On this June 16, World Sea Turtle Day, we pay tribute to these reptiles, which continue to be threatened globally by various factors; the problem of marine litter, pollution, degradation or loss of their habitats or actions derived from human activities, among others.

On this June 16, World Sea Turtle Day, we pay tribute to these reptiles, which continue to be threatened globally by various factors; the problem of marine litter, pollution, degradation or loss of their habitats or actions derived from human activities, among others.

Specifically, in Spain they are characterised by being highly migratory species, as they use our waters as a transit area on their long journeys across the ocean. However, they are increasingly using the Spanish coasts during their nesting period due to the effects of climate change.

Six of the seven species of sea turtles existing in the world have been observed in our territory, such as the loggerhead, leatherback, green, hawksbill, olive ridley and olive ridley turtles. Along these lines, the Biodiversity Foundation has participated in different projects and supports various initiatives to promote its protection and conservation.

We have collaborated with more than 24 projects and allocated more than 1 million euros, through our calls for grants.

Two of them, developed in the 2017 and 2018 calls by the CRAM Foundation through the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the EMFF, were linked to the treatment, recovery and reintroduction of turtles accidentally caught during fishing activities in the Ebro Delta.

Thanks to this initiative, half of the trawl fishing fleet in the entire province of Tarragona (48.6%) has collaborated in the recovery of sea turtles. Finally, a total of 113 sea turtles were recovered and it was known that 54.5% of the specimens studied had ingested plastics.

Two projects are currently being implemented in which sea turtles are the object of study. One of them, NIDOS-Caretta, carried out by the University of Barcelona, has initiated actions to raise awareness and improve knowledge of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) within the framework of an initiative that seeks to evaluate the sporadic nesting of this species as a possible response to climate change. One of the actions has to do with the use of genomic tools that allow the region of origin of the breeding specimens to be found.

For its part, the Chelonia Association is working on updating the conservation status of the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Spanish Atlantic as a contribution to the Spanish Sea Turtle Conservation Strategy.

Also through the MISTIC SEAS project, in which the Biodiversity Foundation participates as a partner, a common methodology was designed for the monitoring of marine biodiversity in the Macaronesia region. This project focused on populations of marine species, including mammals, birds and sea turtles, and sought to establish a common roadmap to improve coordination in the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in Spain and Portugal (Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira), in one of the areas with the greatest marine biodiversity in Europe.

Management, protection and awareness: key pillars of LIFE INTEMARES

From the Biodiversity Foundation, as coordinators of the LIFE INTEMARES project, we continue to promote action measures to promote the settlement of sea turtles on the Spanish coast, improve their knowledge and guarantee their protection.

With this objective, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is advancing, with the involvement of coastal autonomous communities, universities, scientific and recovery centres, in the Strategy for the conservation of the common turtle and other sea turtles. This document will include measures for their protection, monitoring actions and lines of research, which will serve as the basis for the conservation and management actions carried out by the different administrations involved.

Likewise, due to the frequency of sightings and appearance of the species Caretta caretta, the most common in Spanish waters, as well as the increase in the number of nests, it is necessary to promote measures that contribute to its location and guarantee its survival. For this reason, during this season an attempt will be made to mark the breeding females to study their behaviour and facilitate the detection of their nests.

In this context, citizen participation is essential, as human pressure on beaches is one of the main risks to these nests. If you locate a nest, track or specimen of sea turtle, you should immediately notify 112.