Conservation of sea turtles in scientific literature: A global bibliometric review

Scientific production related to sea turtle conservation has grown consistently over the past decades, with a marked increase after the year 2000. This bibliometric study analyzed 3554 articles published between 1956 and 2023 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, aiming to identify spatial, temporal, and thematic patterns in global research. The highest concentration of publications is found in North America, with over 1500 studies, followed by Asia and South America, each with approximately 600–900 publications. Europe, Oceania and Africa report between 301 and 600 studies, while Central America have fewer than 300 publications.Six main categories of conservation efforts were identified, with the following proportions of studies: population monitoring (48 %), nesting area protection (23 %), rehabilitation (11 %), bycatch reduction (8 %), community engagement (5 %), and public policy (5 %). Chelonia mydas and Caretta caretta are the most studied species, whereas Natator depressus and Lepidochelys kempii remain among the least studied. The results highlight the need to expand research in underexplored regions and topics, particularly in foraging areas and in the implementation of strategies such as public policy and community engagement. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution and current directions of the scientific literature on sea turtle conservation, contributing to more strategic and integrated future actions.