Advance marine mammal and sea turtle studies to address challenges in conservation management

They are also regarded as long-lived indicator or sentinel species which can provide valuable insights into the health of ocean ecosystems. The recent years have seen a growing concern over the declines in some marine mammal species, and an increasing reported number of stranded animals. Countries in the region have been paying more and more attention to the conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles.

As most marine mammals and sea turtles are high-migratory species, and are therefore difficult to track, grand challenges remain in the assessment of their population and health, including lack of harmonized methods and large scale data and information, poor knowledge on their populations, high operating cost and limited human resources .

The incubator will bring together researchers and other relevant stakeholders who are interested in the conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles, initiate a network for marine mammal and sea turtle population assessment, towards the development of a UN Ocean Decade action for the conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles in the region.