Strengthening Sea Turtle Conservation in Colombia - New Film

Join biologists Juan Manuel “Juanma” Rodriguez-Baron and Rod Mast as they retrace the steps of Rod’s sea turtle research in Colombia in the 1980s when foreigners were seldom seen on Colombian beaches, sea turtle meat was common on restaurant menus, and trade in hawksbill shell was open and international in scale. Many risks to sea turtles are still present, but Colombian environmental authorities, conservationists, coastal residents, and national and international tourists now actively participate in conserving green, hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles on Colombia’s Caribbean shores.

In this short film, Rod and Juanma discuss their passion for sea turtles, connections to Colombia, and the challenges and benefits of sharing data to improve sea turtle conservation. They also discuss recent efforts with government agencies to centralize sea turtle data collection in Colombia through the State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) Program which, since 2003, has grown a global database of sea turtle biogeography and an extensive worldwide network, and published comprehensive maps of sea turtle biogeography for South America, the Caribbean, and beyond. The film was written, directed, and produced by acclaimed filmmaker Elliot Blumberg. 

To learn more about the past, present, and future of sea turtle conservation in Colombia, see the article, “Changing the Future for Colombia's Sea Turtles.”

More SWOT Report Articles featuring Colombia:

1. Eckert, K., et al. 2020. Sea Turtles of the Caribbean. In SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 15: 14-27.

2. Barrios-Garrido, H. 2018. The Wayuu: Shepherds of the Sea. In SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 13: 34-35.

3. Rguez-Baron, J. M., Williard, A., Abrego, M. E., Tobon, A., Bermudez, D., & Arriatti, Y. 2018. Building Bycatch Solutions from the Ground Up for the East Pacific Leatherback. In SWOT Report— The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 13: 36-37.

4. Álvarez-Varas, R., et al. 2016. Sea Turtles of South America. In SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 11: 14-27.

5. Drews, C. 2008. Progress Report: Fishers Reduce Bycatch in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. In SWOT Report— The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 3: 34.

6. Dutton, P. 2006. Building our Knowledge of the Leatherback Stock Structure. In SWOT Report—The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 1: 10-11.

7. Hall, M. 2006. Increasing Fishers' Awareness Leads to Decrease in Turtle Bycatch. In SWOT Report— The State of the World’s Sea Turtles, vol. 1: 27.