Global Conservation Priorities for Marine Turtles

Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexible priority-setting frameworks are vital. Priority-setting is especially important for geographically widespread species with distinct populations subject to multiple threats that operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Marine turtles are widely distributed and exhibit intra-specific variations in population sizes and trends, as well as reproduction and morphology. However, current global extinction risk assessment frameworks do not assess conservation status of spatially and biologically distinct marine turtle Regional Management Units (RMUs), and thus do not capture variations in population trends, impacts of threats, or necessary conservation actions across individual populations. To address this issue, we developed a new assessment framework that allowed us to evaluate, compare and organize marine turtle RMUs according to status and threats criteria. Because conservation priorities can vary widely (i.e. from avoiding imminent extinction to maintaining long-term monitoring efforts) we developed a “conservation priorities portfolio” system using categories of paired risk and threats scores for all RMUs (n = 58). We performed these assessments and rankings globally, by species, by ocean basin, and by recognized geopolitical bodies to identify patterns in risk, threats, and data gaps at different scales. This process resulted in characterization of risk and threats to all marine turtle RMUs, including identification of the world's 11 most endangered marine turtle RMUs based on highest risk and threats scores. This system also highlighted important gaps in available information that is crucial for accurate conservation assessments. Overall, this priority-setting framework can provide guidance for research and conservation priorities at multiple relevant scales, and should serve as a model for conservation status assessments and priority-setting for widespread, long-lived taxa

Regional Management Units for Marine Turtles: A Novel Framework for Prioritizing Conservation and Research across Multiple Scales

Background: Resolving threats to widely distributed marine megafauna requires definition of the geographic distributions of both the threats as well as the population unit(s) of interest. In turn, because individual threats can operate on varying spatial scales, their impacts can affect different segments of a population of the same species. Therefore, integration of multiple tools and techniques - including site-based monitoring, genetic analyses, mark-recapture studies and telemetry - can facilitate robust definitions of population segments at multiple biological and spatial scales to address different management and research challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings: To address these issues for marine turtles, we collated all available studies on marine turtle biogeography, including nesting sites, population abundances and trends, population genetics, and satellite telemetry. We georeferenced this information to generate separate layers for nesting sites, genetic stocks, and core distributions of population segments of all marine turtle species. We then spatially integrated this information from fine-to coarse-spatial scales to develop nested envelope models, or Regional Management Units (RMUs), for marine turtles globally. Conclusions/Significance: The RMU framework is a solution to the challenge of how to organize marine turtles into units of protection above the level of nesting populations, but below the level of species, within regional entities that might be on independent evolutionary trajectories. Among many potential applications, RMUs provide a framework for identifying data gaps, assessing high diversity areas for multiple species and genetic stocks, and evaluating conservation status of marine turtles. Furthermore, RMUs allow for identification of geographic barriers to gene flow, and can provide valuable guidance to marine spatial planning initiatives that integrate spatial distributions of protected species and human activities. In addition, the RMU framework - including maps and supporting metadata - will be an iterative, user-driven tool made publicly available in an online application for comments, improvements, download and analysis

Ecología comparativa de cuatro especies de primates en la amazonía colombiana con implicaciones sobre su conservación

IP 3253-13-223-92Incluye anexos. Incluye 3 mapas.ARTICULO(S) EN REVISTA : Callicebus torquatus is not a white-sand specialist / Thomas R. Defler En: American;Journal of Primatology. No.33 (1994) -- Jaguars eat dolphins,too / ThomasR. Defler En: Trianea. No.5 (1994); A capture of and some notes on atelocynus microtis (sclater,1883) (carnivora: canidae) in the colombian;amazon / Thomas R. Defler, Alejandro Santacruz -- En: AmericanJournal ofPrimatology. No.33 (1994) -- La;conservacion de primates en Colombia / Thomas R. Defler --En:Trianea. No.5 (1994) -- The time budget of a;group of wild woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha) / Thomas R.Defler --En: International Journal of;Primatology. Vol.16, No.1 (1995) -- Sara, the monkeys havegotten into thehouse again or how humans form the;north have adapted to some of their responsabilities in the amazonian south / Thomas R. Defler En: IPPL News.;vol.22, no.2 (Ago. 1995) -- Mamiferos colombianos: sus nombrescomunes e indigenas / Jose Vicente Rodriguez;... [et al.] En: Ocassional Papers in Conservation Biology. No.3(1995) --Aspects of the ranging pattern in a;group of wild woolly monkeys (Lagothrix Lagothricha) / ThomasR.Defler En: American Journal of primatology.;No.38 (1996) -- Diet of a group of Lagothrix Lagothricha Lagothricha in Southeastern Colombia / Thomas R.;Defler y Sara B. Defler -- En: International Journal of Primatology. vol.17, no.2 (1996) -- An IUCN;classification for the primates of Colombia / Thomas R. DeflerEn: Neotropical primates. vol.4, no.3 (1996) --;The IUCN conservation status of Lagothrix Lagothricha Lugens Elliot, 1907/ Thomas R. Defler -- En:;Neotropical Primates. vol.4, no.3 (1996) -- Diet of a group ofCallicebustorquatus lugens (Humboldt, 1812);During the annual resource bottleneck in amazonian Colombia /Erwin Palacios, Adriana Rodriguez y Thomas R.;Defler -- En: International Journal of Primatology. vol.18, no.4(1997) --DOCUMENTOS : Dieta de Callicebus;torquatus lugens: comparacion entre varios grupos / Adriana Rodriguez Rodriguez -- Estudio de ecologia basica;de Cebus apella en el bajo Apaporis. Estacion biologica Caparu/Luis Fernando Barrios y Hugo Mantilla M.;Reconocimiento biologico del Rio Matavon (Vichada) con enfasisespecial enprimates y aves y algunos;comentarios sobre otros puntos geograficos en el departamento(octubre de1993) / Thomas R. Defler, Sara B.;Defler y Jose Vicente Rodriguez -- Reconocimiento biologico enlos bajos rios Uva y Guaviare y en la region;entre los rios Inirida y Guainia, con especial enfasis enprimates (12 demarzo - 8 de abril, 1994) / Thomas;R. Defler -- La viudita de los Andaquies / Adriana Rodriguez R.y Erwin Palacios A. -- Biodiversidad en la;amazonia colombiana: reconocimientos biologicos en tres areascon enfasisen los primates / Thomas R. Defle

Marine turtle regional management units 2.0:an updated framework for conservation and research of wide-ranging megafauna species

Delineating spatial boundaries that accurately encompass complex, often cryptic, life histories of highly migratory marine megafauna can be a significant conservation challenge. For example, marine turtles range across vast ocean basins and coastal areas, thus complicating the evaluation of relative impacts of multiple overlapping threats and the creation of coherent conservation strategies. To address these challenges, spatially explicit ‘regional management units’ (RMUs) were developed in 2010 for all marine turtle species, globally. RMUs were intended to provide a consistent framework that organizes conspecific assemblages into units above the level of nesting rookeries and genetic stocks, but below the species level, within regional entities that may share demographic trajectories because they experience similar environmental conditions and other factors. From their initial conception, RMUs were intended to be periodically revised using new information about marine turtle distributions, life history, habitat use patterns, and population structure. Here, we describe the process used to update the 2010 RMU framework by incorporating newly published information and inputs from global marine turtle experts who are members of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group. A total of 48 RMUs for 6 of 7 marine turtle species and 166 distinct genetic stocks for all 7 species are presented herein. The updated RMU framework reflects a significant advance in knowledge of marine turtle biology and biogeo - graphy, and it provides improved clarity about the RMU concept and its potential applications. All RMU products have been made open access to support research and conservation initiatives worldwide.</p