After many years of observing one of the most famous sea turtle nesting sites in the world, WWF project coordinator Hariklia Minotou believes that nature has a unique way of “sending its messages”.
According to Guardian, what she has observed this year in Sekania, Zakynthos, has been particularly unprecedented. A beach considered to be the Mediterranean’s largest “maternity hospital” for the Caretta Caretta sea turtle has become a host not only for record amount of nests, but also of hatchlings.
“The measures we have taken are working”
Minotou says that “The message that the sea turtles are sending is that the measures we have taken over the last 25 years to ensure the right conditions for nesting are working.”
“It’s extremely moving,” says Minotou, a sustainable development expert, who stresses the importance of technological advances, including the installation of CCTV cameras, in helping to deter gulls, ghost crabs and other predators.
“This year more than 1,200 nests have been recorded in the Sequoias, which is one per 50 centimeters of beach. A staggering number.”
Record increase in sea turtle nests
From the west of Spain to the east of Cyprus, the Mediterranean has witnessed a record increase in sea turtle nests – proof of the strenuous efforts of conservationists determined to save a species of turtle that not too long ago was on the brink of extinction.
Only one in 1,000 hatchling sea turtles make it to adulthood, which makes the change in the situation all the more remarkable.
Unprecedented recovery of Caretta Caretta nests in Greece
In Greece, which hosts 60% of Caretta Caretta nests, the recovery is unprecedented: since 2023 more than 10,000 nests per year will be recorded. This is a stark increase compared from an original average of 5,000 to 7,000 nests per year, according to Archelon, the Hellenic Sea Turtle Conservation Society.
“Throughout the 2000s, we recorded an annual decline of about 6% in Crete, for example,” said Dr. Aliki Panagopoulou, research coordinator for Archelon, the Greek Sea Turtle Conservation Society.
“We are now seeing a dramatic increase in the number of nests, the result of decades of conservation efforts. Our strategy has always been to ensure that as many hatchlings as possible reach the water and are recruited into the population.”
New threats for sea turtles
But activists also warn against complacency. Climate emergencies, overfishing, pollution and the ever-increasing prevalence of discarded plastics pose new risks.
Too often, they say, officials cite recovery to avoid taking further action in countries like Greece, where tourism is the engine that drives the economy.
“There is no doubt that across the Mediterranean, the increase in the Caretta Caretta population is a reaction of nature to all the conservation efforts of NGOs over the past decades,” said Nadia Andreanidou, Medasset’s program and policy manager.
“But now, more than ever, we need the government’s support to implement the laws we have been pushing for if we are to build on the momentum and keep this extraordinary animal out of danger. The threats are still very much there, and everything could so easily fall apart.”