Our research

The alliance seeks to undertake the research that is most urgently needed. Additional project lines will be developed as the alliance builds, however three projects are already underway and include:

An ocean-wide synthesis of available evidence of leatherback bycatch

An Atlantic-wide perspective is essential because leatherbacks migrate across vast ocean areas and interact with numerous fisheries across multiple jurisdictions. Without coordinated assessment, conservation responses remain fragmented and reactive. This project will compile all available data on Atlantic leatherback bycatch through an extensive review of peer-reviewed and grey literature (documents produced by governments, universities, companies, NGOs), including sources in French, Spanish, and Portuguese to capture underrepresented regional evidence. This research will be strengthened through expert interviews with fisheries specialists and turtle conservation practitioners across range states. A comprehensive basin-wide assessment will identify major bycatch hotspots, most vulnerable populations, and support the design of targeted conservation measures.

a man is smiling at the camera, kneeling with a nesting leatherback sea turtle on a sandy beach

Updating the nesting population assessment for Gabon

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is listed as globally Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In 2013, regional sub-populations were assessed for the first time and the three Regional Management Units (RMUs) in the Atlantic Ocean are currently listed as follows:

NW Atlantic
Endangered, moving from Least Concern in 2019, based on a 2017 assessment showing declines, particularly in French Guiana.
SW Atlantic:
Critically Endangered, last updated in 2013.
SE Atlantic:
Data Deficient, last updated in 2013.

An updated assessment of Atlantic leatherback turtle nesting populations is urgently needed to understand current population trends and guide effective conservation action. This work begins in Gabon because it hosts the world’s largest known Atlantic leatherback nesting population, providing the strongest available baseline for assessing the species at scale. This work is undertaken in collaboration with the Paternariat pour les Tortues Marine du Gabon.

two people with their backs facing the camera are attaching a satellite tag to the back of a leatherback sea turtle.

Understanding leatherback movements in the Southwest Atlantic to guide conservation

We are collaborating on a project led by Fundação Projeto TAMAR in partnership with Centro TAMAR/ICMBio. By combining satellite tracking and stable isotope analysis, the study will identify key inter-nesting habitats, migratory routes, and foraging areas, while assessing exposure to fisheries and other human threats. This research is urgently needed because the Southwestern Atlantic leatherback turtle population is Critically Endangered, being genetically distinct, geographically restricted, and extremely small. The findings will support more effective marine protected areas, and help inform coordinated conservation measures across national waters and the High Seas, including reduction of bycatch.