Protection of the nests of Loggerhead Sea Turtles or Caretta caretta

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is the most common sea turtle in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and it is also widespread in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Caretta caretta, as it is commonly known, in addition to laying its eggs along the Greek and Turkish beaches, nests also every year in Italy, thus requiring a great attention to the seas around the Italian peninsula. The breeding population in Italy makes about 40 nests per year, of which about 60% are located along the Ionian coast of Calabria, mostly in the province of Reggio Calabria. But because these turtles are susceptible to many of the human activities, including disturbances caused by tourism in spawning areas, and also by accidental fishing, the species are nowadays seriously threatened. The WWF, Worldwide Fund for Nature, the world's largest organisation for preserving nature, estimates that every year about 150,000 sea turtles end up being caught in fishing gears in the Mediterranean Sea, killing more than 40,000 of them. Caretta Calabria Conservation is an association that works in Calabria precisely for the protection of the population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta), nesting along the Ionian coast, recognized as the main nesting area of the species in Italy. This intervention to "protect the nests of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) in some sites of community importance (SCI) of the Ionian coast of Reggio Calabria" has been aimed primarily at the mitigation and reduction of the problems affecting the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) during the reproductive period between May and October. The reasons for the serious decline that has affected the Mediterranean population of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) are, in fact, to be found in the reduction and/or disappearance of suitable sites for nesting, due to anthropization and coastal erosion, as well as in the direct impact that marine pollution and fishing activities have on these animals Therefore, the project has set two main interventions: the protection of the Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) nests in some Special Areas of Conservation of the Ionian coast of Reggio Calabria and the protection and environmental improvement of the stretch of coast included in the Special Area of Conservation IT9350142 Capo Spartivento. Specifically, the actions of the first intervention concerned the direct protection of the nests through the installation of anti-predation grates and fences, to maximize the hatching success of the broods and, moreover, the dissemination of information useful for a more correct use of these coastal habitats, reducing the anthropogenic impact. Also, as part of the first intervention, satellite transmitters were placed on some breeding female turtles to monitor their movements during the reproductive period. The second intervention concerned the redevelopment of one of the most popular stretches of beach for the species at national level, in order to regulate the access of beachgoers, preserving the dune vegetation and hindering the illegal access of motor vehicles to the beach. For this purpose, special fences were installed with information boards and monitors.