Tunisia July 19, 2019 - following a North African forum of representatives of associations and institutions working in the field of study, protection and awareness of the importance of sea turtles in the North- Africa (Morocco - Algeria - Tunisia - Libya - Egypt), which was held on July 16 and 17, at the invitation of WWF North Africa and SPA /RAC The official announcement of the creation of the first network for the protection of sea turtles in North Africa was advertised as the "North African Sea Turtle Network (NASTNet)".
The North African Network for the Protection of Sea Turtles aims to coordinate sea turtle conservation efforts among North African countries, exchange experiences and build capacity to develop a working strategy for the network. Coordination with Mediterranean and international organizations and initiatives working in the fields of the marine environment.
The North African Network for the Protection of Sea Turtles is formed due to the urgent need to coordinate protection, awareness and research efforts in the region, and the lack of knowledge and information available on sea turtle populations. in the Mediterranean in general and in North Africa in particular, for the purpose of integration and homogeneity. Because sea turtles are present in all the regional and international waters of these countries, and because their protection is a collective and joint responsibility between all the actors in the region, all the participants in the network are fully convinced of the importance of coordinated action between all parties to protect sea turtles of all kinds and their different habitats.
To achieve this objective, the forum participants agreed on the need to form an advisory committee for the network to provide technical and organizational support, composed of the following institutions: RAC/SPA, WWF, CEPF, MedPAN, RASTOMA. Networking and ongoing coordination with the advisory committee in the development of an initial work plan as well as the implementation of the communications strategy in the foundation phase.
