Message from the President

Dear friends and colleagues, Mediterraneans by origin or by soul,

It is my great pleasure and honour to invite you to our next big gathering, the 6^th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles, scheduled for the 16^th to 19^th of October 2018. Organized by the Department of Biodiversity of the University of Primorska (Slovenia), in collaboration with the Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation (Croatia) as the local co-organizer, the Conference will take place in the picturesque city of Porec in Croatia, located on the coast of northern Adriatic Sea, one of the most important feeding habitats for Mediterranean loggerheads.

Once a major port in the Roman Empire, the city of Porec is among the most famous tourist destinations in Croatia, with diverse historic and cultural heritage, including the grand Euphrasian Basilica dating back to the Byzantine Empire. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Basilica contains marvellous mosaics put in place under the bishop Euphrasius. These mosaics inspired the logo of the 6^th Conference, connecting history with our contemporary efforts aimed at conservation of sea turtles and the marine environment.

Since the beginning in 2001, our Mediterranean conferences have been supported by the UNEP MAP-RAC/SPA, Bern Convention, the Convention for Migratory Species and the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtles Specialist Group, and this tradition continues today. Their support will help us to bring invited speakers, and to provide funds for travel and accommodation grants in order to make this conference available to as many of our colleagues as possible.

With the 6^th Conference we will make a step further from our “sea turtle world” and invite prominent colleagues working in the field of conservation science across different highly mobile taxa which share habitats, life histories and conservation challenges with sea turtles, in order to discuss collaborative opportunities which can benefit our common conservation goals. This is why the theme of the 6^th Conference is “building synergies”. Paolo Casale kindly accepted the task of chairing the Scientific Committee, and I want to thank him and all members of the Committee for their efforts in making the Conference scientifically successful.

The Conference venue is the Valamar Diamant Hotel, located within 15 minutes walking distance from the historic centre of Porec. The Valamar chain of hotels and resorts have a history of supporting environmental and conservation projects. As such, they have offered us a good deal for congress facilities and accommodation for participants. Although Porec does not have an airport, there are several international airports nearby and we have arranged a shuttle service which will take you directly to the hotel.

So, everything is set: a challenging congress theme, prominent guest speakers, an easily accessible and affordable venue, a scenic location, good food and some other “enjoyments” which I’m not allowed to mention officially. However, the success of a conference is always about the people. Therefore, I invite you all – students, professionals and all who care about sea turtles and the future of the Mediterranean to register and come to Porec to the 6^th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles. My team and I will do our best to make this Conference a memorable scientific, professional and social event – the reunion of old friends with the new generation of sea turtle researchers and conservationists.

Looking forward to see you all in Porec!

On behalf of the Conference Organizing and Program Committees,

Bojan Lazar
President of the 6^th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles