Today we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, which are globally threatened due to numerous factors derived from human activities, such as the loss and degradation of essential habitats, interactions with various fisheries, pollution and marine litter.

In Spain, five of the seven species of sea turtles existing in the world have been observed. Loggerhead, leatherback, green, hawksbill, olive ridley, flat and olive ridley turtles – the latter two not seen in our country – are characterised by being highly migratory species that use Spanish waters as feeding areas, development and as a place of passage on their long transoceanic journeys.

To contribute to their protection, we carry out actions within the framework of various projects. Thanks to LIFE IP INTEMARES, coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, through the Biodiversity Foundation, we have contributed to improving the knowledge of sea turtles. Specifically, we have studied 10 loggerhead turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta) released on a beach in Valencia in October 2017.

After four months of follow-up, scientific studies confirm that turtles bred in captivity manage to be self-sufficient at sea. Some of them have made long journeys to reach the coasts of eastern Mediterranean countries.

In addition, relevant data have been collected in a period known as “the lost years” of turtles, in which hatchlings are not observed again until they return to coastal waters as juveniles. With the information collected, conservation measures for this species can be proposed to be included in conservation plans and strategies.

We have also promoted the creation of a common action protocol for stranding networks in order to standardise data collection at the national level and actions have been carried out aimed at beach staff in Murcia, Almeria, the Balearic Islands and Tarragona to protect turtle nesting on the beach.

Other initiatives

Within the framework of the Pleamar Programme, we support the project carried out by the Foundation for the Conservation of Marine Animals to conserve and recover the different species of sea turtles in the protected area of the Ebro Delta with the involvement of the fishing sector. This initiative aims to design an effective action network, training fishermen and actively involving them in the protection of the species that inhabit and transit in the Mediterranean. 

Improving the knowledge of sea turtles is also one of the objectives of the MISTIC SEAS 2 project. Along these lines, three oceanographic campaigns have been carried out, one in Madeira and two in the Canary Islands, with the aim of testing common indicators for Spain and Portugal that will allow estimating the demography of loggerhead turtles and will serve as a basis for knowing the evolution of their populations in the future, as well as to address the necessary measures to achieve good environmental status in the Macaronesian region.  In this project we participate as partners together with the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast of the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Do you want to know more about our actions in marine and coastal biodiversity?

You can follow our twitter @FBiodiversidad and through the hashtag #Intemares, #ProgramaPleamar and #MisticSeas we keep you informad@ of all the news and performances. And to learn about the progress of the marine projects, we invite you to subscribe to our newsletters through the following link.