The record of 601 nests for Caretta caretta sea turtles on the Italian coasts

A 30% increase compared to the previous year, which is also affected by the consequences of climate change.

An explosion of life has silently emerged from the sand of Italy's beaches in recent months.It is that of the Caretta caretta sea turtles, the most widespread species in the Mediterranean Sea, whose nesting in 2024 surpassed all expectations:601 nests were counted on the Italian coasts alone, 30 percent more than last year.A record result, as highlighted by theelaboration published by Legambiente based on data from Tartapedia.it.The surge is, however, the result of a combination of more or less comforting factors:the increase in average surface temperatures of the Mediterranean has actually expanded the range of sea turtles, which in the past preferred the waters of the eastern Mediterranean to lay their eggs.The numbers are also affected by the improvements in the monitoring work of the species carried out along the Italian coasts during the year thanks also to Life Turtlenest project, co-financed by the European programme Life.the.The regions that had the highest number of nests were Sicily (190), Calabria (147), Campania (104) and Puglia (99).

The surprising results of the other regions

In addition to the regions mentioned above, it is surprising to see from the report the high number of nests present in the other regions which generally record few cases of nesting like these.The most incredible result is in Tuscany where this year they were documented 24 cases of nests Caretta caretta between the provinces of Lucca and Livorno.Lazio follow in the rankings (fourteen), Sardinia and Basilicata (seven), Liguria (five), Molise (two) and Abruzzo and Marche with one case.Last year the total number of Caretta caretta nests in Italy was 452 and no one like it had been seen distribution of the species throughout the national territory.

Collaboration between institutions serving nature

“This year's extraordinary result is concrete proof that the synergy between institutions, associations and citizens can make the difference in the protection of the sea turtle – he explained Stefano Di Marco, coordinator of the Legambiente Project Office and Project Manager of Life Turtlenest – The project has allowed us to build a real alliance with coastal municipalities, ecological operators who deal with beach cleaning, beach establishments, tourists and local communities:despite the diversity of roles and objectives, an excellent collaborative relationship has been established between these subjects in the belief that the sea turtle is not only a wealth in terms of biodiversity but also an extraordinary resource for socio-economic aspects."

Now the challenge of survival begins for the turtles

If it went well in Italy, the same cannot be said in other European countries.There France and the Spain in fact they recorded a decrease in the number of nestings this year compared to last year.In total in 2024 the nests were twelve in both states while last year they were registered in France fourteen cases and in Spain thirty.In total it is expected that from the laid nests they will be born 40.000 baby turtles between Italy, Spain and France who once born will have to face a series of dangers to survive.The increase in tourism and pollution of beaches represent serious threats to these species.It is estimated that only one in a thousand specimens reaches reproductive age (25 years).Excellent results in Italy but a lot still needs to be done if we want to save turtles.