The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta Caretta) is widely distributed in the world’s oceans as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and is considered to be a “keystone species” in the ecology of marine environments. The Mediterranean is an important nursery area for juvenile turtles and nesting sites are located on many of its beaches and particularly in Greece. The largest nesting site is found on Zakynthos and strict measures are in place for its protection during the nesting and hatching periods. There are many other nesting sites in Greece and there are now indications that the range is extending to areas where they were previously unknown or very rare, such as on Lesvos and Chios. where sea temperatures were probably not favourable in the past. A recent conference reports now describes the efforts to document the new sites.
Observations between 2016 and 2023 uncovered four nesting events with confirmed hatching on two beaches on each island. On Lesvos, the first event occurred on the beach of Skala Eressos in 2019 while, more recently, 6 nesting sites were identified on the beach of Vatera. Together with other recent observations on nearby Turkish shores these sites are the northernmost known nesting locations in the Aegean Sea and the authors speculate on a possible range expansion of the species driven by increasing sea surface temperatures.
Other factors are also important in determining the long-term viability of the loggerhead sea turtle and can mostly be traced back to changes in human activities and to human interventions which relate to the changes in the use of natural marine resources and, importantly in the case of Greece, to pressures of increased tourism. The need for continued research and monitoring is essential not only to deepen the understanding of the species but also to increase public awareness for its protection and conservation.