About
Tomas Diagne has been working to save threatened and endangered turtle species in Senegal for more than 20 years. He began rescuing endangered African spurred tortoises (Geochelone sulcata) as a teenager, and in 1992 he created S.O.S. (Save Our Sulcatas), a nonprofit organization. He co-founded and built a tortoise sanctuary in Rufisque, Senegal, a sanctuary and captive breeding facility for sulcata tortoises that now houses more than 300 individuals and has reintroduced numerous others back to the wild.
In 2009 he began building the African Chelonian Institute (ACI) project in order to expand turtle research, captive breeding, and reintroduction to all threatened African turtle species. Tomas is actively involved in freshwater and marine turtle research throughout Africa, including both field research projects and captive reproduction of threatened freshwater and tortoise species in order to return them to the wild.
Tomas is the regional vice chair for Africa for the marine turtle specialist and the tortoise and freshwater turtle specialist group and an expert consultant of the UNEP/CMS MoU for conservation of sea turtles in Atlantic Coast of Africa (office based in Dakar). He was also awarded a prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise in 1998. In addition, Tomas speaks five languages.
Expertise
Sea Turtles, Conservation Leadership, Social Media, Public Speaking, Conservation in Developing Countries, Advocacy, Education
Select Publications
Petrozzi, Fabio, et al. 2018. Distance-generated field density estimates for the threatened Sahel tortoise Centrochelys sulcata. Russian Journal of Herpetology 25(2). http://rjh.folium.ru/index.php/rjh/article/view/1186
European Reptile & Amphibian Specialist Group. 1996. Trionyx triunguis (Mediterranean subpopulation). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996. e.T22200A9364253. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22200/9364253
Chirio, L., Diagne, T. & Pauwels, O.S.G. 2017. Cycloderma aubryi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. e.T163448A1009393. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163448/1009393
Petrozzi, Fabio, et al. 2017. Habitat determinants of the threatened Sahel tortoise Centrochelys sulcata at two spatial scales. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 12(2). 402-409. http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_12/Issue_2/Petrozzi_etal_2017.pdf
Patrut, Adrian, Sébastien Garnaud, Oumar Ka, Roxana T. Patrut, Tomas Diagne, Daniel A. Lowy, Edit Forizs, Jeno Bodis & Karl F. von Reden. 2017. African baobabs with a very large number of stems and false stems: Radiocarbon investigation of the baobab of Warang. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Seria Chemia 62(1). 111-120. http://www.chem.ubbcluj.ro/~studiachemia/issues/chemia2017_1/09Patrut_etal_111_120.pdf
van Dijk, P.P., T. Diagne, L. Luiselli, P.J. Baker, O. Turkozan & E. Taskavak. 2017. Trionyx triunguis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. e.T62256A96894956. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62256A96894956.en
Diagne, T., L. Luiselli, J.-F. Trape, M.-O. Rödel, P.J. Baker, L. Chirio, F. Petrozzi & G. Segniagbeto. 2016. Cyclanorbis senegalensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T6005A96447114. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6005/96447114
Baker, P.J., L. Luiselli & T. Diagne. 2016. Cyclanorbis elegans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T6004A3086539. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6004/3086539
Petrozzi, Fabio, et al. 2018. Exploring the main threats to the threatened African spurred tortoise Centrochelys sulcata in the West African Sahel. Oryx 52(3). 544-551. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/exploring-the-main-threats-to-the-threatened-african-spurred-tortoise-centrochelys-sulcata-in-the-west-african-sahel/79FF1948C3DED7A4482CCBF7A7B244DE
Baker, Patrick J., Tomas Diagne & Luca Luiselli. 2015. Cyclanorbis elegans (Gray 1869) – Nubian Flapshell Turtle. In A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson & R.A. Mittermeier (eds.), Conservation biology of freshwater turtles and tortoises: A compliation project of the IUCN/SSC. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281684286_Cyclanorbis_elegans_Gray_1869_-_Nubian_Flapshell_Turtle
Luiselli, Luca & Tomas Diagne. 2015. Kinixys erosa (Schweigger 1812) – Forest Hinge-back Tortoise, Serrated Hinge-back Tortoise, Serrated Hinged Tortoise. In A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson & R.A. Mittermeier (eds.), Conservation biology of freshwater turtles and tortoises: A compliation project of the IUCN/SSC. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273887168_Kinixys_erosa_Schweigger_1812_-_Forest_Hinge-back_Tortoise_Serrated_Hinge-back_Tortoise_Serrated_Hinged_Tortoise
Luiselli, Luca & Tomas Diagne. 2015. Kinixys homeana Bell 1827 – Home’s Hinge-Back Tortoise. In A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson & R.A. Mittermeier (eds.), Conservation biology of freshwater turtles and tortoises: A compliation project of the IUCN/SSC. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273887112_Kinixys_homeana_Bell_1827_-_Home’s_Hinge-Back_Tortoise
News
- 2019 Forbes Magazine: How Did This Senegalese Scientist Meet Prince William? Turtles!
- African Chelonian Institute: Sea Turtle Mortality Assessment
- African Aquatic Conservation Fund: Senegal Stranding Network
- The State of the Worlds Sea Turtles: SWOT Report
- WGBH Forum: Conservation Challenges of the African Manatees and Sea Turtles
Awards
2019 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa
2019 Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation
1998 Associate Rolex Laureate
Affiliations
New England Aquarium News and Blogs