By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Palau Marine Turtle Conservation and Monitoring Program (PMTCMP) Coordinator Joshua Eberdong and his assistant Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Klain will attend the 27th Sea Turtle Symposium slated Feb. 23-28 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina U.S.A.
The trip is made possible through a grant with the aim to establish contacts and networking purposes between the PMTCMP with other regional organizations.
For the past three years, the turtle program in Palau has coordinated efforts to survey beaches for green and hawksbill turtle nests, tag turtles, and collect tissue samples.
This program, conducted within the Bureau of Marine Resources, is a cooperative effort among national and state governments, NGOs, and local communities to monitor and protect Palau’s marine turtles.
The PMTCMP said that marine turtles have cultural significance to Palauans and an important source of food for some islanders living in extremely remote locations.
It also said that a critical component of this program is building community capacity to monitor nests and turtles and so far, over 20 people have been trained for this.
The PMTCMP noted that since it’s inception, 1,055 nests have been surveyed, 222 turtles tagged, and 75 tissue samples taken.
In 2003, one transmitter was deployed, two in 2006, and two more are being readied in an effort to track and map the turtles’ movements.
The PMTCMP said the symposium would greatly benefit Palau's program by providing Eberdong and Klain an opportunity to build contacts with other organizations, particularly the regional IOSEA turtle conservation program.
"Learning from research presented at the conference would enhance our field methodology and data analysis," the PMTCMP stressed.
The symposium would also be an excellent place to solicit feedback on the draft Palau Marine Turtle Management Plan.
The PMTCMP has emphasized that its goal is to maintain healthy populations of turtles in Palau through collaboration with local, regional and international partners.
It said that the symposium would also be an excellent opportunity to build these collaborative relationships with a global group of turtle experts.
The project received technical and funding support from BMR, Palau Conservation Society, Palau Fish and Wildlife Protection, Palau Automated Land and Resource Information Systems, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Community Conservation Network, and the Pacific Islands Regional Office of NOAA Fisheries.
PMTCMP collects data in cooperation with state conservation officers and the communities of Hatohobei, Sonsorol, Angaur, Peleliu, Koror, Melekeok Ngiwal, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, and Kayangel.