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Marine Turtle Newsletter 71:9-10, © 1996

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

IMPORTANT MEDITERRANEAN NESTING BEACHES DISCOVERED

A survey of the Eastern Libyan coast was carried out from 19 June to 5 July 1995, during which about 1000 km of coastline were surveyed for sea turtle nesting. Previously unknown nesting areas for loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, were discovered between Syrte and the Egyptian border; 380 tracks and 205 nests were documented. The research team included Libyan researchers and experts from France and Tunisia (INSTOP). The survey was coordinated by the UNEP/MAP centre in Tunis for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), with participation from WWF International, the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) and Libyan authorities who, through the Technical Centre for Environmental Protection (Tripoli) and the Marine Research Centre (Tajura), played a pivotal role in the success of the survey.

Populations of marine turtles in the Mediterranean have been decreasing steadily in recent decades, mainly due to incidental catch in fishing gear, ocean pollution, and the use of nesting beaches for recreational activities. In response to these threats, the nations of the Mediterranean, working within the framework of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, adopted the "Action Plan for the Conservation of Mediterranean Marine Turtles" in 1989. This Action Plan is a regional strategy which defines priorities for the protection of these endangered reptiles. The identification of nesting areas and their management are among the priorities defined by the Action Plan. To this end, several national and international organizations have organized surveys of Mediterranean coasts where marine turtle nesting is suspected. With the important results of the recent survey of the Eastern Libyan coast, the Mediterranean Action Plan has once again showed its effectiveness to act as a bond of cooperation among Mediterran-ean people to conserve the Mediterranean Sea and its biodiversity. Source: adapted from a Press Release, United Nations Environment Programme, 19 July 1995.