An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia
Cambodian waters historically supported significant nesting populations of marine turtles up to the early 20th century. However, although fishing and coastal development have intensified, marine turtle conservation has received little recent attention. We collate the available information on Cambodi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Oryx |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605322000862/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827877356711182336 |
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| author | Henry Duffy Aylin McNamara Berry Mulligan Kate West Phalla Leng Rylida Vong Kieran Murray Sour Kim Manjula Tiwari Marianne Teoh |
| author_facet | Henry Duffy Aylin McNamara Berry Mulligan Kate West Phalla Leng Rylida Vong Kieran Murray Sour Kim Manjula Tiwari Marianne Teoh |
| author_sort | Henry Duffy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cambodian waters historically supported significant nesting populations of marine turtles up to the early 20th century. However, although fishing and coastal development have intensified, marine turtle conservation has received little recent attention. We collate the available information on Cambodian marine turtles by summarizing NGO and government data from provincial consultations, fisheries surveys and nesting beach surveys, and synthesize our findings into recommendations for the conservation of marine turtles in Cambodia. The available data indicate that a small and highly threatened marine turtle population persists, despite significant declines driven by intense historical harvesting, widespread bycatch, loss of nesting habitat, marine wildlife trade and ongoing poor compliance with wildlife protection regulations. To improve the conservation status of Cambodian turtles, we recommend (1) revising relevant legislation to better protect marine turtle habitats whilst increasing compliance with gear restrictions and threatened species laws in priority sites, (2) trialling alternative fishing gear or gear modifications to reduce bycatch, (3) continuing capacity building for locally driven marine turtle conservation science, (4) identifying and mapping beaches with high nesting potential and protecting them from further coastal development, and (5) investing in transboundary collaborations to improve the monitoring and management of the turtle populations that range between Cambodia and neighbouring countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:35:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-faf5d12e9c0e4078accdf6994e3c3593 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0030-6053 1365-3008 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:35:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oryx |
| spelling | doaj.art-faf5d12e9c0e4078accdf6994e3c35932023-08-04T12:01:28ZengCambridge University PressOryx0030-60531365-30082023-03-015716017010.1017/S0030605322000862An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in CambodiaHenry Duffy0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9360-5142Aylin McNamara1Berry Mulligan2Kate West3Phalla Leng4Rylida Vong5Kieran Murray6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1332-5747Sour Kim7Manjula Tiwari8Marianne Teoh9Fauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKDepartment of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKOcean Ecology Network, Research Affiliate of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, USAFauna & Flora, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, UKCambodian waters historically supported significant nesting populations of marine turtles up to the early 20th century. However, although fishing and coastal development have intensified, marine turtle conservation has received little recent attention. We collate the available information on Cambodian marine turtles by summarizing NGO and government data from provincial consultations, fisheries surveys and nesting beach surveys, and synthesize our findings into recommendations for the conservation of marine turtles in Cambodia. The available data indicate that a small and highly threatened marine turtle population persists, despite significant declines driven by intense historical harvesting, widespread bycatch, loss of nesting habitat, marine wildlife trade and ongoing poor compliance with wildlife protection regulations. To improve the conservation status of Cambodian turtles, we recommend (1) revising relevant legislation to better protect marine turtle habitats whilst increasing compliance with gear restrictions and threatened species laws in priority sites, (2) trialling alternative fishing gear or gear modifications to reduce bycatch, (3) continuing capacity building for locally driven marine turtle conservation science, (4) identifying and mapping beaches with high nesting potential and protecting them from further coastal development, and (5) investing in transboundary collaborations to improve the monitoring and management of the turtle populations that range between Cambodia and neighbouring countries.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605322000862/type/journal_articleCambodiafisheries bycatchmarine turtleSouth-east Asiaturtle conservation |
| spellingShingle | Henry Duffy Aylin McNamara Berry Mulligan Kate West Phalla Leng Rylida Vong Kieran Murray Sour Kim Manjula Tiwari Marianne Teoh An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia Oryx Cambodia fisheries bycatch marine turtle South-east Asia turtle conservation |
| title | An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia |
| title_full | An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia |
| title_fullStr | An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia |
| title_full_unstemmed | An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia |
| title_short | An assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in Cambodia |
| title_sort | assessment of marine turtle population status and conservation in cambodia |
| topic | Cambodia fisheries bycatch marine turtle South-east Asia turtle conservation |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605322000862/type/journal_article |
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