April 2012: Due to a security breach of the Indian Ocean – South East Asian (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) website, the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) distributed a note in lieu of the monthly IOSEAN newsletter. The note offers an update on recent IOSEA/CMS developments.

The note highlights the release of an account of the Sixth Meeting of IOSEA Signatory States, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 23-27 January 2012, as well as a detailed list of action points arising from the meeting. It also lists key issues due for completion in the coming weeks/months, namely: the finalization of the review of the 2006 Leatherback Assessment and proposed project concepts; the review of the Site Network Evaluation Criteria; and the finalization of the Loggerhead Assessment.

The note further reports on recent activities of the IOSEA, including: its participation in a number of Bangkok-based meetings, such as the annual SEASTAR2000 scientific symposium, a meeting of partners to the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project, and a collaborative fisheries management initiative between Thailand and Myanmar, with potential implications for marine turtle conservation; a week-long IOSEA Training/Capacity-Building Workshop in Myanmar, which was carried out with support from Myanmar’s Department of Fisheries and the IOSEA Secretariat.

The note also highlights the rejection of a joint proposal (with Conservation International) to seek funding for a Western Indian Ocean technical workshop, in support of the IOSEA WIO – Marine Turtle Task Force, and reports that the Secretariat will explore other possibilities for organising a workshop back-to-back with an IOTC (Working Party on Ecosystems and Bycatch) meeting, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa in September 2012.

The States parties to the IOSEA MoU include: Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea and Seychelles. [IOSEA Website] [IISD RS Sources]