The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has outstanding marine biodiversity of international importance that warrants protection. A Royal Decree has put special emphasis on the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats in the Red Sea under the umbrella of SHAMS. This 1st symposium is an auspicious event where SHAMS will launch its conservation program for sea turtles along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and build a collaborative network among partner organizations and stakeholders.

With this forward-looking vision we chose the theme for the conference to be:

 “Navigating the Future: Advancing Sea Turtle Conservation in the Red Sea through Science, Collaboration, and Innovation”.

This event will take place 3 – 6 November 2024, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

The objective of the symposium is to:

•    Review the state of knowledge on Red Sea turtle populations and their habitats.
•    Identify region-specific strengths, threats and challenges. 
•    Introduce leading experts, researchers, policymakers and conservation practitioners to each other.
•    Develop lasting networks of collaboration.
•    Explore innovative approaches and cutting-edge technologies to solve conservation challenges