The 8^th Meeting of Signatories to The Indian Ocean - Southeast Asia (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is taking place in Da Nang from 21 and 25 October.

A view of the ongoing 8th Meeting of Signatories to The Indian Ocean - Southeast Asia (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Da Nang

Organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the international event attracted the participation of representatives from 33 member states of the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU, along with 50 domestic and foreign non-governmental organisations.

The Vietnamese Government has engaged in various international commitments to enhance management and preserve vulnerable and endangered marine turtles, said Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries Tran Dinh Luan on Monday at the event.

Viet Nam has engaged in the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU in 2001, the MoU on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection in 2012, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1994.

During the 5-day meeting, the participants are focussing on discussions about challenges and future trends in sea turtle preservation work, guiding signatories and competent parties to carry out management and preservation plan during the 2020 – 2024 period, and focusing on plastic waste, climate change, and sea turtle varieties.

Also at the event, Viet Nam will recommend the Con Dao National Park in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau as a member of the IOSEA Marine Turtle Site Network. This is a vivid illustration for the Vietnamese government’s commitment to preserving the rare animal, and preventing poaching towards sustainable and responsible seafood exploitation.

In his remarks at the event on Monday, Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Phu Ban said, in recent times, Da Nang has cooperated with domestic and international organisations to implement the programmes related to the conservation and management of the habitat of sea turtles.

The ongoing meeting offers an opportunity for the city to learn more about the protection of marine turtles, and aquatic creatures as a whole.

Sea turtles have roamed the oceans for millions of years. Scientists recognise seven living species of sea turtles, namely green turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), kem’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), flatback (Natator depressa), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). They are now on the verge of extinction.

There are 5 marine turtle species in Viet Nam: green sea turtle, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead and leatherback. These species have been put in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, and the Viet Nam Red Data Book.