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Lorca City Council has joined forces with Fundación Oceanográfic and CARM on a number of initiatives to raise awareness about loggerhead turtles during their most vulnerable period, the summer nesting season.

 

Councillor for the Environment María Hernández explained that the projects “aim to make the population aware of the need to protect this species during the nesting season. For this, posters have been installed in our municipality on Carretera de Granada, in Alameda de Cervantes and in the Torre del Obispo Urbanization, among others.”

 

Similar campaigns under the ‘Turtles in the Mediterranean’ umbrella have been spearheaded by the Fundación Oceanográfic in 80 coastal municipalities of the Valencian Community, Andalucia, the Balearic Islands and the Region of Murcia.

 

The Lorca posters come with a scannable QR code that tells locals and tourists what to do if they spot a loggerhead turtle or a possible nesting site.

 

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is an endangered species that in recent years has significantly increased its nesting attempts on the western Mediterranean coast. The animals usually lay their eggs on beaches between the months of June and September, which naturally coincides with the busy tourist season. Females come out of the water to spawn on the sand at night but they’re very sensitive to disturbances, and many nesting attempts have failed due to public interference.

 

“The dates of the campaign are crucial for the conservation of the species, since it is the season in which the nesting takes place, that is, the approach to the beach of the females to deposit their eggs in the points that they consider appropriate, so it is essential that they not be disturbed,” Ms Hernández stressed.

 

To underscore the importance of protecting this species, the General Directorate of the Natural Environment is holding a talk for all beach personnel to prepare them for any possible interactions with sea turtles.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Lorca