Monk seal: metaphor for the Mediterranean ecosystem

I wish I could write of the unforgettable moment of my first encounter with a Mediterranean monk seal; however, I don’t remember it, just as I don’t remember the moment I saw a dog or a cat for the first time in my life. Probably it was during one of the fishing trip days my dad used to take me on four decades ago, when the term “endangered” had no meaning for the marine life in Turkey. This was probably the main reason why I don’t remember my first seal; they were not so rare during my childhood...

Read the nice Guest Editorial by Ali Cemal Gücü "Monk seal: metaphor for the Mediterranean ecosystem" in the May 2009 issue of The Monachus Guardian

Photo by MOm / V. Paravas

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It is human greed that the monk seal ultimately has to withstand – a force that ambushes conservation efforts whenever there is a conflict between protection and exploitation.
Ali Cemal Gücü