Nesting Beaches

Sea turtle nesting activities are being monitored by different NGO's and universities every year.

It is estimated that there are 1360-2710 Caretta caretta nests and 700-1150 Chelonia mydas nests on Turkish beaches (with a total length of 178.4 km.) in annually. Using the assumption that each female nests an average of 3 times in a season every 2-3 years (Groombridge, 1990), this means that approximately 453-903 Caretta caretta and 233-383 Chelonia mydas nest annually on the beaches of Turkey. According to Groombridge's 1990 estimate, at least 25-50 % of the loggerhead and up to 70 % of the green turtles in the Mediterranean could nest on the beaches of Turkey. The protection of these beaches is critical to survival of these species in the Mediterranean.