Vol. 9 (2): November 2006

Anatomy of a conference

An international conference on the Mediterranean monk seal took place in Kemer, near Antalya, Turkey on 17-19 September – unlike previous gatherings, focusing on the political, legal and financial issues that affect the management and recovery of the species.

Held under the UNEP/MAP banner, the conference took place under the wider umbrella of the inaugural Med Blue Week, an event called to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Barcelona Convention, the international agreement that brought both the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the Mediterranean Monk Seal Action Plan into being. [More]

Fact Files

The Monachus Guardian has recently published a detailed knowledgebase on the Mediterranean monk seal, written and compiled by some of Europe’s foremost authorities on the species, including experienced field researchers working in Greece, Madeira, Mauritania/Western Sahara and Turkey. The Monk Seal Fact Files, a searchable information source, covers the history, habitat, distribution and abundance, biology and behaviour of Monachus monachus, as well as sections devoted to threats and conservation efforts.

A comprehensive reference list provides links to additional online content and downloads, where available.

It is hoped that additional funds might also be secured to expand the use of photographic material and to add multimedia (sound/video) content to The Monk Seal Fact Files, further enhancing this publication as a resource for teachers, students, journalists and general interest readers. Translations are also being considered. Any leads on potential funding sources to aid these conservation education efforts would be gratefully received; please contact the Editor.

We encourage other organisations to consider placing a link to the Fact Files on their own websites as a public service, should they consider it appropriate.

Citation:

William M. Johnson, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Panagiotis Dendrinos, Pablo Fernández de Larrinoa, Manel Gazo, Luis Mariano González, Harun Güçlüsoy, Rosa Pires, Matthias Schnellmann. 2006. Monk Seal Fact Files. Biology, Behaviour, Status and Conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus. The Monachus Guardian, www.monachus-guardian.org <http://www.monachus-guardian.org>.

Link: http://www.monachus-guardian.org/factfiles/medit01.htm

The Monachus Guardian in Spanish

Thanks to the financial support of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Spain, and the translation efforts of its consultant, Toni Font, the June issue of The Monachus Guardian was published in Spanish shortly after the English addition appeared.

This marked a “first” for the Guardian, and can only help to bring the plight of the monk seals and their threatened habitats to an even wider international audience.

The Spanish translation can be accessed at http://www.monachus-guardian.org/spanish, or through TMG’s home page via the linked flag. The translation of the November issue will appear shortly after the English edition.

Anyone wishing to discuss the possibilities of arranging or funding translations into other languages (for instance, Arabic, Greek, Turkish) is kindly requested to contact the Editor.

Earlier this year, The Monachus Guardian welcomed The Balearic Islands government as an official sponsor of the journal for 2006, its modest but important grant helping us to continue reporting news and opinion about monk seal and marine conservation issues from across the current and former range of the species.

Copyright © 2006 The Monachus Guardian. All Rights Reserved