In pictures: Sea turtle conservation thrives amidst Covid-19 pandemic
The tourism lull and reductions in human activities have been a blessing for loggerhead sea turtles, ancient seafarers who have nested in Turkey’s coasts for centuries.
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.
Also known as Caretta Caretta, the marine reptiles mainly nest in Turkey, Greece, Libya, and Cyprus, with smaller numbers in Tunisia, Italy, and other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Some sporadic nesting has been observed as far as Spain, according to Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET).
Named for its powerful jaws and large head which allow it to crush the shells of its crustacean and other shelled prey, loggerhead sea turtles are the most common of three sea turtle species found in the Mediterranean region.
Loggerheads spend several years in migration at sea. Every two to three years, female loggerheads return to the exact beach where they were born to lay eggs - about 80 to 100 - by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. Nesting season begins in the early summer.
After a 45 to 65-day incubation period, baby sea turtles normally emerge from their nests at night and scurry to the relative safety of the sea, guided by the moon’s reflection on the water. Artificial lighting and light pollution from humans may confuse the hatchlings, leading to increased mortality rates.
Some protection measures instituted by Turkish authorities and research centres include restricting human activities on the beach between 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM during nesting season. Nests are also caged, and volunteers have acted as night guards to protect the nests and eggs from predators.
Stay-at-home measures and fewer tourists visiting the beaches of Turkey during the Coronavirus pandemic led to a doubling of the number of Caretta Caretta nests in coastal areas, according to officials from the Environment and Urbanization Ministry’s Directorate of Protection of Natural Heritage.
There are a total of 22 nesting spots in Turkey, including five protected ones in Belek, Patara, Koycegiz-Dalyan, Fethiye-Gocek, and Goksu Delta in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. In 2020, nearly 200,000 hatchlings made it to the sea from 4,785 nests in the five special protection beaches. About one percent of hatchlings reach sexual maturity.
The species is categorised as vulnerable worldwide, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, and a species of “least concern” in the Mediterranean region.
Sand temperature determines the sex of the hatchlings: higher temperatures produce females. The pivotal temperature is 29 degrees Celcius, at which a 50/50 sex ratio is expected. Climate change is causing what has been called a “crisis” in sea turtle sex ratios, as many sea turtles are being born mostly female.
A 2020 study by the Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center and Hospital (DEKAMER) found plastics in the digestive tracts of about 60 percent of caretta carettas. The rate of plastics was the lowest in Turkey and Cyprus at 58 to 59 percent, and as high as 70 percent in other countries due to garbage and pollution. Injured sea turtles are sent to Sea Turtle Research Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Dalyan for help. The study also estimated that 30,000 to 40,000 loggerheads die in the Mediterranean every year from human causes, like getting caught in fishing nets.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.