Sea turtles around the world are under threat from human-caused problems — but in Greece, conservationists were able to celebrate a big win recently as a record-setting number of hatchlings survived this year, the Guardian reported.
The shores of Sekania on the Ionian island of Zakynthos are reportedly known as the Mediterranean's greatest "maternity ward" for the Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle. The loggerhead is one of the world's oldest living species, believed to have been around for 100 million years.
Although these turtles can cross thousands of miles of seas and oceans, the female turtles always return to the habitat they were born in to lay their eggs. That is what makes Sekania and other areas in the region so important, as 60% of Caretta caretta nests are found in Greece.
In recent years, loggerheads have seen their populations threatened by the same forces that threaten sea turtles around the world: habitat loss, plastic pollution, fishery bycatch, and changes to ocean chemistry caused by the overheating of our planet.
In Sekania, conservationists have begun to focus their efforts and are now seeing highly encouraging results. Before 2023, there were 5,000 to 7,000 nests per year in Greece — now, there are over 10,000 annually.
"I spent years when they were endangered running around different ministries with pieces of paper because back then, no one cared to listen," conservationist Lily Venizelos told the Guardian.
Venizelos founded the U.K.-based Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles in the 1980s, and she is now in her 90s. "It's been the most wonderful news, at my age, to find out that the Caretta caretta are no longer so threatened, but it's crucial protective measures continue to be enforced," she said. "One false move and everything could be lost."
The success story of the Caretta caretta turtles highlights the fact that, just as so many species have been threatened by human activities, humans can also help these species recover.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
