a presentation of basic biology of sea turtles and an overview of their regional conservation status;
• an introduction to possible areas of regional co-operation (including common methodologies);
• creation of one or more regional specialist networks;
• consensus on a plan of short- to medium-term conservation actions, perhaps taking the form of a memorandum of understanding among Range States;
• preliminary identification of potential project proposals for submission to funding agencies;
• agreement on a timetable for future activities, such as a training workshop for technicians and an intergovernmental meeting to formalize a regional Agreement.

The meeting, which is co-sponsored by CMS and the French Ministry of Environment, is expected to assemble representatives and specialists from as many of the Range States as possible, extending from Mauritania to South Africa.  Other countries committed to the conservation of sea turtles in the region, as well as interested intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, are also invited to attend.  The meeting will be conducted in French, with simultaneous translation to/from English.

In preparation for the meeting, the 1998 technical report “Marine Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa” prepared for the UNEP/CMS Secretariat by Dr. Jacques Fretey, will be revised and a penultimate draft submitted for discussion. Additionally, a synthesis is presently being prepared of the information gained so far from the detailed questionnaires that were circulated to Range States in late 1998.

The UNEP/CMS Secretariat cordially invites government officers and sea turtle researchers to attend this conference.  Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, the Secretariat is not in a position to offer financial support for this purpose.  All those intending to participate should contact the UNEP/CMS Secretariat by fax (+49 228 815 2449) or by e-mail (cms@unep.de) in order to receive a registration form and other details.