About STEL
The Sea Turtle Ecology Lab (abbreviated as STEL) is a non-profit organization aimed at conducting previously overlooked research on the fundamental ecology of sea turtles, such as differences in breeding grounds and migration patterns among sea turtle species.
As a collective team of researchers from various sea turtle-related fields, we collaborate with domestic and international researchers and organizations to promote appropriate collaborative research activities based on sound scientific evidence.
Name of the organization: Sea Turtle Ecology Lab (STEL)
Entity type: non-profit organization
Representative: SUGANUMA Hiroyuki
E-mail: contact@stel.or.jp
Our member
We will introduce the 6 board members sequentially.
Representative
SUGANUMA Hiroyuki
Graduated from the School of Marine Science and Technology at Tokai University.
Director of Tokyo Marine Environment Association and Head of Marine Biology Research Division.
Director of the NPO Everlasting Nature of Asia.
Established NPO STEL in February, 2024.
Member of Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG), Species Survival Committee (SSC), IUCN.
Previously served as Vice President of the Sea Turtle Association of Japan, Board Member of the International Sea Turtle Symposium, and Chief Editor of the Umigame(Sea Turtle) Newsletter of Japan Editorial Committee.
Main Activities:
Conducted hawksbill turtle research in Palau, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cuba.
Conducted research on hawksbill turtles, olive ridley turtle and leatherback turtles in Indonesia. Established Yayasan Alam Lestari (now Yayasan Penyu Laut Indonesia) as a reception center for hawksbill turtle resource management.
Vice representative
OKUYAMA Junichi (Ph. D)
OKUYAMA Junichi is a senior scientist at the Yaeyama Subtropical Station, Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency.
His areas of expertise include movement ecology, behavioral physiology, and nesting ecology of sea turtles.
Currently, he is focused on seeking solutions for the coexistence of green turtles and seagrass meadows, which have largely collapsed due to overgrazing by green turtles.
Director
NARAZAKI Tomoko (Ph. D)
Tomoko works as an assistant professor at Meijo University in Nagoya, Japan.
She primarily specializes in behavioral and ecological studies of sea turtles using biologging methods.
TAKENAKA Tsuyoshi
He has been involved in the editing and production of natural science magazines and books covering fields such as marine, biological, environmental, and fisheries sciences. He is interested in science in general and loves astronomy.