OceanExpert ID : 6583
Dr. Karen ECKERT
Executive Director
Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network
3922 Hillview Court NW
Olympia, Washington 98502
United States
Nationality
United States of America
Email(s)
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Telephone
(314) 954-8571
ORCID :
0000-0002-1032-6413
Ph.D. (Zoology)
Teaching/Education
Research
Natural Resource Management
Technical Advice & Consulting
Biological Oceanography
Marine Ecology
The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) is a volunteer network comprised of more than 60 Country Coordinators (sea turtle experts) resident in more than 40 Wider Caribbean states and territories, and an extensive network of interested Caribbean citizens, including scientists, conservationists, resource managers, educators and policy-makers. The network's mission is to reverse the declining trend in Wider Caribbean sea turtle populations by promoting a region-wide capability to design and implement scientifically sound sea turtle management and conservation measures. WIDECAST is a Regional Activity Network (RAN) of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP), is tasked with assisting Caribbean governments in the discharge of their obligations under the UNEP Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW). Dr. Karen Eckert, WIDECAST Executive Director, has been described by UNEP as "one of the most important figures in conservation and grassroots community empowerment" in the Wider Caribbean Region. In 1994, she was inducted into the Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement by the United Nations for her "tireless dedication to purpose." In 1996, she was awarded a prestigious 3-yr Pew Fellowship in Conservation and the Environment. The Fellowship specifically recognized WIDECAST's effort to restore depleted sea turtle populations and promote sustainable coexistence between Caribbean peoples and their marine resources. In 2023 she was a finalist for The Indianapolis Prize, “the world’s leading award for biodiversity conservation”. (end)
Caribbean Sea
sea turtle research, conservation and management; conservation policy; public awareness; international networking; endangered species recovery planning
English
National "Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plans" and other scientific and technical documents are developed by WIDECAST: https://www.widecast.org/widecast-publications/