A partnership of organisations and universities in the UK and Grenada has launched a new project looking into the challenges and threats facing two endangered marine species.
Marine conservationists in the two countries will be working to understand more about hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).
This will include using a variety of field techniques to fully appreciate their behaviours and habitats, and ultimately, the partners hope to develop a series of measures that can be used to support the sustainable conservation of the species now and in the future.
The research is being funded by the Oscar Montgomery Environmental Foundation (OMEF), a charity launched in 2020 as a legacy to a young man who was passionate about the marine environment.
He died, aged just 17, and the charity set up in his memory aims to support, advocate and raise awareness of environmental issues, largely marine, and support projects and research which work to conserve and enhance the global environment.
This project is particularly poignant, with Oscar having visited Grenada and the turtles with his family.
It will be managed collaboratively by the University of Plymouth (UK), St George's University, School of Veterinary Medicine (Grenada, West Indies), and Grenada-based marine conservation NGO Ocean Spirits Inc.
The importance of studying sea turtles
