Dr. Hector Barrios-Garrido
Hector is an Associate Professor at the University of Zulia (Venezuela), Founder-President of the Venezuelan NGO “Working Group on Marine Turtles of the Gulf of Venezuela – GTTM-GV”, member of the International Sea Turtle Society (ISTS), and the Marine Turtle Specialist Group-International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN MTSG). Hector holds a PhD from James Cook University in Environmental Science and Management, a Magister Scientiarum (Master of Science) in Aquatic Ecology (University of Zulia), and he is Licentiate in Biology (University of Zulia). His primary research interest is understanding the relationships between natural resources and human communities, especially among Indigenous communities. He is interested in identifying and evaluating the challenges and impacts of anthropogenic pressures on threatened species, and the potential mechanisms to reduce these impacts (through management conservation actions, or by understanding how species can adapt to changes).
Dr. Doğan Özbilen
Doğan Sözbilen has been working on national and international projects for the conservation of sea turtles and biodiversity for more than 20 years. After earning his Biology degree at Hacettepe University, he obtained his Master of Science and PhD degrees at Pamukkale University. Sözbilen started lecturing at the same university in 2012. He has carried out various research such as habitat use of sea turtles in marine environments, the effects of fisheries, climate change and pollution on sea turtles. He was part of the founding team of DEKAMER, Türkiye’s first sea turtle rescue centre, in 2008 and is currently the deputy director of the centre and is a member of the National Sea Turtle Science Commission.