Conservationists celebrate as efforts to save the Caretta caretta sea turtle, which has existed for 100m years, pay off
After nearly a quarter of a century observing one of the world’s most famous sea turtle nesting grounds, Charikleia Minotou is convinced of one thing: nature, she says, has a way of “sending messages”.
One of the oldest living species, sea turtles are believed to have existed for more than 100m years. Although highly migratory – over a lifetime, the reptiles cross thousands of miles of seas and oceans – female turtles always return as mature adults, about 20 to 25 years later, to the habitat where they were born to lay eggs. It is a reproductive cycle that happens with perfect synchronicity.
In Greece, which hosts 60% of Caretta caretta nests, the rebound has been phenomenal: from an average of 5,000 to 7,000 nests per year, since 2023 over 10,000 nests have been recorded annually, according to Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece. “Throughout the 2000s, we were registering annual declines of about 6% on Crete, for example,” said Dr Aliki Panagopoulou, research coordinator for Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece.
The record number of tourists visiting Greece – by 2028 the country aims to attract 40 million holidaymakers, nearly four times its population – and the appeal of travel companies advertising “last-chance tours” to sites threatened by climate change and overtourism were “catastrophic,” she said.
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