Mission

The Cook Islands Turtle Project will establish and conduct a series of ongoing research programmes with associated activity through to Nov 2012 in order to build a knowledge base of Sea Turtle behaviour for the Cook Islands, strengthen the institutional capacity to protect Sea Turtles and build community awareness of the need for conservation.

This page is currently under review and new content will be posted int he near future. For information on the activity of the previous season read Phil Bradshaws postings on our blog.

 

Research programmes and reports

2010 Annual report. The report is available in PDF format here.

An underwater assessment of sea turtles in Rarotonga’s nearshore waters. This study recorded sightings information from dive operators in Rarotonga to catalogue sea turtle presence and give insight into behavioural characteristics. The report is available in PDF format here.

Palmerston Survey. Supported by a small grant from the Rufford Foundation. A 4 week survey (Apr 2012) to assess sea turtle nesting and ecology at the atoll.

Mauke Survey. Self funded project, week long survery assessing nesting suitability of beaches and reproductive success of past nests. The report is available in PDF format here.

Aitutaki Survey. 11 week survey to study the distribution, abundance and population status of turtles on Aitutaki and Manuae.