Dr. George Hughes (pictured here in the centre, flanked by Ronel Nel and Colin Limpus) has been chosen by his peers to serve as Chairman of the IOSEA Advisory Committee over the coming year. Appointed to the Advisory Committee in mid-2004, Dr. Hughes brings to the chairmanship his decades of experience in natural resource management from a South African perspective.

Having recently begun his second "retirement", Dr. Hughes will certainly be kept busy with a wide range of challenges in the first year of his mandate. The Secretariat welcomes his appointment and looks forward to the continued support of the outgoing chairman, Dr. Limpus, who was reappointed to the Committee for another two-year term.

Four other existing Advisory Committee members - Bundit Chokesanguan, Jack Frazier, Jeanne Mortimer and Sejal Worah - have also retained their appointments. Additionally, the Meeting of the Signatory States decided to invite Nyawira Muthiga, from Kenya, to join the ranks of the Advisory Committee. Dr. Muthiga currently serves as Chair of the Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee (KESCOM) and President of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), in addition to her full-time position as Conservation Scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in the Western Indian Ocean region.