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Traditional knowledge is a system of collective understandings transferred through communities across generations. It includes indigenous peoples' knowledge of the natural environment and the ecosystems they occupy, which is founded upon long-term and deeply meaningful connections between people and place. This means traditional knowledge often contains vital perspectives and information relevant tot he conservation of wildlife, especially in remote areas where academic research has been historically limited.

This manual is not a summary of all that is known about sea turtles. There are already very good books and resources that do that. It is also not exhaustive about research and monitoring. Nor it is the global synthesis of all turtle research options. Advanced research into breathing rates and blood plasma and stable isotopes and hearing and endocrinology are a bit out of our scope. Here, we will deal with the basics that inform conservation and management. And by the basics I mean how many nesting turtles do we have; where are they; what threats do they face; and why this knowledge is useful.