Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region

Enhancing the protection and conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean region.

The project of Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region aims to enhance the protection and conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region by reducing human-induced direct mortality. The conservation activities are taking place in 13 Mediterranean Countries: Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey.

Objectives:

Apply Research and Monitoring of nesting sites and marine hotspots
Reinforce the coordination and implementation of harmonized protocols
Support capacity building for relevant stakeholders for marine turtle conservation
Improve the management and protection of nesting sites
Reduce illegal trade of marine turtles in Tunisia
Increase Knowledge to create Baseline for Effective Conservation
Secure long-term buy-in for sea turtle conservation
Scale-up site protection

Lobna Ben Nakhla

Lobna is a marine turtle specialist. She is the Program Officer on species conservation at UNEP-MAP SPA/RAC and the coordinator of the Turtle project, aiming to protect these species all across the Mediterranean.

Partners

3 marine turtle species occur in the Mediterranean Sea: the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest here, while the huge Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is an occasional visitor, mainly in search of food. These 3 species are included in the List of Endangered and Threatened Species, which means that if conservation efforts cease, their population will start decreasing again.

Important feeding and overwintering areas have been identified, however, further research is needed. The project aims to enhance the protection of marine turtles by reducing human-induced direct mortality.

Budget (total) : 2,700,000€