The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment has promoted the creation of an action protocol for sea turtles.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment has promoted the creation of an action protocol for sea turtles stranded on the Spanish coast or that enter recovery centres in order to improve knowledge of these species and their main threats at sea.
Coinciding with World Sea Turtle Day, more than 30 experts from coastal autonomous communities and cities, island councils, the General State Administration, universities and non-profit organisations have participated in a workshop held at the Oceanogràfic in Valencia, within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Food and Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, and which also acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea.
In this framework, the experts have identified needs in the care of stranded sea turtles or those entering recovery centers and, in addition, have agreed on the most appropriate practices and methodologies in order to develop a common protocol coordinated and updated based on the available scientific and technical knowledge.
Methodologies have also been established for the collection of homogeneous and comparable data essential to know the problems associated with sea turtles in Spanish waters. To date, different protocols are applied and the available information is sometimes scarce and heterogeneous.
This action will be complemented by a series of training workshops for volunteers and environmental agents from Andalusia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia in order to generate a network of detection, urgent attention and protection of sea turtle nests on the beaches of our coast.
The first workshop will take place on June 21 at the visitor center of the Salinas y Arenales Regional Park in San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia). The Autonomous Communities will have an urgent advisory service throughout the season for the work of environmental agents and volunteers to ensure the success of the nesting that occurs on our coasts.
THREATENED TURTLES
In Spain, six of the seven species of sea turtles existing in the world have been observed. Specifically, these are loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill, olive ridley and olive ridley turtles. They are characterized by being highly migratory species that use these waters mainly as feeding areas, development and migratory corridors. In some cases, they also approach the Spanish coasts to nest.
All of them are threatened globally due to numerous factors derived from human activities, such as the loss and degradation of essential habitats -including laying beaches-; interactions with various fisheries; pollution and marine litter or illegal international trade in their products, among other causes.
Within the framework of LIFE IP INTEMARES, various actions will be carried out with the aim of improving knowledge about these species and adopting the most appropriate management measures for their protection and conservation. Specifically, studies will be carried out on habitat distribution and use patterns, as well as survival and behaviour at sea of loggerhead turtle hatchlings and adults from rehabilitation, among other actions.
SPECIES AND HABITATS RECOVERY
One of the lines of action of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project is based on the conservation of species and habitats in the marine protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network.
In this area, measures for the maintenance, recovery and restoration of marine habitats and species will be implemented to ensure a favourable state of conservation, both through recovery measures and mitigation of impacts, such as noise, maritime traffic, recreational activities or invasive species, among others.
In addition, the management plans for all the areas of the Natura 2000 Network under the jurisdiction of the General State Administration will be drawn up in a participatory manner with all the administrations and sectors involved, and the creation of 9 new SCIs will be proposed to achieve the objective of protecting 10% of the marine area.
LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine environment conservation project in Europe, aims to achieve a network of Natura 2000 Network sites, managed effectively, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making. It has the financial contribution of the European Union’s LIFE Programme, as well as the European Social Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, among other sources of funding.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, coordinates the project through the Biodiversity Foundation, which acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain also participate as partners.
