Cons Sci Seminar - 10/24/25

Cons Sci Seminar

October 24, 2025

In person (preferred): 335 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul Campus, UMN

Remote access: https://umn.zoom.us/j/91587399054

Trials and triumphs of sea turtle assessments and conservation

Dr. Selina Heppell

Professor, Oregon State University

Abstract

Sea turtles are a great success story in transdisciplinary conservation science. The first quantitative analyses of sea turtle survival and population growth were done in the late 1970s, followed by life cycle analysis and evaluation of management strategies using matrix models over the next 2 decades. The shift from conservation strategies aimed at nests and hatchlings to reductions in at-sea mortality were profoundly influenced by these early models, contributing to the recovery of multiple populations worldwide. While charismatic, sea turtles have slow growth and far-ranging distributions across international borders, requiring collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to conservation. Today, many populations that have recovered successfully are facing new threats from climate change. New monitoring technologies and simulation tools can provide prognostic evaluation of where the biggest threats lie and what to do about them, but only if our data collection is focused on the correct metrics and our conservation efforts continue to be developed collaboratively and strategically.

Biosketch

Dr. Selina Heppell is the Department Head and Professor of marine fisheries ecology at Oregon State University for the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, where she has worked since 2001. She earned her degrees in Zoology from University of Washington, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. In 2016, she was hired as the first female department head in her department’s 80-year history; FWCS is now the largest program of its kind in the nation. Dr. Heppell’s research, teaching, and outreach have taken her all over the globe and spanned numerous species, including sea turtles, sturgeon, groupers, red cockaded woodpeckers, and marine worms. She currently serves on the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the IUCN Marine Turtles Specialist group, and various advisory boards for the state of Oregon and non-profit organizations. In the past, she served on the National Research Council review of sea turtle assessment methods, the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, and the Ecosystem Management Working Group for NOAA’s Science Advisory Board. Dr. Heppell loves mentoring students and faculty, scuba diving, singing, and traveling with family. Fun fact - she has worked on 6 of the 7 species of sea turtle - all except the Flatback!

Page updated

Report abuse