Sea turtles are among the oldest inhabitants of earth, having roamed the oceans since the time of dinosaurs over 100 million years ago. 

Even though sea turtles face natural predators, human activities, including hunting, pollution, fishing, habitat destruction, and anthropogenic climate change over the past two centuries has threatened the existence of these ancient seafarers. Today, six of the seven sea turtle species are classified as either endangered or threatened. 

Since the 1980s, Turkey has been stepping up its sea turtle conservation efforts and monitoring studies for sea turtle species like loggerhead sea turtles, for which Turkey’s southern and southwestern coasts have been some of the most important nesting areas for centuries.