MAST Special Issue:

Marine Turtles as Flagships

Guest Editor: Jack Frazier (Smithsonian Institution)

Human societies have used marine turtles as symbols for millennia. Today these
reptiles are employed as flagship species for diverse conservation and community
development projects around the world. Yet, there has been little academic scrutiny
of how marine turtles are employed as flagships or of their effectiveness in that role.
This Special Issue brings together twelve papers from different sites in the Atlantic,
Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as from the Caribbean Sea, that examine how
marine turtles have been used as flagship species and how this bears on the
relationship between people and the sea.

The Special Issue demonstrates that conservation of marine turtles, and of the
ecosystems of which they are conspicuous symbols, requires collaboration among
diverse stakeholders and interdisciplinary scientific investigation of these
interactions. While the natural sciences provide the biological context and indicators,
social sciences offer the fundamental role of deciphering social issues over a broad
range, from citizen empowerment and participation in resource management, to
international law and the trade-environment confrontation. The flagship concept
provides a singular tool for mobilising and coordinating conservation, while
furnishing a point of connection and common interest between natural and social
scientists.

“This issue of MAST documents the importance of sea turtles, but with an interesting
twist. The contributors present the case that sea turtles can serve as symbols around which social behaviour can be organized. Conservation of sea turtles is important biologically and ecologically, but their value to human communities has fundamental social importance, as these innovative contributions make clear. They show that conservation is a social activity.”

Professor Ben Blount, Department of Anthropology,
University of Texas at San Antonio

Centre for Maritime Research
Plantage Muidergracht 14-16
NL-1018 TV Amsterdam
Phone: +31 20 5254185
Fax: +31 20 5254051
Contact Form


Home Journal MAST General Information Editorial Policy Subscriptions Back Issues About Us MAST Extranet	MAST Special Issue: Marine Turtles as Flagships Guest Editor: Jack Frazier (Smithsonian Institution) Human societies have used marine turtles as symbols for millennia. Today these reptiles are employed as flagship species for diverse conservation and community development projects around the world. Yet, there has been little academic scrutiny of how marine turtles are employed as flagships or of their effectiveness in that role. This Special Issue brings together twelve papers from different sites in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as from the Caribbean Sea, that examine how marine turtles have been used as flagship species and how this bears on the relationship between people and the sea. The Special Issue demonstrates that conservation of marine turtles, and of the ecosystems of which they are conspicuous symbols, requires collaboration among diverse stakeholders and interdisciplinary scientific investigation of these interactions. While the natural sciences provide the biological context and indicators, social sciences offer the fundamental role of deciphering social issues over a broad range, from citizen empowerment and participation in resource management, to international law and the trade-environment confrontation. The flagship concept provides a singular tool for mobilising and coordinating conservation, while furnishing a point of connection and common interest between natural and social scientists. “This issue of MAST documents the importance of sea turtles, but with an interesting twist. The contributors present the case that sea turtles can serve as symbols around which social behaviour can be organized. Conservation of sea turtles is important biologically and ecologically, but their value to human communities has fundamental social importance, as these innovative contributions make clear. They show that conservation is a social activity.” Professor Ben Blount, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio	Centre for Maritime Research Plantage Muidergracht 14-16 NL-1018 TV Amsterdam Phone: +31 20 5254185 Fax: +31 20 5254051 Contact Form