光害對海龜的影響,是美國政府以及保育人員一直很重視的問題;最近在美國佛羅里達州也有人發起連署,希望羅德岱堡市(Fort Lauderdale)能正視光害對海龜所造成的問題。在台灣,也曾有媒體報導此類問題,而國立台灣海洋大學教授程一駿實驗室最近也準備利用地理資訊系統(Geographic Information System)來探討夜間光照對海龜的影響。
地理資訊系統(Geographic Information System, GIS)最早於西元1832年時被應用於流行病學之研究。直到最近幾年才被海龜生物學家應用於學術研究上,並且希望能夠幫助政府執行保育計畫,例如以GIS中的3D立體技術,來協助探討海龜死亡率與航道疏浚之間的關係,或者是利用GIS技術畫出位於義大利南邊赤蠵龜混獲之熱點區塊。
“Conservation is primarily not about biology but about people and the choice they make.”– Balmford and Cowling, 2006.(原文出處)
Andrew Balmford 英國劍橋大學動物系保育生物學教授 Richard Cowlin 南非納爾遜曼德拉都市大學植物系研究教授
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