We are delighted to announce the publication of the 2024 State of the World’s Sea Turtles Report (SWOT Report, vol. 19), which is now available online and in print. Browse all of the articles or download the entire report as a PDF here.
SWOT Report, vol 19 was launched at the 42nd International Sea Turtle Symposium in Pattaya, Thailand and online on March 25, 2024. More than 1,000 printed copies of the report were distributed free-of-charge to the hundreds of sea turtle researchers and conservationists who attended the Symposium from all over the world.
Published each year since 2006, The State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) Report features success stories, innovations, and new findings in sea turtle conservation and research. The report is produced in collaboration with a global network of sea turtle researchers and conservationists, and given back to the community free-of-charge for use in outreach and education efforts.
Oceanic Society staff present the first copy of SWOT Report, vol. 19 to local dignitaries at the International Sea Turtle Symposium in Pattaya, Thailand.
Highlights from Volume 19 Include:
- A multi-country special feature article on the sea turtles of Southeast Asia, with information about sea turtle research and conservation in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
- All new maps of sea turtle nesting and satellite tracking data from throughout Southeast Asia created in partnership with hundreds of researchers throughout the region.
Researchers from the Anambas Foundation monitor a nesting green turtle in Indonesia’s Anambas Islands. SWOT Report, vol 19 includes sea turtle data from throughout Southeast Asia. © Anambas Foundation
- Expert answers to frequently asked questions: How Deep do Sea Turtles Dive? and How Long Can Sea Turtles Hold Their Breath?
- Articles exploring current conservation and research topics, including innovative ways to address plastic pollution (More Turtles, Less Plastic), traditional conservation approaches in the Maldives (Returning to Home Shores and Traditions in the Maldives), new information about hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific (Lost Years Project Yields Surprises About Eastern Pacific Hawksbills), and an overview of the known and unknown impacts of climate change on sea turtles (Turning Up the Heat on Sea Turtles).
We are grateful to all of the authors, data providers, and photographers who made this volume of SWOT Report possible, as well as the following donors for their support of the SWOT Program in 2023–2024: Betlach Family Foundation, Marisa I. Hormel Trust, Moore Family Foundation, Seiko, Joseph and Diane Steinberg, Mark Swingle, and Upwell Coffee, as well as the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Sea Turtle SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program and its partners, including: Adventure Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific, Audubon Nature Institute, Florida Aquarium, Gladys Porter Zoo, Mystic Aquarium, National Aquarium, New England Aquarium, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, OdySea Aquarium, Remote Ecologist Inc., SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium, South Carolina Aquarium, Texas State Aquarium, The Aquarium at Moody Gardens, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, and Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.
About the State of the World’s Sea Turtles Program
Founded in 2003, the SWOT program is led by Oceanic Society and a growing international network of institutions and individuals. This powerful group—the SWOT Team—works to compile and publish global sea turtle data that support conservation and management efforts at the international, national, and local scales. Learn more about Oceanic Society’s global sea turtle conservation programs here.
