Saving sea turtles: the evolution of the IUCN Marine Turtle Group.
When Peter Scott became chairman of the Survival Service Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1963, he invited Archie Carr to chair the Marine Turtle Group (MTG). A leading authority on the ecology and conservation of sea turtles, Carr believed that the MTG could be the first international forum for sea turtle research and conservation. The assembly of data for the IUCN Red Data Book revealed which species of turtles were threatened with extinction and the array of risks that they faced. Although Carr and Scott differed on what courses of action should be taken in light of this, the MTG did emerge as an important international congress that remains an inspiration to current marine protection efforts.
Davis
Frederick R
FR
Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, Department of History, Florida State University, 401 Bellamy, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2200, USA. fdavis@fsu.edu
D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000266:history; D017753:Ecosystem; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D007391:International Cooperation; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012958:Societies, Scientific / Q000266:history*; D014426:Turtles; D014481:United States