State Indicators

Conservation status of marine turtles

Marine turtles are considered as special-status species by a number of legal instruments framed within regional and international conservation agreements. They are listed as endangered and critically endangered species in the Red List issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2008) and in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES, 2009). However, as is also the case with other plant and animal groups, the actual conservation status of their populations is not well known. Because of this, lists of species at risk have often been used by government agencies and NGOs as indicators of the state of biodiversity. Under this scheme, threatened and endangered species represent the actual or potential loss of biodiversity in a country or region (GESAMP, 1995; UNCSD, 1995). The Number of Mexican marine turtle species at risk is used as an indicator of the conservation state of this reptile group in Mexico; this indicator type is widely recommended by international organizations (e. g., OCDE, 2008; ONU, 2007) and environmental ministries of many countries, including Mexico.