- Lectures
- Biodiversity Research Center
- Location
Auditorium, 1st Floor, Interdisciplinary Research Building
- Speaker Name
Ms. Chia-ling Fong (TIGP, Academia Sinica)
- State
Definitive
- Url
Abstract
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is classified as endangered in the IUCN red list and distributed worldwide in subtropical and tropical seas. As a migratory species, they move across different habitats depending on their life stage. Most research and conservation efforts in the past decades have focused on the nesting habitats and the nesting population. Current understanding of the foraging populations still needs to be improved regarding habitat use, demography, and in-water behavior, and is considered a research priority in the South Pacific. Therefore, we collaborated with citizen scientists and conducted systematic surveys to better understand their population ecology with the following aims: (1) to understand the distribution, demography, and residency of foraging sea turtles around Taiwan through citizen science, (2) to determine the habitat fidelity of green turtles using photo-ID method at the primary foraging habitat in Xiaoliuqiu, (3) to understand the population dynamics of sea turtles at their primary foraging habitat in Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan. The results of this project will deepen our understanding of green turtle populations in their foraging habitats and could be an essential reference for feasible monitoring programs and management actions in Taiwan.